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Do Toners Need to Change as We Age?: MIT Engineer (and Stages of Beauty founder) Jasmina Aganovic Says Yes

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Stages of Beauty toners
Stages of Beauty toners come in different varieties for men and women in their 20's, 30's, 40's, and 50+'s.

Nowadays, it seems almost everyone is coming out with an all-natural anti-aging skin care line.  Yet when an MIT-trained Chemical & Biological Engineer develops her own line, that catches even the most seasoned beauty expert’s attention.  This month, MIT-trained engineer Jasmina Aganovic did just that, with the new line Stages of Beauty.  Each product in her line is formulated to restore the skin’s pH to the optimal neutral range.   Monk’s Pepper extract (AKA chaste berry), Red Tea extract, and Western Dock are all included as antioxidants and dark spot lighteners, but I am most excited about red tea.

All About Red Tea

Red tea Red tea is actually not a tea at all, but rather, is derived from the leaves of the Aspalathus linearis plant.  Growing in only one place – the sandy slopes and valleys of the Cedarberg Mountains of the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa – red tea leaves are green but turn red after the fermentation process.  It is debatable whether red tea or green tea contain more antioxidants, with some studies arguing for the former (Healthy and Natural Journal, 2000) and others for the latter (Food Chemistry, 2008; Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2003).  Yet while green tea remains a soothing antioxidant with limited wrinkle-fighting properties, red tea may be better for directly treating signs of aging, as it contains alpha hydroxy acid.  And if you’ve never heard of red tea before, keep in mind its other, more common name:  Rooibos.

What about the toners?

Stages of Beauty
Stages of Beauty's analysis of how skin changes as we age by the decade.

The Stages of Beauty toners are formulated for different ages (20s, 30s, 40s, 50s).  We were able to score an exclusive interview with company founder (and MIT-trained engineer) Jasmina Aganovic:

1.)    As a biological and chemical engineer, what inspired you to create a line of toners?

Toners are really just an extension of the existing Stages of Beauty line. As a brand, we really are focused on providing a complete skincare regimen for women everywhere based on the biology of the skin at their age. I was inspired to create a skincare brand formulated by age because I knew about the biological changes that happened in the skin as we aged, and I didn’t see any other brands that were actually educating women about these changes and providing them with complete solutions.

We all think that “fine lines and wrinkles” are our biggest worry, but we don’t understand what else it is that our skin needs, leading to incomplete anti-aging skincare. Stages of Beauty is built around education, and we hope that our products can not only deliver fantastic results, but teach women about what their skin needs.

 2.)    What is different about your product?

The main thing that makes all of our products different is that they are formulated by age. For example, in the case of the toners, the Radiance toner (formulated for the 20s) is focused on antioxidants and oil control, while the Grace toner (formulated for the 50s+) is focused on hydration and balancing the effects of hormones on the skin. No other brand approaches their products in that sort of a way – they all have “one size fits all” products when it comes to age.

Stages of Beauty - Skin in the 20's vs. Skin in the 30's

3.)    How long did it take to formulate?

Some of our products take a couple months, while others can take up to a year. It really depends! Some products, like an eye cream, take a while to perfect in terms of texture.

4.)    What do you think readers will be surprised to know about your product?

That age is the largest determinant of our skin’s needs (even more than skin type!). I truly hope that this educational piece is the most surprising. Many women are surprised when I explain to them what goes on in the skin within each of the age groups – they learn so much, and are surprised by a lot of it regardless of whether or not it applies to their age group. They are always surprised to learn facts like: “The skin takes twice as long to regenerate in our 30s as in the 20s which leads to duller skin.”

Stages of Beauty - Skin in the 40's vs. Skin in the 50's (and beyond)

5.)    Do you plan to issue other products?

Absolutely! We are committed to provide complete anti-aging care for women, who knows – we might even go into cosmetics and body care too one day! The age specific story is still extremely relevant.

6.)    Why age-specific?

This goes back to a lot of what I was saying in question #1. Very few women understand what their skin needs from a biological level. It leads to literally a lifetime of experimentation with different products to find something that “works.” Age is the largest determinant of our skin’s needs and so few of us understand what it is that our skin needs by age.

7.)  Anything you’d like for my readers to know?

Since your demographic is primarily in the 20s… I definitely want to emphasize the importance of SPF’s in products! 80% of our aging comes from the sun, and our 20s is when we get the majority of our free radical damage from the sun. Regardless of how we look at it, the 20s is a great time to start thinking about anti-aging skincare. Currently Stages of Beauty does not offer an SPF (we are formulating one!) but we encourage all of our customers to use an SPF over our products for this reason!

Thank you, Jasmina!

To learn more about the Stages of Beauty line, please visit the Stages of Beauty website.  

 

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