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This Luxury Skin Care System Allows You To Mix Up Your Own Products For Next-Level Results

If you’ve always wanted to be a cosmetic chemist, here’s how.

Written by Isabella Sarlija
Updated: 
Originally Published: 
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Cosmetic chemists have pretty cool jobs — they often sit in their labs, mixing various forms of active ingredients to land on the perfect formulation for everything ranging from cleansers to serums. But here’s the thing — most skin care ingredients are only readily available for professional use, and it’s not necessarily recommended for people without a chemical degree to mix up their own skin care products. Still, if your ears perk up at the idea of creating your own cosmetics at home, you’ll want to check out The Exponent Anthology by Exponent Beauty, a limited-edition holiday set that features the brand’s self-activated skin care system. All the products in The Exponent Anthology would typically sum up to a grand total of $626; but the set is on sale now, for a limited time only, for $469.

Fast Facts

  • Price: $469 (a $626 value)
  • Comes with: One Activator Base, five Powder Globes + Dispensers, two Quadruple Hyaluronic Acid Hydrators, one Time Rewind Retinol Active Powder, one Brightening Boost Vitamin C Active Powder, one Calm Revival Green Tea Resveratrol Active Powder, one Firming Filter CoQ10 Antioxidant Active Powder, and one Clear Comeback Probiotic Enzyme Active Powder
  • Cruelty-Free? Yes
  • Vegan? Yes
  • Free of: Parabens, phthalates, animal-derived ingredients, synthetic fragrance, artificial dyes, alcohol, petrolatum, mineral oil, SLS/SLES

Exponent Beauty was created by Liz Whitman, who held the previous title of President and CMO of The Red Door by Elizabeth Arden. During her time at Elizabeth Arden, Whitman witnessed countless estheticians mixing their serums moments before use to ensure that their products were of the highest potency. They did this because many skin care actives — like retinol and vitamin C — tend to degrade over time and can render a serum ineffective well before the tincture is empty. To get around this issue, Exponent Beauty sells powder forms of skin care actives that a user can mix into a hyaluronic acid base to ensure maximum efficacy from their products (and in turn, maximum results).

The Exponent Anthology.Exponent Beauty

The Exponent Anthology

The Exponent Anthology includes the brand’s full suite of five Active Powders, along with two Quadruple Hyaluronic Acid Hydrator refills that act as carrier serums for the powders. The Quadruple Hyaluronic Acid Hydrator contains four molecular weights of HA to hydrate skin at multiple layers. The Active Powders comprise the following:

Time Rewind Retinol Active Powder: This powder contains 0.25% retinol to promote smoother, more even skin over time.

Brightening Boost Vitamin C Active Powder: This vitamin C is derived from 10% L-Ascorbic Acid to provide antioxidant protection against free radicals and brighten the complexion.

Calm Revival Green Tea Resveratrol Active Powder: A blend of green tea, resveratrol, and cica asiaticoside (also known as centella) to calm skin by reducing redness and inflammation.

Firming Filter CoQ10 Antioxidant Active Powder: The key ingredient in here, coenzyme Q10, is a lipid antioxidant that helps promote firm, smooth skin.

Clear Comeback Probiotic Enzyme Active Powder: This powder comprises a blend of willowbark, probiotics, and enzymes to repair the skin’s microbiome and gently slough off dead skin cells for a brightening and clearing effect.

How to Use It

Luckily, you won’t have to whip out a beaker or graduated cylinder to mix up your own skin care products. This system includes one Activator Base, which holds the Quadruple Hyaluronic Acid Hydrator, and five Powder Globes + Dispensers, which hold the Active Powders.

Exponent Beauty

To use the system, pick the Active Powder you’d like to apply and connect the dispenser with the Quadruple Hyaluronic Acid Hydrator activator base. After a few turns clockwise, the brand says you should hear a “thunk” noise that indicates that both the hydrator and powder have been dispensed. Then, remove the Active Powder Globe and use the activator base’s mixing bowl to mix the formula with your finger for five seconds until you reach a cream-gel consistency. Finally, apply the serum to your face, neck, and decolletage, before wiping the activator base’s mixing bowl clean with a tissue.

And when your serums are finished, all you have to do is purchase new refills — both the Quadruple Hyaluronic Acid Hydrator Activator Base and Powder Globes are refillable and reusable.

Shop The Exponent Anthology Gift Set At 25% Off

Interested in trying out the system for yourself? This holiday season, you can snag the set for 25$ off.

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