January 28, 2026
Winter Skin vs. Summer Skin: Why Your Routine Should Change With the Seasons
Skin isn’t static - it responds constantly to its environment. Yet many skincare routines are built as if the skin’s needs stay the same year-round...
The Skin Formulary
Skincare education, straight from the pharmacist's bench of Dr. Allyson Brennan.
January 28, 2026
What I’d Tell My Friends About Skincare After One Semester of Pharmacy School
In the first semester of pharmacy school, we spend a lot of time learning one core framework: ADME - absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excr...
January 28, 2026
The Most Overused Skincare Buzzwords - And What They Actually Mean
Skincare marketing is built on buzzwords - clean, gentle, clinical, non-toxic. These terms sound reassuring, but most aren’t regulated, standardize...
January 28, 2026
If Skincare Ingredients Were Pharmacy Classes, These Would Be the Hardest Ones
In pharmacy school, the hardest classes weren’t always the ones with the most memorization - they were the ones that asked you to see the bigger pi...
January 28, 2026
Why Fewer Ingredients Can Be Better for Reactive Skin
Skincare routines have become increasingly complex, with multi-step layering, rotating actives, and single-ingredient products adding more than the...
January 28, 2026
Why "Non-Comedogenic" Isn't Regulated (and What Actually Matters Instead)
As a pharmacist and formulator, I’m often asked whether a product is “safe for acne-prone skin.” Most often, that question is tied to one familiar ...
January 28, 2026
pH, But Make It Make Sense: Why Your Cleanser May Be Wrecking Your Skin
If your skin feels tight, dry, or irritated right after cleansing, the issue may be less about what you’re washing off and more about how your clea...
January 28, 2026
Your Skin Is an Organ - Here’s What Pharmacy School Didn’t Teach Us
When we think about organs, we usually picture the heart, lungs, liver, or kidneys. Skin rarely makes the list. Yet the skin is the largest organ o...
January 28, 2026
Cold Weather Lips, Hands, and Cuticles: The Science of Why They Crack
Winter is one of the most demanding seasons for skin health, and areas like the lips, hands, and cuticles tend to show stress first. Cracking, peel...
January 28, 2026
Summer Sweat, Sunscreen, and Sensitivity: How to Prevent Irritation in the Heat
As the days get longer and temperatures rise, our skin faces a unique set of seasonal challenges. Increased sweat, heat-induced friction, and heavi...
January 28, 2026
Why Skin Breaks Out in the Spring (And It’s Not Just Allergies)
Spring marks a cheerful shift from winter’s cold to warmer weather, but your skin may not always adjust smoothly. If you’ve noticed more breakouts ...
January 28, 2026
Vitamin E Beyond Antioxidants: Why It’s in So Many Healing Formulas
What is Vitamin E and Why Is It in Skincare Products? Vitamin E isn’t a preservative in the antimicrobial sense, it doesn’t kill bacteria or stop ...