The New Language
of Skin

 

(Skin Care) Skincare is taking a minimalist turn—fewer products, fewer ingredients, chosen with intent. Instead of chasing results through excess, the focus has returned to function, tolerance, and long-term skin health.

This approach is especially effective for skin that feels overwhelmed—sensitive, reactive, or prone to flare-ups. By simplifying your routine, you reduce triggers, support the barrier, and give skin the space it needs to recover.

Minimalism also brings clarity when working on specific concerns such as acne, pigmentation, or early signs of aging. With fewer variables, it becomes easier to see what truly makes a difference—and which ingredients your skin actually responds to.

So which ingredients matter in a stripped-back routine?

Niacinamide is a key multitasker. It clarifies, refines pores, balances oil, evens tone, strengthens the barrier, and calms inflammation.
Panthenol is ideal in cases of dryness or irritation as it soothes and supports regeneration.

Ceramides, as structural lipids, help rebuild and fortify a compromised skin barrier—especially relevant when skin feels fragile or depleted.
Squalane replenishes lipids without heaviness or clogging.
Antioxidants like vitamin C, vitamin E and resveratrol help neutralize free radicals, boost collagen production and even out the complexion—making them powerful allies even on their own.

Zinc PCA benefits breakout-prone skin by regulating oil production and soothing inflammation. For improving skin texture, softening fine lines, and promoting gentle cell renewal, retinaldehyde offers a modern, well-tolerated solution.

Still, this less-is-more approach comes with its own considerations. Minimalism requires patience. Results may take longer and overly simplified routines can miss the key actives your skin actually needs. Some routines may feel less luxurious, more functional, and it can also mean sacrificing sensorial texture.

THE POWER OF THE MICROBIOME
Our skin is not sterile—and that’s a good thing. It hosts billions of microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, and viruses that form the skin’s microbiome. These invisible companions help protect the barrier, regulate inflammation, and support immune function.

A balanced microbiome keeps the skin calm, resilient, and clear. When disrupted by over-cleansing, stress, pollution, or harsh ingredients, the skin becomes more vulnerable. Common signs include sensitivity, dryness, redness, flakiness, itching, and slow healing, as well as flare-ups of eczema, rosacea, perioral dermatitis, and even acne. If your skin reacts easily, stays irritated, or struggles to recover, microbiome-friendly care can make a visible difference.

What does it take to care for the skin’s microbiome effectively?

A new class of ingredients works with the skin instead of against it. These include prebiotics and postbiotics—both designed to restore microbial balance.

Prebiotics like inulin and alpha-glucan oligosaccharide feed beneficial bacteria. They support balance and are ideal for sensitive, unbalanced, or stressed skin.

Postbiotics, such as galactomyces ferment filtrate, bifida ferment, and lactobacillus ferment, are not live bacteria but bioactive compounds created through controlled fermentation. Often referred to as ferments, these ingredients help calm inflammation, strengthen the skin barrier, and even out tone—especially in reactive or aging skin.

Supporting ingredients like panthenol, ceramides, and squalane help to stabilize the skin environment and allow the microbiome to thrive.This shift in skincare is less about adding more and more about acting with intention. The future is not sterile—it’s symbiotic.

Cellular Conversation
Modern skincare is moving beyond surface care. Instead of just soothing or hydrating, a new class of active ingredients engages the skin at its source—encouraging it to repair, regenerate, and renew itself.

Two of the most advanced players in this field are exosomes and PDRN (polydeoxyribonucleotide). Both are biologically active compounds that stimulate the skin’s natural processes from within.

Exosomes are microscopic messengers derived from stem cells. They carry proteins, growth factors, and RNA fragments that improve cell-to-cell communication, reduce inflammation, and support tissue repair.

PDRN, a DNA-based compound extracted from salmon cells, boosts skin regeneration by activating fibroblasts, enhancing collagen synthesis, and accelerating healing. Originally used in medical wound care, it is now a key ingredient in non-invasive skin renewal.

This regenerative approach is ideal for skin that feels tired or thin, is slow to recover, or is stressed by sun, aging, or treatments. It can also help rebuild resilience in sensitive or inflamed skin.

Minimalism, barrier respect, and intelligent regeneration. What reads like a new standard for skincare is already reality at MANTLE. Founded in 2020 in Stockholm, the Scandinavian brand merges clean formulation with clinical precision to support skin health, longevity, and resilience. Founder Josefin Landgård shares how that philosophy comes to life and why less can do so much more.

MAISON Ë Can you share the personal journey and professional experiences that led you to found a clean skincare brand like MANTLE?

Josefin Landgård I grew up in northern Sweden where winters are brutal and the skin is constantly exposed to extreme conditions. As a competitive skier, I spent my youth battling snow, wind, and sub-zero temperatures. I learned early on how fragile the skin can be when not properly protected.

Later in life, after co-founding Europe’s largest digital health platform and becoming one of Scandinavia’s few female tech unicorn founders, I reached a point where I wanted to bring together my two lifelong passions: science-driven innovation and skin health. I was craving skincare that was both high-performance and truly clean—formulas that felt luxurious, worked in extreme conditions, and supported long-term skin resilience. I couldn’t find what I was looking for so I built it.

Creating MANTLE wasn’t just about entering the beauty industry, it was about raising the standard. Clean, clinical, and unapologetically innovative.

M.Ë How does clean beauty specifically support the skin’s natural balance and health?

J.L. At MANTLE, we see clean beauty not as a checklist of banned ingredients, but as a holistic approach to skin health—where efficacy, transparency, and respect for the skin’s natural functions are key. One of the concerns clean beauty can address best is skin barrier imbalance, which often shows up as sensitivity, dryness, dullness, or reactivity.

Modern life—with its stressors, environmental aggressors, and over-complicated routines—often leaves the skin out of sync. Clean beauty, when done right, brings it back to balance. So we focus on clean and clinical formulas that support the skin’s barrier, using proven efficacious actives like niacinamide and bakuchiol alongside natural ingredients such as jellyfish mucin and sea buckthorn. These ingredients don’t shock the skin, they work with it.

M.Ë Which controversial ingredients do you believe are still too common in skincare and what risks do they pose?

J.L. We don’t believe in fearmongering, but we do believe in being informed. One ingredient that still shows up too often is denatured alcohol, especially in products marketed for oily or acne-prone skin. It can give a short-term ‘clean’ feeling, but over time it disrupts the skin barrier, leading to dehydration, sensitivity, and even more breakouts. Another one is synthetic fragrance, which is often a vague catch-all term for dozens of undisclosed chemicals. While not all synthetic ingredients are problematic, lack of transparency makes it hard for people, especially those with reactive skin, to make informed choices.

We’re also cautious about harsh preservatives like certain parabens or formaldehyde-releasing agents. Again, it’s not about vilifying every synthetic, but about looking at cumulative exposure and supporting the skin’s long-term health, especially for people already navigating inflammation, hormonal imbalances, or sensitivities.

M.Ë How do you define truly healthy skin and what myths would you like to dispel?

J.L. One of the biggest misconceptions we hear is that “glowy skin means flawless skin” or that your skin has to be perfectly even, poreless, and texture-free to be healthy. That ideal is not only unrealistic; it’s deeply damaging. Skin is a living organ, not a filtered image. The goal isn’t to erase your skin’s natural rhythm, but to support it so it can do what it’s built to do—protect, renew, and glow from within. Another common myth is that more active ingredients always mean better results. In reality, overloading the skin with too many actives, especially without barrier support, can backfire. That’s why our approach is intelligent layering—combining potent actives with calming, nourishing elements that maintain long-term balance.

Ultimately, we want to help people build a relationship of trust with their skin, instead of constantly trying to fix it.