The Science
Your skin didn't change overnight because it aged. It changed because estrogen stepped back. Here's what that does — and how we formulate for it.
Our Position
There is a great deal of noise in this category, and much of it takes the same shape: a proprietary complex, a mechanism described in language that sounds clinical, and a promise about what it does inside your skin.
We have taken a different approach, for a straightforward reason. A cosmetic product is not a medicine, it cannot claim to be one, and skin during this transition is contending with reactivity that makes aggressive formulation a poor trade.
So what we offer instead is transparency about the biology, discipline about the claims, and formulation judgment applied to every decision — which ingredients, at what concentration, in what base, and just as importantly, which ones we leave out.
What Estrogen Does for Skin
Estrogen receptors are distributed throughout human skin — in keratinocytes, fibroblasts, melanocytes, sebaceous glands, and hair follicles. Through them, estrogen participates in the regulation of skin physiology across several domains at once: collagen and extracellular matrix maintenance, hydration and water balance, sebaceous output, wound healing, and antioxidant defense.¹˒²
This is why the changes of perimenopause and menopause present as a cluster rather than a single symptom. One signalling molecule was involved in multiple systems. When it withdraws, those systems change together.
The literature describes the consequences consistently: skin becomes thinner, with less collagen, reduced elasticity, increased dryness, and diminished defense against oxidative stress.¹
We call this the handover — the point at which five systems stop being managed hormonally and begin depending on what you do for them.
The Five Systems, in biology
1. Water
HYDRATION & WATER BALANCE
Estrogen is associated with the maintenance of dermal hyaluronic acid content and with sebaceous gland activity. As levels fall, both the skin's capacity to bind water and its production of the surface lipids that limit water loss decline together.¹˒³ Clinically, increased dryness is among the earliest changes women report at menopause.³
2. Structure
COLLAGEN & THE DERMAL MATRIX
Dermal collagen content and skin thickness are both estrogen-associated. Brincat and colleagues reported that collagen loss in postmenopausal women is front-loaded — approximately 30% within the first five years following menopause, followed by roughly 2.1% annually thereafter.⁴˒⁵ Elastin architecture changes in parallel, contributing to reduced recoil.
3. Barrier
LIPIDS & BARRIER INTEGRITY
Barrier function depends on an ordered lipid matrix of ceramides, cholesterol, and free fatty acids within the stratum corneum. Estrogen deficiency is associated with impaired barrier maintenance and increased transepidermal water loss.²˒³ This is the mechanistic route to the sensitivity, reactivity, and pruritus frequently reported during this transition — and it is typically the earliest system to change.
4. Renewal
EPIDERMAL TURNOVER
Keratinocyte proliferation and epidermal renewal slow with estrogen decline, and epidermal thickness decreases.¹˒² Retained corneocytes at the surface alter how light is reflected, which is the physical basis of what is described as dullness.
5. Defense
OXIDATIVE STRESS & PIGMENTATION
Estrogen contributes to endogenous antioxidant defense; its decline is associated with reduced protection against oxidative stress.¹ Estrogen also acts on melanocytes, and pigmentary changes are a recognized feature of estrogen-deficient skin.¹˒²
Five principles govern every formulation decision we make. They are not marketing positions. They drive which ingredients are in our products and why others are not.
How We Formulate
always comes first. Every formula is assessed for what it costs the barrier before it is assessed for what it delivers. An active that compromises barrier integrity in reactive skin has not performed well — it has performed at a price we are not willing to pay.
..are actives. In skin that has lost its own lipid supply, replenishing that supply is not a finishing step. It is the intervention. We treat plant oils and lipid fractions with the same formulation rigor as any other functional ingredient.
..is not the same as efficacy. The useful dose is the highest one skin will tolerate consistently, which is frequently well below the highest one on the market. A product used nightly for two years outperforms a stronger one abandoned in three weeks.
fully used. Three products used completely and consistently will do more than eight used sporadically. We would rather formulate a short routine that survives a busy month.
..state what we can support. We do not claim hormonal activity. We do not claim to build collagen. We describe appearance, comfort, and feel — because that is what a cosmetic product can honestly speak to, and because you deserve to know the difference.
What we leave out, and why
Effective and well studied, and not the right tool for reactive skin during this transition. Retinoids place additional demand on the same barrier that estrogen withdrawal has already thinned. For many women in this phase, the irritation cost exceeds the benefit — and a routine that is abandoned delivers nothing at all. We formulate for what can be sustained.
Fragrance is one of the most common causes of contact sensitivity, and skin in this phase is more reactive than it was. There is no performance argument that outweighs that.
Both deliver an immediate sensory result — a clean squeak, a fast finish — at direct expense of the lipid matrix. In skin that is no longer replacing those lipids on its own, that is a cost that compounds.
Botanical does not mean gentle. Essential oils are among the more common sensitizers in natural formulation. We use naturally-derived, essential oils for their properties other than scent, but our products benefit from the soothing scent most essential oils possess. So as to avoid allergic reactions, we use essential oils as a total of 0.5% of our formulation - the maximum allowed in the UK.
Testing
Dermatologist tested as safe for sensitive skin. All three Modern Age Skin formulas have undergone dermatological testing for use on sensitive skin.
Every formula is made in small batches, and every ingredient is disclosed in full — INCI names and the reason each one is present — in our Ingredient Library.
References
- Thornton MJ. Estrogens and aging skin. Dermato-Endocrinology. 2013;5(2):264–270. doi:10.4161/derm.23872
- Verdier-Sévrain S, Bonté F, Gilchrest B. Biology of estrogens in skin: implications for skin aging. Experimental Dermatology. 2006;15(2):83–94. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0625.2005.00377.x
- Rzepecki AK, Murase JE, Juran R, Fabi SG, McLellan BN. Estrogen-deficient skin: The role of topical therapy. International Journal of Women's Dermatology. 2019;5(2):85–90. doi:10.1016/j.ijwd.2019.01.001
- Brincat M, Kabalan S, Studd JW, Moniz CF, de Trafford J, Montgomery J. A study of the decrease of skin collagen content, skin thickness, and bone mass in the postmenopausal woman. Obstetrics & Gynecology. 1987;70(6):840–845.
- Raine-Fenning NJ, Brincat MP, Muscat-Baron Y. Skin aging and menopause: implications for treatment. American Journal of Clinical Dermatology. 2003;4(6):371–378. doi:10.2165/00128071-200304060-00001
- Wilkinson HN, Hardman MJ. The role of estrogen in cutaneous ageing and repair. Maturitas. 2017;103:60–64. doi:10.1016/j.maturitas.2017.06.026
Note: The information on this page is provided for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Modern Age Skin products are cosmetics and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. If you are managing a medical condition or considering hormone therapy, please speak with your healthcare provider.