Imagine a skincare line that tells you to throw everything you keep being told about beauty out the window, and focus on your own unique self-worth instead? That’s where Forget Beauty, founded in Vancouver by holistic skincare expert and owner of SKN Clinic, comes in. We chatted with Amanda to find out about her brand’s appealing mission to not only improve the health of our skin in the long term, but also to empowering us in our skin journey so we can see, feel and honour our unique beauty. —Noa Nichol
Hi Amanda! Please tell us a bit about yourself to start.
I am a passionate seeker and researcher of all things holistic and soul nurturing. I love discovering new people, places and things that evolve and expand my mind, body, and spirit. I am the person who tries everything first and then shares it with the world around me.
Before we get into the “skincare” of it, we’d love to know more about SKN Clinic; when did you open the clinic and why, what service do you offer, who is SKN Clinic for and what makes it unique?
I opened SKN Clinic in 2008 with the heart-felt intention to create a space for people to come elevate their skin health in an environment that felt safe, professional, comfortable and fun. A space to be seen, heard and understood without feeling judged. We offer a range of services: customized medi-facials, micro-needling, HydraFacials, Halo, Skin Tyte, Forever Young BBL photo-facials, laser hair removal and so much more. Our most popular offerings are the exclusive treatment combinations we create for elevated results. SKN Clinic is really for anyone who is looking to care for their skin in a non-judgemental environment.
OK, on to your skincare line, Forget Beauty! First the name; it’s so intriguing. What’s the meaning behind it?
We believe in the age-old saying, “Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder” but, after a decade of working with clients, I witnessed that the eye of the beholder had been hypnotized by endless messaging on how beauty should look for everyone, completely ignoring the undeniable fact that we are all unique and different. These false and unattainable standards have disempowered us and blinded us to the truth: we are all beautiful. We are here to guide people back to the truth. Forget Beauty takes a more empowering path than the average skincare line. The true mission behind the name is to simply “forget beauty standards”; forget what society says we’re supposed to look like and remember your unique natural beauty; forget about using products that are harmful in the long term and remember to use empowering skin products that preserve your skin health long term. Our mission it so reclaim beauty by empowering you and your skin so you can see, feel and honour your unique beauty.
When did you launch Forget Beauty? What niche were/are you aiming to fill?
We launched in 2017 with the intention to rewrite the outdated skincare script that is promoting the overuse of actives leading to sensitive skin and inflammatory skin conditions. Forget Beauty is sharing an updated empowering skin script. This starts with creating a strong, healthy skin barrier and microbiome. You cannot have healthy, youthful skin without a strong barrier and microbiome. It is the root cause of most skin issues and accelerated skin aging. To that end, we have a complete skincare line that consists of a cleanser, exfoliators, water based serums, oil, moisturizer and a powder booster. Our product line is designed for all skin types and needs. At the core of our line is the 3 Layers of Hydration System. It has literally transformed hundreds of faces over the years. This system consists of our Awakened Hydrating Serum, Nurtured Replenishing Oil and Immersed Nourishing Moisturizer. These three products all work on different layers of the skin to build a strong, beautiful skin barrier—and seriously hydrated skin. This is the baseline to prepare the skin to receive active ingredients like retinoids, vitamin C and acids. Beyond that, I would say our compassionate and intelligent approach to the skin and our formulations is what sets us apart from other skincare brands and where the real transformation happens.
We understand that you formulate your products with the most “bio-available” form of vitamin A: Encapsulated Retinaldehyde. What is this, and how does it change the skincare game?
Encapsulated Retinaldehyde is the evolution of Retinol and we believe it is the superior choice. I have witnessed many clients dealing with a broken-down skin barrier and sensitization from the overuse of retinols and other prescription retinoids. The downtime that occurs with strong reintoids is not beneficial and is just putting the skin into a state of longterm inflammation. Encapsulated Retinaldehyde offers the benefits of a retinol serum without the irritation and downtime. It is important to note that the overall formulation needs to be high quality as well. We use encapsulated in two of our serums. It can be found in our Empowered Collagen Revival Serum along with a host of plumping and restorative peptides, which ensure you are stimulating collagen while you sleep. And, in our Harmonized Clarifying Serum, along with a host of incredible eastern herbs to support the healing of acne prone skin.
How does Forget Beauty bridge together skincare and self-care?
The brand is built on the foundation of honouring your unique beauty and not conforming to what you are told is beautiful by society. We do this with empowering messages on each bottle for the consumer to see each day.
What do you mean when you say that the line encompasses “functional and supportive skincare”?
Functional and supportive skincare is the marrying together of natural and medical-grade ingredients, creating the perfect alchemy in each bottle. Our formulations elevate the results of natural skincare while simultaneously reducing the excess irritation of medical-grade skincare, restoring skin hydration, collagen formation and total skin health and radiance longterm.
What would you say is the hero product … or the product you personally cannot live without?
The hero product is our Awakened Hydrating Serum. We can’t keep this stuff stocked. It is a unique water-based serum that is formulated with a potent blend of antioxidants, nutrients, epidermal growth factor and a signature Chinese herbal blend. It feels like silk on the skin and penetrates deep to the dermal layer, giving the skin a massive drink of water while bathing the collagen and elastin, keeping it supple and juicy. It is the first step in our 3 Layers of Hydration System.
forgetbeauty.com
Win! $378 Forget Beauty x SKN Clinic Prize Pack!
Congrats Breannah N. of New Westminster, B.C., who will receive a Forget Beauty x SKN Clinic Prize Pack, including a $189 3 Layers of Hydration Kit and a $189 Sculpting & Toning Facial! Please note: if you are the winner, you will receive a DM (direct message) in Instagram directly from @vitadaily.ca. Please be wary of fake accounts, which often use similar handles with an extra or missing letter, number or symbol. We will never ask for a payment or for your credit card number, and we will never ask you to click through a link. If you are unsure whether you have been contacted, via Instagram, by us or a fake account, email us before responding.
