Beyond the Sheets is a monthly series where we share the health and wellness journeys of fellow wellness disruptors; those, like our founder Allison, forging innovation around sleep, skincare, and overall well-being.
Hi there, Jessa here sharing my chat with Dr. Karin Hermoni. Karin is the Head of Nutrition and Science at Lycored and is pioneering ingestible skincare. She believes skin health is holistic. Nutrition and supplementation compliment other skincare practices. Skincare, as you’ll read, really starts from the inside out.
Jessa (Nollapelli): Like Nollapelli’s innovative bedding, a balance of natural and synthetic yarns, Lycored seeks to balance nature with science. What is Lycored’s overall wellness mission?
Karin: The mission is basically bringing nature into everyday life. We use natural ingredients, that is our main dish, mainly from the tomato. Our mission is to bring it to everyday life packaged in the form that will make the most impact on people’s lives. We use our technology to optimize what nature can bring us, and we allow people the opportunity to make something good for themselves with those natural gifts.
Jessa: What brought you to Lycored?
Karin: During the course of my academic background, I researched the effect of natural ingredients on different aspects of human health. What excited me most about it was that I brought this knowledge every day to the dinner table. When we sit down at the table, when my kids sit down at the table, we talk about the nutrients that we are eating every day. I have this knowledge about what they are actually doing on the molecular and cellular level in the body, and it's true across all ages. It’s true for my kids, it’s true for me, it’s true for my parents and grandparents. That is what drew me into this world. Lycored is using the most advanced technology to understand and optimize the natural ingredients in the best-packaged way.
Jessa: I am definitely seeing the parallels of Lycored’s mission with our own.
Karin: This is where I see the similarity to Nollapelli: you are finding the best ratio of materials in order to provide the best experience for the skin and body when we sleep. What we are doing at Lycored is similar, but from the internal aspect. We are also extracting and using our technology in order to standardize and find the best ratios to bring the best support to our skin from the inside. We take care of that internal environment.
Jessa: Speaking of our internal environment, Lycored is pioneering ingestible skincare. Can you talk about that?
Karin: It is an understanding that nutrition is actually a part of our beauty regimen. Beauty is not only, and you at Nollapelli know it best, what we put on our skin. It is not only a topical regimen; it is a holistic regimen. It includes how we sleep and what we have on when we sleep, it includes our emotional and physical journey, and how we nourish our body and skin. Ingestible skincare is taking exactly that but concentrating it into something that can be a part of your lifestyle every day, on-the-go. It is not intended to replace good nutrition, but it complements our lifestyle and beauty regimen.
Jessa: What ingestible skincare products does Lycored offer?
Karin: We have our skincare platform. Most of our ingredients are from the tomato, tomato nutrient complexes. One of our most researched products is Lycroderm™. It a combination of tomato extract and rosemary extract. They were chosen for the synergistic benefit we saw in the lab that improved elasticity in human skin.
Jessa: We would take Lycoderm™ as a daily supplement?
Karin: Yes, exactly. The only difference is the mindset that this is a part of your daily skincare regimen.
Jessa: Do you use it in your own beauty routine?
Karin: Yes, I do! In addition, one thing I do for my skin every day is smile.
Jessa: I love that! Beyond smiling, what does your beauty routine look like from the inside out?
Karin: First of all, good nutrition is reached from fruits and vegetables. I use Lycroderm™ and a basic skincare routine. Personally, I put the focus on the internal stuff – my mood, doing something good that helps me feel good- and that reflects on the outside.
Jessa: Our mantra is When you look good, you feel good. And when you feel good, you can be good at what you do and in turn, do good for others around you. It sounds like you are in the same camp.
Karin: Definitely.
Jessa: Your passion for your work is certainly coming through. What do you love most about what you do?
Karin: I love how my work applies to everyday life, that is what I love best. I also love learning something new about these nutrients every day, and it amazes me is that nature is so smart.
Jessa: Switching gears to sleep, because one of our great loves is sleep. Especially in women’s health, does Lycored focus on sleep in research?
Karin: Yes. These things are all related: when you are in the best physical and emotional shape, you are relaxed, and you have true beauty sleep. Everything is connected and affects each other; it is a cycle. It is calmness on the molecular level, but also on the experiential level.
Jessa: Lycored’s website focuses on carotenoids. What are they and how do they benefit the skin?
Karin: Our body cannot manufacture carotenoids on its own. We consume them through diet or supplementation. They have many different roles in our bodies. Focusing on skin, carotenoids actually create a reservoir. Carotenoids are first and foremost a strong antioxidant and have the ability to balance inflammation. This lays the foundation for healthy skin on a molecular level. It allows the structural support, like collagen, to thrive and protects collagen from degradation. We also know the number one preventable cause of skin aging is UV exposure. Carotenoids can help balance the effects of UV exposure, and in general, the everyday environmental challenges that our skin faces.
Jessa: So long story short, carotenoids are important to skincare.
Karin: One more thing to think about is that carotenoids are basically pigments. It is well known that a diet rich in carotenoids, a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, is linked to more attractive skin. They help our true colors shine through.
Jessa: That is a perfect way to end our conversation. Karin, thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us. Keep smiling.
Karin: [laughing] Thank you.
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