From Austin’s holistic-meets-Harvard dermatologist, Kristina Collins.
From contributor Arden Andrews.
In Austin, Texas, a holistic-meets-Harvard-trained skincare queen reigns. “I believe that the few minutes that people spend on skin care during the morning and night could change the trajectory of an entire day and that one powerful moment can change an entire life,” says Kristina Collins MD FAAD, the double board certified dermatologist and Mohs micrographic surgeon that founded foy, a new line of skincare and “V-care” products exclusively launching with Free People.
The co-founder of Austin Skin, a boutique dermatology practice, she works with celebs like Freida Pinto one day and local ranchers the next. When she launched foy, she saw it all in “an incredibly vivid dream” and now relates the name to the fountain of youth, not like a magic potion, but “in the sense that the authenticity and love we share with the world are the things that we leave behind,” she explains. “So in some way, love is the fountain of youth. I hope that people will use my products to nourish their skin but also to embrace their own unique beauty and manifest their magic. I believe that if we love ourselves we can change our energy, if we can change our energy then we can empower our lives, and if we empower ourselves — well, we can change the world.”
With every foy purchase, contributions are made to SAFE Alliance and Girls Empowerment Network, and the brand remains plastic-free even as prices surge for glass and wood materials. “Ultimately, this is about so much more to me than skin care products,” Collins explains. “This is taking back the “beauty industry” and evolving it to do what it always should have done — support and empower women.”
Here, the dermatologist herself answers FP’s questions on everything from healing skin to healing the mind and body through pure ingredients and intentions:
Derm lines are doing great in 2022 — can you sense that everyone is kind of ready for expert opinions on skin rather than more marketing and influencer-type pushes?
I definitely love the fact that people are embracing the skin care lines created by true skin experts — board certified dermatologists. I do think there is a momentum of backlash against some of the influencer and celeb skin care products of the minute because let’s face it, people are smart and they have tons of information at their fingertips. They can tell when something feels gimmicky or inauthentic. I think that people hate being lied to, for example, a celeb saying that they would never get Botox but it turns out that they regularly get Dysport which is a very similar product, or when celebs who shall remain nameless tell people that they have done absolutely nothing but use olive oil on their skin (and then voila — their new skin care line has an olive oil base). But that being said, some celebs and influencers still have major pull with many audiences — those with huge followings own the megaphone that is social media and they are able to easily broadcast their products to the masses. However, I would encourage everyone to lean towards true medical experts for anything in the sphere of health, including skin care.
What’s your point of view on what makes great at-home skincare?
To me, a great skincare regimen is one that people will actually do. When steps or routines are too cumbersome we easily fall short of our goals and can’t stick with it long term. A skin care program is a lifelong endeavor and really only needs to take a couple of minutes in the morning and night. A basic regimen would include twice daily cleansing, serum (like our antioxidant serum), and moisturizer. In the morning a mineral sunscreen is also helpful. At night, I encourage incorporation of a retinol-based ingredient, like the retinoate in our night sleeping oil. I prefer to use a very moisturizing and priming moisturizer in the day and then a more exfoliative and renewing moisturizer at night. I also think that daily preventive care of the unique skin of the vulva (like our vulva treatment oil) can go a long way to help ensure our comfort, health, and confidence.
You have a holistic approach to your products as well — how would you describe that to someone who’s new to the term?
When I think of holistic, I think about wellness that encompasses the whole person — the body, mind and spirit. Growing up in a family rooted in ancient eastern medicine and healing practices, I have always appreciated the power of holistic traditions for health, and now, as a physician and specifically a dermatologist, I am an expert in the science behind skin care. One unique aspect to the foy line is that each product truly brings together the best of eastern and western philosophies to affect the skin on a cellular level and bring out its radiance. I have seen that my patients benefit when we step outside of the box and integrate traditional and holistic approaches, so I have combined the evidence-based science of ingredients like hyaluronic acids, probiotics, vitamins, and retinoate with more holistic, botanical, and herbal ingredients that represent in many cases knowledge handed down for generations.
Did you want to convey a certain message or mission with your line and this first round of offerings?
I believe that by combining ancient wisdom with evidence based skin science, my formulas act on a cellular level to transform the health and beauty of the skin. I have formulated each product to address common skin issues that my patients struggle with while ensuring that all formulas remain clean, honest, chock full of actives, free of harmful chemicals or preservatives, free of filler, cruelty free, and environmentally sustainable. But my true mission is not just to create incredible skin care products, my mission through foy is to create skin care that acknowledges and empowers the beauty and the magic that exists in all of us. I paired all of my products with individual meditations (the mantra and emblematic bird appears on the outside of the box and the meditation appears as you slide the box open) because I believe that small daily rituals, like using positive mantras to raise our consciousness and presence morning and night during those precious few minutes of our skin care routine, have the potential to create major life transformations.
What makes your product formulations so next-level, in that case?
Our waterless products contain no filler, no fluff, and no toxic ingredients or preservatives. We believe that you deserve to be safe when using your skincare and our Earth needs to be protected from unhealthy chemicals that find their way into our water and poison our land. All of our formulas meet the much more stringent EU standards for clean beauty and all of our products are free from silicones, phthalates, formaldehyde-releasing ingredients, hormone disruptors, and EDTA. Every doctor-designed foy formula thoughtfully harnesses the power of natural and plant-based ingredients that are good for you and the planet. We are committed to making clean, honest, transformative, and beautiful products that you will love using daily.
How do you suggest layering foy with the other products — even those outside of your line like makeup and SPF?
You can absolutely layer! I recommend a cleanse or double cleanse prior to putting on the skin care products. After cleansing, I would use the antioxidant serum — this is like a vitamin for your skin, enriching your skin with all of the necessary building blocks and nourishment. Then, you could use the eye and lip moisturizer to really smooth and brighten. In the morning, the day moisturizing balm works great under makeup because it protects from environmental hazards and also prevents creases or lines. I always recommend people use mineral sunscreen instead of chemical sunscreens because I think that physical blockers like zinc or titanium dioxide are much safer and non-toxic. These physical blockers work by creating a barrier to UV light on your skin so it is best to place them on your skin after any other skin care products but before makeup. Mineral blockers can block the absorption of other products. At night after cleaning, I recommend using the antioxidant serum, then the eye and lip moisturizer, and then the sleeping oil for the face. The vulva treatment oil can be used any time of day but personally I think bedtime is a great time to meditate on and take care of this part of the body.
Skincare routines are being whittled down lately — what’s your take on using or not using each step in your line?
I think it is vital for individuals to choose the steps that they enjoy doing and that feel great on their skin. We are all unique! Certainly many of the products in the foy lineup work synergistically, yet people can see amazing results on their skin with any individual product. I really hope that people will embrace the meditations included with their products because even if they are only using one part of the foy routine, the associated meditation could create a really impactful moment of presence in the day.
Can you give us a road map to the new products you’re launching at Free People, in your own derm-meets-real-world words?
In Austin, Texas, a holistic-meets-Harvard-trained skincare queen reigns. “I believe that the few minutes that people spend on skin care during the morning and night could change the trajectory of an entire day and that one powerful moment can change an entire life,” says Kristina Collins MD FAAD, the double board certified dermatologist and Mohs micrographic surgeon that founded foy, a new line of skincare and “V-care” products exclusively launching with Free People.
The co-founder of Austin Skin, a boutique dermatology practice, she works with celebs like Freida Pinto one day and local ranchers the next. When she launched foy, she saw it all in “an incredibly vivid dream” and now relates the name to the fountain of youth, not like a magic potion, but “in the sense that the authenticity and love we share with the world are the things that we leave behind,” she explains. “So in some way, love is the fountain of youth. I hope that people will use my products to nourish their skin but also to embrace their own unique beauty and manifest their magic. I believe that if we love ourselves we can change our energy, if we can change our energy then we can empower our lives, and if we empower ourselves — well, we can change the world.”
With every foy purchase, contributions are made to SAFE Alliance and Girls Empowerment Network, and the brand remains plastic-free even as prices surge for glass and wood materials. “Ultimately, this is about so much more to me than skin care products,” Collins explains. “This is taking back the “beauty industry” and evolving it to do what it always should have done — support and empower women.”
Here, the dermatologist herself answers FP’s questions on everything from healing skin to healing the mind and body through pure ingredients and intentions:
Derm lines are doing great in 2022 — can you sense that everyone is kind of ready for expert opinions on skin rather than more marketing and influencer-type pushes?
I definitely love the fact that people are embracing the skin care lines created by true skin experts — board certified dermatologists. I do think there is a momentum of backlash against some of the influencer and celeb skin care products of the minute because let’s face it, people are smart and they have tons of information at their fingertips. They can tell when something feels gimmicky or inauthentic. I think that people hate being lied to, for example, a celeb saying that they would never get Botox but it turns out that they regularly get Dysport which is a very similar product, or when celebs who shall remain nameless tell people that they have done absolutely nothing but use olive oil on their skin (and then voila — their new skin care line has an olive oil base). But that being said, some celebs and influencers still have major pull with many audiences — those with huge followings own the megaphone that is social media and they are able to easily broadcast their products to the masses. However, I would encourage everyone to lean towards true medical experts for anything in the sphere of health, including skin care.
What’s your point of view on what makes great at-home skincare?
To me, a great skincare regimen is one that people will actually do. When steps or routines are too cumbersome we easily fall short of our goals and can’t stick with it long term. A skin care program is a lifelong endeavor and really only needs to take a couple of minutes in the morning and night. A basic regimen would include twice daily cleansing, serum (like our antioxidant serum), and moisturizer. In the morning a mineral sunscreen is also helpful. At night, I encourage incorporation of a retinol-based ingredient, like the retinoate in our night sleeping oil. I prefer to use a very moisturizing and priming moisturizer in the day and then a more exfoliative and renewing moisturizer at night. I also think that daily preventive care of the unique skin of the vulva (like our vulva treatment oil) can go a long way to help ensure our comfort, health, and confidence.
You have a holistic approach to your products as well — how would you describe that to someone who’s new to the term?
When I think of holistic, I think about wellness that encompasses the whole person — the body, mind and spirit. Growing up in a family rooted in ancient eastern medicine and healing practices, I have always appreciated the power of holistic traditions for health, and now, as a physician and specifically a dermatologist, I am an expert in the science behind skin care. One unique aspect to the foy line is that each product truly brings together the best of eastern and western philosophies to affect the skin on a cellular level and bring out its radiance. I have seen that my patients benefit when we step outside of the box and integrate traditional and holistic approaches, so I have combined the evidence-based science of ingredients like hyaluronic acids, probiotics, vitamins, and retinoate with more holistic, botanical, and herbal ingredients that represent in many cases knowledge handed down for generations.
Did you want to convey a certain message or mission with your line and this first round of offerings?
I believe that by combining ancient wisdom with evidence based skin science, my formulas act on a cellular level to transform the health and beauty of the skin. I have formulated each product to address common skin issues that my patients struggle with while ensuring that all formulas remain clean, honest, chock full of actives, free of harmful chemicals or preservatives, free of filler, cruelty free, and environmentally sustainable. But my true mission is not just to create incredible skin care products, my mission through foy is to create skin care that acknowledges and empowers the beauty and the magic that exists in all of us. I paired all of my products with individual meditations (the mantra and emblematic bird appears on the outside of the box and the meditation appears as you slide the box open) because I believe that small daily rituals, like using positive mantras to raise our consciousness and presence morning and night during those precious few minutes of our skin care routine, have the potential to create major life transformations.
What makes your product formulations so next-level, in that case?
Our waterless products contain no filler, no fluff, and no toxic ingredients or preservatives. We believe that you deserve to be safe when using your skincare and our Earth needs to be protected from unhealthy chemicals that find their way into our water and poison our land. All of our formulas meet the much more stringent EU standards for clean beauty and all of our products are free from silicones, phthalates, formaldehyde-releasing ingredients, hormone disruptors, and EDTA. Every doctor-designed foy formula thoughtfully harnesses the power of natural and plant-based ingredients that are good for you and the planet. We are committed to making clean, honest, transformative, and beautiful products that you will love using daily.
How do you suggest layering foy with the other products — even those outside of your line like makeup and SPF?
You can absolutely layer! I recommend a cleanse or double cleanse prior to putting on the skin care products. After cleansing, I would use the antioxidant serum — this is like a vitamin for your skin, enriching your skin with all of the necessary building blocks and nourishment. Then, you could use the eye and lip moisturizer to really smooth and brighten. In the morning, the day moisturizing balm works great under makeup because it protects from environmental hazards and also prevents creases or lines. I always recommend people use mineral sunscreen instead of chemical sunscreens because I think that physical blockers like zinc or titanium dioxide are much safer and non-toxic. These physical blockers work by creating a barrier to UV light on your skin so it is best to place them on your skin after any other skin care products but before makeup. Mineral blockers can block the absorption of other products. At night after cleaning, I recommend using the antioxidant serum, then the eye and lip moisturizer, and then the sleeping oil for the face. The vulva treatment oil can be used any time of day but personally I think bedtime is a great time to meditate on and take care of this part of the body.
Skincare routines are being whittled down lately — what’s your take on using or not using each step in your line?
I think it is vital for individuals to choose the steps that they enjoy doing and that feel great on their skin. We are all unique! Certainly many of the products in the foy lineup work synergistically, yet people can see amazing results on their skin with any individual product. I really hope that people will embrace the meditations included with their products because even if they are only using one part of the foy routine, the associated meditation could create a really impactful moment of presence in the day.
Can you give us a road map to the new products you’re launching at Free People, in your own derm-meets-real-world words?
“The mantra for this product asks you to Nourish Your Dreams. This makes you feel like you had a professional facial overnight. I also absolutely love this paired with the antioxidant serum — mark my words, you will be astounded at the overnight transformation of your skin. It is like nothing I have ever used on my skin and as a dermatologist, you know I have sampled a bazillion skin care products. This luxurious and quick-absorbing oil combines ancient wisdom and modern scientific knowledge into one powerful blend of vitamins, nutrients, retinoate, salicylic acid, and antioxidants.”
“See beauty everywhere and speak your truth! I wanted to tailor a formula to multitask, just like we as women can do. This ultra-rich and soothing treatment is applied to the skin surrounding the eyes and onto the lips twice daily after cleansing. It protects against common environmental exposures while it plumps, smooths, brightens, refreshes, and enriches the delicate skin of the eyelids and lips with vitamins, nutrients, hyaluronic acid, botanicals, and antioxidants.”
“We are living in a powerful time of change for women. It is time to embrace our bodies and stop shying away from ‘women’s issues.’ I want to challenge people to learn to think positively about their bodies and to love themselves. This decadent treatment is to be applied daily for the vulva (the female external genital area) for preventative health and to awaken the divine feminine. Our daily vulva treatment oil delivers a potent combination of ancient wisdom from the Mayans with aphrodisiac botanicals like damiana to awaken your senses, along with the modern preventative health strategies by promoting a healthy microbiome with pre and probiotics. Botanicals and emollients combine to promote healthy hormone levels of the skin and beautify this sacred space.”
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