Q&A with Synergie Skin founder, Terri Vinson
Synergie Skin have been longtime supporters of mine. Terri was featured on a Mindfulbiz Podcast episode a while ago, and is also an avid supporter of the Relauncher Small Business Workshops.
Synergie Skin are supporting the upcoming Sydney Small Business Workshop through providing full sized Super Serum in each bag valued at $159! What a fabulous gift for everyone! If you'd like to come along to this workshop, click here for details.
Founder of Synergie Skincare, Terri Vinson:
I began my career as a biological scientist and senior science teacher and later transitioned into a role as aesthetics educator and formulator of cosmeceuticals.
From there, I launched a medical marketing business where I worked with doctors, plastic surgeons, and physicians helping to educate their clients on skincare and clinical procedures.
It wasn't until my early forties that I took a risk and opened my own skincare clinic in Melbourne. This clinic became the springboard for formulating the very first Synergie Skin products (Uberzinc moisturiser and Vitamin B serum), allowing me to ultimately marry my passion for beauty, education and science.
Synergie Skin is a vertically integrated company, which means we manufacture our entire range from our laboratory in Melbourne. I am able to personally oversee the creation of all of my products, from the initial idea of a new formula, to the final product on the shelf.
As a cosmetic chemist and biologist, my aim is to make people feel informed and empowered when it comes to their skincare choices. In doing so, Synergie Skin offers highly active, safe and ethical skincare products that does so much more than making a difference to their skin- it makes a difference to their inner confidence.
What are the most important elements when looking after your skin?
1. Always wear sunscreen
This is your insurance policy against ageing! Even though SPF measures UVB (burning) rays, ageing and deeply penetrating UVA rays are intense, cancer-producing and can even penetrate glass and clouds. UVA is responsible for solar ageing and skin cancers, so it is important to use a broad-spectrum sun protection moisturiser or mineral makeup. Preferably choose a product with a minimum of 20% zinc oxide to give optimal UV protection during the day. Natural iron oxide pigments present in quality mineral makeup also protects against damaging solar infrared and blue light.
2. Always include daily skin vitamins in your skincare regimen: A, B and C. These essential ingredients are recommended for all skin types.
- Vitamin A (retinoids) regulates skin processes
- Vitamin B3 (niacinamide) maximises hydration, controls oil and pigmentation, builds collagen and creates a healthier skin barrier
- Vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) is the essential antioxidant to neutralise free radical damage created by UV rays and environmental pollutants
3. Consider the health of your skin in a holistic away
Skincare is a vital part of the equation but complete skin health is multi-faceted. Adopt a healthy lifestyle of eating well and exercising daily. Your diet should consist of mostly whole unprocessed foods, good oils and avoiding added sugar and excess carbohydrates. And of course, plenty of water is essential. It is also so important to have time out to nurture yourself with ten minutes of daily meditation.
What changes do you make to your skincare regime during Winter?
Melbourne winter means moving from my dry heated office to the outside cold and wind. My skin becomes drier so Il step up to Hydrolock, a richer moisturiser at night.
I also make sure I do my mini home Peel weekly with Reveal and Pure C crystals to remove surface dullness. Dermiotic is a must morning and night to restore my skin bacteria which is disrupted by constant changes of environment.
What does your morning & night beauty routine include?
I like to start my morning with a deep cleanse with my Foreo ultrasonic cleaning pad and Ultracleanse in the shower. For body I use my Synergie Konjac sponge with a soap free body bar to maintain the natural pH balance..
My AM routine includes:
- Pure Vitamin C crystals mixed with antiaging SuperSerum (1:5 ratio)
- ImproveEyes Day eye serum
- ReClaim moisturiser
- Elastense on my neck and décolletage.
- Loose Minerals or MineralWhip as my sunscreen and makeup in one
- I then set, hydrate and protect against pollution with Enviroshield
I curl my lashes with my Shu Uemura eyelash curler, pop on some natural Synergie Vitalash mascara, a pop of ‘glimmer’ blush, and some antioxidant lippie in Fanta-C.
My PM routine includes:
- Cleansing Dust (I love the gentle exfoliation)
- Rejuvaderm home roller (to increase penetration of my active ingredients)
- Ultimate A serum
- Vitamin B serum
- ImprovEyes Night eye cream
- ReClaim moisturiser
- Elastense on my neck and décolletage.
Once a week I do a ‘mini peel’ using Mediscub and Pure C crystals and other nights I apply MasquErase for a luxurious overnight mask with a hydration boost. I’ll also pop on a hair mask, wrap my hair in a bun and sleep in it.
I have an at home LED machine that I use weekly. They’re a gentle and relaxing way of improving vitality and tone to the skin and are also fantastic at reducing jetlag!
I have my nails done using Sally Hansen polishes. I love them because they are formaldehyde, DBP and toluene free.
I guess you could say that when it comes to my beauty regimen, I’m a ‘maximalist’!
Do you have any tips on how to maximise our skincare results?
One of the best kept secrets is home rolling. Daily rolling with the Rejuvaderm Home Roller improves penetration of active ingredients by up to forty times more effectively than simply massaging a serum directly into your skin.
Put simply, it creates 0.25mm deep ‘micro channels’ in the skin’s surface allowing the passage of active ingredients to pass through the dead outer layer of the skin and into the target zone. It’s painless and effective. This really enable me to get the most out of my active ingredients!
How do you best protect your skin from dehydration on long flights?
I do a lot of travelling with my business and it can really take its toll on my skin. The air inside the cabin of a plane usually has a humidity level of under 20%. This is significantly lower than normal land humidity of between 30% and 65%. The skin is the first place to show signs of hydration and for this reason it is very important to maintain natural hydration levels.
Avoid alcohol, cola and coffee as these are natural dietetics which will lead to further dehydration. I’d recommend consuming about 250ml of water every hour. This also helps to combats skin puffiness and bloating.
Here is my in-flight skin hydration kit:
- Cleansing - Micellution cleansing water and cotton pads is the perfect way to cleanse in your seat. If you don’t want to carry a travel bottle of Micellution, pre-moisten four cotton pads and pop then in a snap-lock bag.
- Lips - LipService – a hydrating lip treatment will ensure you arrive with plump luscious lips. Your lips are the first place to dry out due to the low humidity.
- Eyes - Hydrating eye drops (I like Systane drops). Contact lens wearers should switch to glasses during air travel. ImprovEyes Day eye serum will add hydration and reduce puffy eyes. Hint: for an in-the-air eye treatment, soak thin cotton pads in ImprovEyes Day, add a little water and pop your eye mask over the top while you sleep
- Moisturiser - Apply moisturiser every 2-3 hours on long flights. Don’t forget to rub any leftover moisturiser into your hands. HydroLock is my personal fave for plane travel.
What’s the latest product release in the Synergie Skin range?
While big in the nutrition world, the terms prebiotic and probiotic are relatively new in skin care so I’m excited to finally bring Dermiotic to the market.
Dermiotic is a pre-serum elixir fortified with prebiotics and probiotics. It delivers the optimal environment for healthy skin barrier formation, the perfect balance of good and bad bacteria and promotes ideal immune and cellular processes. It works by boosting the skin’s resistance to physical and chemical aggressors. Typically, in a skincare product, you will find either a prebiotic or probiotic, however in Dermiotic, I’ve combined both for maximum results.
Backed by clinical research, it is a game-changing substitute for the old-fashioned ‘toner’ and a true cosmeceutical skin ‘balancer’. Simply apply 3-4 drops into the palm of your hand and gently pat into the face after cleansing. Follow with your serums and moisturiser.