Explore every episode of the podcast Skin Freqs

There's a lot that skincare packaging and marketing can't tell you.

A product can be beautifully branded, use all the right language, and promise clean, natural, effective skincare but it may still be hard to know who created it, what informed the formula, or how connected the founder is to what is inside the bottle.

In this episode, Summer shares what she has learned from working with skin for over 20 years and then stepping into the formulation side of the industry. It is a conversation about the difference between a brand built around an opportunity and one that grows out of real experience, care, and a deeper relationship with the work.

This episode is for anyone who wants to look beyond the surface of skincare and make more informed, choices about the products they use every day.

Listen to the previous episode on white-label skincare:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5BCXaSlOpKmglrZwzaPlxn?si=edfc6ce7470f4598

Discover Skin Frequency:

https://skinfrequency.co/

Our skin evolved alongside sunlight, and that relationship is layered and worth exploring. This episode offers a grounded, holistic look at the sun and the skin.

We talk about what different types of light are doing when they meet the skin UVA, UVB, and red and near-infrared. How morning light shapes your circadian rhythm, your sleep, your mood. How to ease your skin into the season after the winter. How the skin barrier affects how your skin handles the sun. The difference between chemical and mineral sunscreens, and what to look for when choosing a formula.

This short episode is packed with practical takeaways for building a relationship with sunlight as we move into the warmer months.

To shop Warmth and explore the full collection visit: https://skinfrequency.co/products/warmth

In this episode we go deep on the full vitamin A family, from prescription Retin-A all the way through to bakuchiol and whole plant ingredients. If you've been told you should be using retinol but aren't sure it's right for you, this one is for you.

What we cover:

• The full vitamin A spectrum, retinyl palmitate, retinol, retinaldehyde, HPR, and prescription tretinoin, what each form is doing in the skin and how they convert to their active form
• Why retinol causes peeling and sun sensitivity and what that means for your barrier
• The skin microbiome and how retinoids affect it
• Corneotherapy - the philosophy of skin health built around protecting the barrier, not disrupting it
• Bakuchiol - where it comes from, what the research actually shows, and how to read a label to know if you're buying the real thing
• Why a high percentage bakuchiol product is a red flag, not a selling point
• How bakuchiol and oil-soluble vitamin C work better together than retinol and vitamin C ever could
• What to do if you're pregnant, sensitive, or thinking about transitioning away from retinol
• Sea buckthorn, rosehip, and whole ingredients that feed the skin rather than direct it

Studies referenced:

• Dhaliwal et al. 2019 - Prospective, randomized, double-blind assessment of topical bakuchiol and retinol for facial photoageing. British Journal of Dermatology
• Draelos et al. 2020 - A Double-blind Evaluation of the Safety and Efficacy of a Bakuchiol Moisturizer. Journal of Drugs in Dermatology

Products mentioned:

• Immortal Serum - 1% bakuchiol, oil-soluble vitamin C, sea buckthorn, rosehip, turmeric, immortal flower, neroli, frankincense, red raspberry, jojoba — skinfrequency.co

Referenced episode:

• Vitamin C — the full breakdown:

Find Skin Frequency:

• skinfrequency.co

This episode picks up where we left off and gets practical. We go through different skin types and conditions, ultra-sensitive, acne-prone, dry and how to build a routine around what your skin is telling you.

We also talk about the nervous system connection, seasonal shifts, and why doing less is often the most powerful thing you can do for your skin.

For our inner meets outer beauty practice, check out Rewiring Your Frequency: [link]

What if your skin isn’t dry, sensitive, or acne-prone but simply compensating?

In this episode, we step back from trends, launches, and marketing noise to look at how skin actually functions. We break down why so many convertional routines quietly disrupt them. You’ll learn why water-based cleansers and heavy creams can keep skin in a constant cycle of imbalance, how oil cleansing works differently, and why “more product” is rarely the solution. This conversation also explores how much of the beauty industry is built around speed, positioning, and scale and how different that is from how skin behaves. The goal isn’t perfection. It’s alignment. When you stop working against your skin, it stops fighting back.

Explore skin-compatible formulations here:

https://skinfrequency.co/

Vitamin C is one of the most used ingredients in skincare. It’s associated with brightness, collagen, and protection and often treated as non-negotiable.

In this episode, we slow the conversation down to look at how vitamin C actually behaves, how form, stability, pH, packaging, and delivery systems shape the results and benefits. We explore the difference between traditional ascorbic acid and oil-soluble alternatives and the role of whole vitamin-C–rich ingredients.

This is a deeper look at a familiar ingredient, through the lens of barrier health, repair, and long-term skin resilience.

You can explore our vitamin C–rich products at Skin Frequency. https://skinfrequency.co/

Microneedling is one of those treatments that can create incredible change in the skin, but only when it’s truly understood. In this episode, I’m breaking down what actually happens beneath the surface: the three healing phases, how collagen is rebuilt, why pigmentation and scars respond so well, and why it’s not just about the treatment itself but everything that surrounds it.

I’ll also talk about why I take a holistic approach, how timing, preparation and aftercare shape your results, and why the right skincare matters just as much as the needling itself.

For those of you who want to explore barrier-supportive, microbiome-friendly skincare for pre- and post-microneedling, you can learn more at skinfrequency.co.

Exfoliation promises smoother, brighter skin but how do you know when it’s helping and when it’s too much?

In this episode, we look at the skin’s natural renewal process, the role of the acid mantle, microbiome, and barrier, and how common routines like peels or foaming cleansers can shift the balance. You’ll also learn a gentler approach that works for every age, because it’s built around how skin is designed to function.

Explore holistic, microbiome-friendly products designed with this philosophy at skinfrequency.co

Hyaluronic acid is everywhere, serums, creams, masks, even cleansers. It’s marketed as the ultimate solution for hydration. But does it actually deliver? In this episode, I unpack the three main issues with topical HA: how it interacts with your environment, why molecule size changes its benefits, and why it often only hydrates on the surface instead of deeper down.

We’ll also explore a different approach, one that protects your barrier, supports your skin’s natural hydration systems, and works with your biology rather than against it. From oil cleansing to antioxidants, to the ways nutrition and lifestyle play a role, this episode is about rethinking hydration in a more holistic way.

For skin-compatible products designed with this philosophy in mind, visit skinfrequency.co.

Ever wonder if your skincare is truly unique? This episode pulls back the curtain on how most products are actually made and why so many “different” brands are using the exact same formulas.

To explore and purchase our custom formulations visit skinfrequency.ca

This episode is a look back at my own path, what started in the drugstore skincare aisle as a preteen, and took me through dermatology offices, medical spas, holistic practice, and ultimately into formulating my own line.

It’s about the breaking point that made me stop chasing fixes and start listening to the skin instead.

If you’ve ever felt confused, let down, or disconnected by the industry’s version of beauty, I think you’ll relate.

Learn more or explore the formulas I created from this journey at skinfrequency.co.

What happens when we stop trying to fix the skin and start listening to it?

This is Skin Freqs a podcast about looking closer.

I’m Summer, an esthetician, holistic facialist, and formulator with over 20 years of experience.

Here, we pull back the curtain on the beauty industry and explore what truly supports the skin. through connection, curiosity, and a deeper kind of care.

For practitioners and conscious consumers alike, this is a space for honest conversations and new ways of seeing.

I’m so glad you’re here.