Colorescience’s new Barrier Pro Duo

In each issue, Modern Aesthetics® magazine asks a leading dermatologist about the latest products that they are recommending to patients. Here, Kathleen Behr, MD, the founder of Behr Laser & Skin Care Center in Fresno, CA, shares her enthusiasm for Colorescience’s new Barrier Pro Duo, which launched on Nov. 30, 2023.

What is the Colorescience Barrier Pro Duo?

Kathleen Behr, MD: The Barrier Pro Duo products provide a patent-pending approach to skin barrier health by rebalancing the skin microbiome, replenishing the lipid barrier, renewing the epidermis, and providing advanced antioxidants to enhance skin’s ability to adaptively respond to indoor and outdoor light. The Duo is comprised of the Barrier Pro 1-Step Cleaner and the Barrier Pro Essential Moisturizer. They can be used as stand-alone products for those patients who want to keep it simple or added to any skin care regimen. I like that both products have been tested to be non-comedogenic, hypoallergenic and they are oil- and fragrance-free, which means they are suitable for all skin types, including oily and acne-prone.

What are the key actives?

Dr. Behr: The Barrier Pro 1-Step Cleanser contains pricky pear cactus extract which is rich in antioxidants, polysaccharides, vitamins, and minerals that help soothe, hydrate, and protect skin. The patented Lactobacillus Ferment promotes a healthy balanced microbiome, and pink pomelo extract from grapefruits encourages gentle sloughing off dead skin cells.

The Barrier Pro Essential Moisturizer contains Tri-Molecular hyaluronic acid (HA), a combination of three different molecular weight fractions of natural HA. Studies have shown that low, medium, and high molecular weights penetrate to differentiate depths from the surface to the epidermis, supporting the lipid barrier, accelerating the generation of new keratinocytes, and stimulating the expression of the extracellular matrix (ECM)-III, the key hyaluronate receptor protein.

Additionally, the Essential Moisturizer includes goji berry, snow mushroom extract, and patented Lactobacillus Ferment as well as advanced humectants, emollients, peptides, and a hydrolyzed pea protein that promotes the skin’s adaptive response to indoor and outdoor light.

What can Barrier Pro 1-Step Cleaner and the Barrier Pro™ Essential Moisturizer treat or improve?

Dr. Behr: The Barrier Pro products address the key elements of the skin barrier from the microbiome to the acid mantel, lipid barrier, and epidermis. Patients who use mineral sunscreens that are water resistant, reapply, and wear makeup must remove multiple layers when cleansing their face at the end of the day. They tend to double or triple cleanse, use wipes, and often end up striping their skin in the process. Barrier Pro 1-Step Cleanser removes mineral sunscreen, makeup, excess oils, and impurities without leaving the skin feeling tight and stripped. It provides probiotic benefits and replenishes hydration, so the skin feels soft and is prepared for the application of skincare products.

The Barrier Pro Essential Moisturizer hydrates and soothes the skin, and improves moisture retention, and the pre, pro, and postbiotic benefits help to promote a balanced skin microbiome which we know supports a healthy skin barrier. The antioxidants neutralize free radical damage, while the adaptive ingredients improve skin resiliency to environmental aggressors such as UV and High Energy Visible (HEV) or blue light.

What void do these two products fill for your patients?

Dr. Behr: Most other cleansers or moisturizers do one or two things well. These products deliver more benefits to address all aspects of barrier health. Healthy skin begins at the barrier. Most skin conditions can be traced back to an impaired skin barrier, the skin’s natural immune system, which is responsible for defending against pollution, ultraviolet light, infection, and locks in hydration. These two products bring back a better barrier.