Our Founder’s Daily Skin Ritual.
Our Founder’s Daily Skin Ritual
When our Luminaires recently opened their vanities to reveal their Essential Six Rituals, we asked the same of the man behind the RATIONALE range. Here, Founder Richard Parker offers a rare glimpse inside his own daily skincare regimen, sharing why customisation is a cornerstone of the RATIONALE offering, how he learnt to ‘read’ his skin after decades of research, trial and error, and the expert advice he now swears by at 60.
Tell us about your daily skincare routine—which RATIONALE formulations do you reach for most regularly?
I’m in the very fortunate position of being able to customise my skincare to suit my skin’s needs each day. As with most RATIONALE Clients, my daily regimen is made up of various formulations from the Essential Six Collections; each of these Collections contain different combinations of Skin Identical components and customisable delivery systems depending of your age, skin type, levels of dryness, reactivity, and so on.
I begin each day with #1 The Serum and #2 The Serum for immune and antioxidant protection. If my skin is particularly reactive, I will adjust this to #2 The Hydragel for added physical protection from pollution and environmental irritants.
This is followed by #3 The Day Crème SPF15, then Beautiful Skin Superfluid SPF50 (I use a mixure of shades C1 and C2 depending on the season).
At night, I double cleanse using #4 The Cleanser and #5 The Cleanser. This leaves my skin nourished and hydrated but also ensures not a trace of sunscreen is left on my face.
Next I apply a few drops of #5 The Serum. If I feel sensitive, I will switch to #5 The Milk Concentrate for a few days. In cold weather, I’ll modify this to #5 The GelCrème.
I complete my night-time regimen with our superb #6 The Night Crème, followed usually by #6 The Eye Crème.
How did you arrive at this ritual?
For too many years I experimented far too much on my skin with various active ingredients and delivery systems. This is typical of skincare research scientists! The result was that about 10 years ago my skin completely freaked out and started reacting to everything. From this experience, I learned the importance of working with a trusted Skin Consultant, creating your ideal ritual, and following the plan religiously!
Some of our formulations, such as #2 The Hydragel and #5 The Milk Concentrate, were created out of my own desperate need for added skin protection or repair. It’s so gratifying to see these formulations helping others achieve their goals of skin clarity and radiance through every decade of life.
At 60, I now also appreciate the vital importance of twice yearly visits to my dermatologist. I am very fortunate to have three close friends who are dermatologists—I call them the Holy Trinity of my skin guardianship!
Besides your daily skincare, what is another ritual of yours?
The daily ritual of music practice is incredibly meditative, grounding and imperative in my life. Every day, one strives for perfection in performance and interpretation, and the quality of my practice determines the shape of my entire day.
The art of striving for perfection also carries over into my formulation work at RATIONALE.
You would be amazed at the similarities between music, medicine and science. It fills me with joyful wonder and reinforces the privilege I have of creating new formulations for our beautiful Clients every day.