I'm still not buying it, if anything the cosmetic/aesthethics industry(including plastic surgeons) have a large interest in pushing unnessecery treatments and products. There's a lot of pseudo scientific bogus around al this.
The skin is normally in a balance, it's a bit oily thus keeping it flexible and preventing dehydration. The second we start severely 'cleansing' our skin we disrupt the balance and we have to restore it by using creames and lotions. I don't believe for one bit that our manmade concoctions are better than what our body uses as protecting film.
It total agreement. When we cleanse, we strip away the skin's natural protective barrier. many moisturizers today are merely petroleum based waxes, greases etc that merely clog pores, but do nothing of value for the skin. Most that claim to contain nutrients may in fact contain them, however the size of the molecules are too large to ever penertrate the pores... thereby doing no good.
The best nourishment you can give your skin comes in through the mouth. It's not merely what the quality of the nutrients you eat, ...but what you absorb. Skin forms from the inside out. Proper cleansing, and proper nutrition combined with good blood flow and circulation will do more for your skin than most creams and lotions.
Unless of course, we're talking about signalling your skin cells on the cellular level. but there again, we are still effecting a change from the inside out.
No comment on Bare Essentials, as I have never used that brand.