The Iduna Skin Lab
Skincare built to cooperate with your skin, not fight it.
Made by a licensed esthetician, one small batch at a time.
Swipe, or use the arrows below.
Made for the hard cases first
I am Mitch, a licensed esthetician. I started formulating because the skincare I could buy did not work for the skin in front of me - barriers worn down to nothing, hands raw from washing, skin that reacted to half of what it touched.
So I built for those cases first. The result is a line that tends to be gentle enough for most skin by default, because it was designed for skin with no margin for error.
The idea underneath all of it - work with what your skin already makes. The same kinds of oils and water-binding molecules, chosen to feel familiar to skin.
Dry, or just dehydrated
Most of us were taught there is one kind of dry. There are two, and they need different things.
Dehydrated
Low on water
Feels tight. Looks dull. Can turn oily out of nowhere.
What helps - a water step, on damp skin, before your cream.
Dry
Low on oil
Feels rough. Flakes. Cracks in cold or wind.
What helps - a richer layer that seals moisture in.
A lotion on its own has no water underneath it to hold down. You can be both at once, which is why the routine is built in steps.
Four products. Two steps.
Step 1
Cleanse
Lifts the day off without stripping. Choose an oil-to-milk cleanser that turns milky when it meets water and rinses clean, or a creamy one.
Feels like - Cushiony, slip-rich, never tight after.
Step 2 - everything else, together
Hydrate
The water step most routines skip. A weightless serum on damp skin, so there is water in the skin before you seal it.
Feels like - Water-light, gone in under a minute, no tack.
What is in it - Hyaluronic acid with niacinamide, in Simple Soothe.
Moisturize
The seal. Plant oils chosen to feel like the oils your skin makes, so it absorbs instead of sitting on top. Choose light or rich for your skin.
Feels like - Supple and soft-matte for the light one, cushioned and velvety for the rich one. Never greasy.
What is in it - Squalane and jojoba, in AquaBio Basic. Bakuchiol in the botanical option.
Defend
Sunscreen is the daytime step, and it goes on with the rest. I make the tinted mineral sunscreen I wear myself, I love how it blends invisibly into skin. Find one that works for you!
Feels like - Light and skin-like.
Cleanse first. Then apply the rest together, in one go.
Two ways to start. Match the words to your skin.
If your skin is oily, sensitive, easily congested, or just balanced
Basecamp Starter - $30
One month of the two steps most routines are missing.
- AquaBio Basic, 0.5 oz - the light seal, matte finish
- Simple Soothe, 0.5 oz - the water step, weightless, made for reactive skin
Best for - skin that runs oily or combination, reacts easily, or gets congested. Also the safest first step if you are not sure.
If your skin is normal, dry, maturing, or a light layer is not enough anymore
Repair Ritual - $70
The richer version of the same idea.
- Angel Tears Serum, 0.5 oz - the water step
- AquaBio Botanical, 0.5 oz - the richer seal
Best for - normal to dry or maturing skin, or skin that wants more than a light layer.
What to expect - with any new routine, some people notice more surface texture or the odd blemish in the first couple of weeks as skin turns over. It usually settles. If your skin is very reactive, patch test on the inner arm for two days first. Most people who do well on Basecamp Starter can move up to Repair Ritual later.
Between these two - Botanical Soothe, $50. Simple Soothe with AquaBio Botanical: the step up from Basecamp without going all the way to Repair Ritual.
The full line
Cleanse
- The Impossible Cleanser1 oz $8 · 1.7 oz $12
- SimpliSoft Oil Cleanser1 oz $18 · 2 oz $25
Hydrate
- Simple Soothe Serum0.5 oz $12 · 1 oz $20
Moisturize
- AquaBio Basic0.5 oz $20 · 1.7 oz $60
- AquaBio Botanical0.5 oz $35
- The Richest Deep Repair Cream1 oz $25 · 4 oz $90
- AngelBio Lotion$25
Specialty
- AquaBio Cuticle Oil$10 · 2-pack $14 · 5-pack $30 · 10-pack $50
- Hydrating Lip Butter$8
Sets
- Basecamp Starter$30
- Botanical Soothe$50
- Repair Ritual$70
Custom mix-ins - the water serum and the oil moisturizer are built to be mixed in your palm, so you can dial the weight up or down by season. Ask me how.