HERO - the only one in the world

My main mission in the skincare industry is to improve your skin. That’s always the starting point for my product development, and the story of HERO – the only one of its kind in the world – really underlines that.

_________________

Back in 2015, a chance encounter with a chemist, Jens, from the product development department at a Danish food factory led to the launch of HERO several years later. 

The chemist’s aim was to help one of the kitchen assistants whose hands were suffering: her hands were exposed to daily and repeated contact with water, resulting in red and sore hands with a damaged skin barrier. His goal was to address the root cause of her skin problems. 

In the years that followed, we conducted in-depth research into the consequences and complications of the skin’s disrupted pH balance following contact with water, soap and hand sanitiser. Starting with a problem that needed solving, HERO was created to restore the skin’s balance.

Scientific studies documenting the skin’s essential need for a stable pH level form the basis for HERO’s product development: these include, amongst other things, dry skin, dermatologically challenged skin such as psoriasis, eczema, rosacea, etc., and also the need for a stable pH level during wound healing. It’s really interesting reading if you ask a skincare nerd like me – read morehere.

So, what exactly can HERO do?

HERO counteracts the disruptive effects of water, soap and hand sanitiserby stabilising your skin’s pH level immediately after application. In addition, HERO provides moisture, but stabilising the pH level is its primary purpose. HERO can be used from head to toe: face, body and scalp.

The product development journey was challenging and even hit a snag along the way. Creating something that doesn’t exist and for which there is no precedent is no easy task. The biggest challenge was realising that it should be neither a soap nor a cream, but a completely different type of product. That’s why HERO has the consistency of thick water, and once we’d arrived at this formula, we began to see the results we’d been hoping for: skin that was looking much better. 

Since 2018,HEROhas , without a doubt, been the product about which we’ve received the most touching stories from our customers, who share joyful accounts of skin on their scalp, face and/or body that has finally found calm and stability. It just makes me so happy.  

It all starts with the skin’s pH

The development of HERO centred on one specific thing: the skin’s pH level is essential for the skin to be balanced. After a night’s sleep during which the skin is undisturbed, the pH level of healthy skin lies between 4.5 and 5.5 – in other words, slightly acidic on the pH scale.

On the outermost layer of the skin lies an ultra-thin, protective layer called the acid mantle, also referred to as the skin’s immune defence. And as the name suggests, the acid mantle is naturally acidic, as opposed to alkaline.

When we bathe in the highly alkaline, hard water that we have in Denmark, for example, which has a pH of between 7 and 8.5 (see the Drinking Water Order), we shift the skin’s pH level towards the alkaline end of the scale, thereby throwing the pH out of balance. As well as water, the skin’s pH level can also be altered by soap, cleaning products, hand sanitiser and so on.

In a way, it’s simple maths: our aim is to keep the skin’s pH level between 4.5 and 5.5.

If the pH level is out of balance, the skin struggles. For healthy skin, an imbalance can lead to dryness, and for skin with dermatological issues, an imbalance is an additional stress factor. You can explore this in more depth here.

HERO is your step zero

During the development phase, we decided that HERO should be a water-like solution, albeit thicker than water. Not a cream, serum or soap. HERO is your step zero: the first product you apply after a bath, washing your hands or cleansing your face, and before your subsequent skincare steps  

How does HERO stand out? 

You might be thinking: “But don’t lots of skincare brands talk about pH levels?” 

And that’s absolutely right. It’s a must for all brands – not just those that market themselves on it – that develop skincare products. When we develop a cream, for example, we ensure it has a pH value of around 5, so it doesn’t disrupt the skin’s acid mantle. Products such as acid masks need to have a low pH to work, and hand sanitiser is high on the pH scale, so certain products ‘stand out’, but otherwise most products in the skincare industry are at the same level as the skin, as applying them would otherwise be a stress factor for the skin. What HERO can do, uniquely, is to restore the skin’s optimal pH level immediately after it has been disrupted. In other words, it lowers the skin’s pH level back to the optimal level. 

Award-winning consumer favourite  

Since its launch, HERO has proven its worth by winning numerous awards in Denmark and across Europe: these include a Beautyspace Award, the Danish Beauty Award, the Dutch Beauty Award, two awards from the Global Green Beauty Awards and The Beauty Shortlist. The ‘most important’ was the Beautyspace Award, as this was a consumer award where consumers had to vote. Your vote is the most important to us – after all, it’s your skin we’re talking about. 

*Statements based on a questionnaire survey of women aged 25–60, with approximately 200 responses from August 2022

HERO is the product I am most proud to have contributed to the skincare industry. Although it doesn’t feature seductive, sensory-stimulating aromatherapy or a wealth of nature’s bioactive superstars, HERO tackles the most important task right from the start: ensuring the fundamental element of healthy skin – a balanced pH level – which is essential for healthy skin. 

I hope you have our HERO – or another skincare hero – in your routine to ensure your skin remains calm and balanced. 

*Examples of links to scientific articles highlighting the importance of a stabilised pH level in the skin

The importance of acidification in atopic eczema

The significance of surface pH in chronic wounds

Natural skin surface pH is on average below 5, which is beneficial for its resident flora

[collection1]