A Ritual of Simplicity

How much care our skin actually needs

Double cleansing, essence, toner, serum, ampoule, moisturiser, face oil, sleeping mask: in recent years, skincare has increasingly become a to-do list of individual steps. The global success of Korean skincare in particular has popularised multi-step routines that can involve ten or more products. At the same time, Glass Skin has emerged as a beauty ideal centred around an exceptionally smooth, clear and intensely hydrated complexion. On social media, new active ingredients and layering techniques become trends almost every week.

From a dermatological perspective, there is still only limited evidence that complex multi-step routines offer an advantage over a well-balanced, simpler approach to skincare. On the contrary: the more products and active ingredients are combined, the greater the potential risk of irritation and a compromised skin barrier. The American Academy of Dermatology puts the idea remarkably simply:

Consistency is more important than a ten-step routine.

This is at the heart of our philosophy. THE RITUAL, our first holistic ritual, therefore consists of three multifunctional products with three fundamental purposes: cleansing, hydrating and nourishing.

THE TIDES, THE SWELL and THE GLEAM make up our Baltic Sea Skincare Collection. All three are suitable for face, hands and body and can be combined or used individually, depending on everyday life and what the skin needs at any given moment. Because a ritual should be a moment of self-love, not another obligation.

The first step: Cleansing

Our skin forms the boundary between the body and the outside world. The purpose of a cleanser therefore sounds simple at first: to remove what shouldn’t remain on the skin. From a cosmetic perspective, however, this task is more complex, as the outermost layer of the skin, the stratum corneum, is embedded in a complex lipid matrix that plays an essential role in the skin’s barrier function.

Cleansing agents can dissolve not only dirt and excess sebum but, in unsuitable or aggressive formulations, can also affect parts of this natural barrier. Good cleansing therefore isn’t about removing as much as possible, but about cleansing as selectively as possible while respecting the skin barrier.

How often cleansing is beneficial depends on factors including skin type, activity, environment and the products being used. While cleansing twice a day works perfectly well for some skin types, cleansing in the evening alone may be sufficient for dry or sensitive skin.

THE TIDES was developed for this first step as an Oil-to-Milk Cleanser. On dry skin, it begins as an oil that removes make-up, sunscreen and impurities. When it comes into contact with water, it transforms into a light, milky emulsion that rinses away effortlessly.

Its name captures precisely this transformation: like the tides, THE TIDES is defined by change and its interplay with water.

The second step: Hydration

Our skin continuously loses moisture, a process known in dermatology as transepidermal water loss. An intact barrier helps to retain water in the skin and protect it from external influences. A well-formulated moisturiser can support this in several ways. Among the components commonly distinguished are humectants, emollients and occlusives. Humectants, such as glycerin or hyaluronic acid, help to keep water available within the outermost layer of the skin. Emollients smooth and soften the skin’s surface, while more occlusive ingredients can help reduce water loss through the skin. Modern formulations often combine these principles.

This interplay can also be found in THE SWELL. The formulation contains several moisture-supporting components, including glycerin and two forms of hyaluronic acid. These are complemented by nourishing lipid components such as jojoba oil, cottonseed oil and linseed oil, which help to keep the skin’s surface soft and supple while also helping to limit water loss.

It can be used morning and evening, after cleansing and whenever the skin needs additional hydration. Studies on the use of moisturisers also suggest that applying them after washing or bathing can be particularly beneficial, while moisture is still present in the outermost layer of the skin.

Like every Coastmetics product, THE SWELL is inspired by an element of the coast: its name derives from gentle swells approaching the shore, not yet broken, smooth on the surface, with movement beneath.

The third step: Nourishment

Face and body oils play a slightly different role within a skincare routine than traditional moisturisers. Oils don’t hydrate the skin in the same way as a water-based emulsion. Instead, they consist predominantly of lipids. Plant oils can act on and within the upper layers of the skin and help to reduce water loss through the skin’s surface. At the same time, they leave behind the softness and subtle sheen that we perceive visually as a glow.

THE GLEAM is the final step of our Baltic Sea Ritual, inspired by the shimmer of morning light across the beach and waves – and by that same healthy-looking glow. Created as an All-in-One Oil, it contains ten botanical oils: alongside sea buckthorn fruit oil, the connecting ingredient throughout our Baltic Sea Collection, the formulation includes jojoba, sweet almond, olive, avocado, apricot kernel, evening primrose, plum kernel, oat kernel and raspberry seed oils.

A few drops can be applied on their own or used as a finishing step after THE TIDES and THE SWELL. Particularly on dry areas, and whenever the skin feels in need of richer care, it allows the ritual to be adapted individually. A step that doesn’t necessarily need to happen morning and evening – but can become part of the ritual whenever it feels right.

With just three steps, THE RITUAL is a skincare routine that adapts effortlessly to life, with three carefully selected products, all suitable for face, hands and body. A ritual created to turn the everyday into something special, transforming routine into a moment to breathe, to return to yourself – like being by the sea, simple and sensorial at once.

A moment of the coast, wherever you are.

 

Sources & further reading

• American Academy of Dermatology (2025): A dermatologist’s guide to skincare from growing up to glowing up. – On simple skincare routines, limiting cleansing to the evening for dry or sensitive skin, and the principle that consistency is more important than a ten-step routine.
• Walters et al. (2012): Cleansing Formulations That Respect Skin Barrier Integrity, Dermatology Research and Practice. – On the structure of the stratum corneum, its lipid matrix and the interaction between cleansing agents and the skin barrier.
• Yang et al. (2022): Skin Cleansing without or with Compromise: Soaps and Syndets, Molecules. – On skin cleansing, surfactants and the effects of different cleansing systems on lipids, pH and skin barrier integrity.
• Purnamawati et al. (2017): The Role of Moisturizers in Addressing Various Kinds of Dermatitis: A Review, Clinical Medicine & Research. – On humectants, emollients and occlusives and their role in skin hydration and transepidermal water loss.
• Lin et al. (2018): Anti-Inflammatory and Skin Barrier Repair Effects of Topical Application of Some Plant Oils, International Journal of Molecular Sciences. – On plant oils, their lipid and fatty acid composition and their effects on the skin surface, skin barrier and transepidermal water loss.
• Poljšak et al. (2022): Vegetable Butters and Oils as Therapeutically and Cosmetically Active Ingredients for Dermal Use: A Review of Clinical Studies, Frontiers in Pharmacology. – On plant oils and butters as emollients and their effects on skin hydration and transepidermal water loss.