These days, creating an effective skin-care ritual feels as easy as taking an organic chemistry course. Ceramides, alpha hydroxy acids, phytonutrients—I mean, I work at a wellness outlet and I still mix up these terms. Layer on the constant flow of consumer products claiming to do it all, and acing Skin-Care Chemistry 101 feels a whole lot like rocket science.

Which is why I’m swooning over the latest brand to check off on your consumer skin-care Periodic Table. Meet Byoma, an affordable new line that’s taking the complexity out of caring for your skin. For just $16 or less, Byoma pumps the brakes on bathroom chemistry, giving you science-backed formulations that are easy to use and even easier to understand.

Not to add another term to your already overpopulated beauty glossary, but the Byoma ethos orbits entirely around caring for the “skin barrier,” aka, the most outer-layer of your skin. Noelle Cantarano, vice president of marketing and innovation at Future Beauty Labs (which owns Byoma, as well as sunless tanning brands like Tanologist and Tan-Luxe), explains that creating a beauty regimen really comes down to protecting, nourishing, and caring for this outermost layer of the dermis. Simply put, this skin barrier helps keep the good stuff in (think: moisture, nutrients, etc.) and the bad stuff (grime, harmful rays, environmental aggressors) out.

“At the height of Covid, we turned to our social media channels to see what people were talking and caring about. It was the rise of derm-talk and [we found] people were really over-exfoliating, overusing, and overdoing it,” Cantarano explains. She says that Future Beauty Labs found its community—including a large Gen Z population—felt they were more educated than ever, but their skin wasn’t agreeing with their practices. “The root of the problem that we came to discover is that a lot of underlying skin-care concerns have to do with the health of the skin barrier,” she says.

That was the genesis of Byoma, which hit shelves at Target on February 2. Byoma goes back to basics, swapping the science-fair-feeling intricacies of modern skin care with one, simple mission: boost your skin barrier.

“Basically [the skin barrier] is a healthy organism living on your skin,” Cantarano says. She explains this outer layer is made up of three main things: ceramides, or lipids, fatty acids, and cholesterol. Since it’s a living organism, the state of these three components ebbs and flows—when all three are balanced and healthy, skin is hydrated, bright, and healthy. When they’re depleted from, say, blue light or air pollution, skin can get wonky—breakouts might crop up, dry patches sneak in, and redness can occur.

“What we’ve done is we’ve created what we’re calling the Golden Ratio, 3-1-1—Three parts ceramide, one part fatty acids, and one part cholesterol,” Cantarano says. This Tri-Ceramide complex is at the core of all the brand’s products.”We created Byoma with the goal to rebuild those barriers while also infusing it with amazing actives gentle enough not to create an imbalance in your skin but so that you see results.”

And the products work. I’ve been testing the suite of products (cleanser, toner mist, three serums, and two moisturizers) for a week now and am genuinely so impressed. For one, they come in adorable, sustainable packaging that stand out on shelves. Byoma swaps the sterile, run-of-the-mill packaging so many brands have adopted with bright, pop-y colors, stackable shapes, and recyclable bottles.

But the simplicity and fast results are what keep me coming back. Figuring out how to use the products together, or separately, is easy. The steps (first, cleanse, second, tone) are outlined on the bottles, so whether you’re using the full set or subbing in a serum, you know when to use it. The formulations aren’t a science experiment either. “People are craving transparency, they want to be more educated and understanding of what’s going into their products,” Cantarano says. “We’ve decoded the INCI (International Nomenclature Cosmetic Ingredient) on all of the packaging.” That means you actually know what ingredients do when you read the formula label, rather than wondering why they’re even in your serum or cleanser in the first place.

I could go on and on about Byoma, but I’ll save you the college lecture and sum it up sweetly: This stuff is great. If skin care feels like a science project—as in, you find it complicated or intimidating or plain old confusing—try Byoma out. For $16 or less, boosting your skin barrier (and actually understanding what that means) has never been easier.

Give your skin a boost with Byoma 

Creamy Jelly Cleanser — $12.00

Green tea and licorice root melt away grime and gunk without stripping the skin of all its natural goodness, thanks the brand’s signature Tri-Ceramide complex.

Balancing Face Mist — $14.00

Carry this fresh face mist wherever you go for instant hydration in a pinch. Dry plane rides, hours in your N95, sweaty gym sessions—a spritz of this can make you feel brand new.

Clarifying Face Serum — $16.00

This is one of three serums, all formulated for very different things. Its clarifying formula helps soothe redness, clear breakouts, and rebalance the skin when it’s freaking out.

Brightening Face Serum — $16.00

The star ingredients in this brightening booster include niacinamide and hyaluronic acid, which work in tandem to leave skin lighter, dewier, and shinier almost instantly.

Hydrating Face Serum — $16.00

A healthy skin barrier is a hydrated one. This serum is a burst of moisture in a bottle, quenching thirsty skin with squalene and glycerin that your dermis just drinks up.

Moisturizing Gel Cream — $14.00

Want a daily moisturizer that won’t bog you down or pill under makeup? This featherlight cream goes on airy and smooth, hydrating skin without overdoing it.

Moisturizing Rich Cream — $14.00

If you do want that deep and dense moisture for intense repair, get this cream. A few dabs of it overnight leave skin fresh, clean, and hydrated by morning.

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