Yonka’s STIMULASTINES JOUR & NUIT—correction for deep wrinkles: DISCONTINUED

DISCONTINUED 5/2017:
The Stimulastine products were very short lived in the Yonka-Paris skin care product lineup. I can’t say for sure, but I think they were only around for a few years. What I do know for sure is that I hardly sold any of these 2 products. I simply could not justify their price tag vs. their former counterparts, plan old Elastine Jour and Elastine Nuit. These much older branded products have been in the Yonka line since I started using it in 1985. The newer Stimulastines had more bells and whistle ingredients, and therefore higher prices, but were they really that much better than Jour & Nuit of old?

My clients trust me and know I will give them the truth when it comes to what to use on their skin as well as my opinions about the many products in the Yonka line. To be sure: most of Yonka’s products I love, but the Stimulastines I did not. And I told my clients the same. Did I contribute to their demise? I’ll never know. But I will assume these newer products weren’t good sellers or they wouldn’t be removed. My guess is other aestheticians had similar issues and concerns—as well as clients who did love these products as you can read in the comments below.

As I usually do, I will leave the information about the Stimulastines here for anyone who is interested to read about them. It’s moot since they aren’t available, but after spending time writing and publishing these blog articles, it’s hard for me to just delete them in their entirety.

UPDATE:
Because I obviously don’t know the ins and outs of everything Yonka has in their planning folders, apparently the new TIME RESIST (day & night) creams are the “replacement” products for Stimulastine. Go to the Yonka moisturizers link below to find out more about these new creams.

---

From Yonka headquarters:  
STIMULASTINE JOUR contains natural ingredients with the latest innovations in skin care to effectively combat the visible signs of aging. This silky cream dramatically boosts skin’s elasticity and smooths skin’s texture for visibly younger skin. In an 8-week clinical test, Yonka Stimulastine Jour Restructuring Wrinkle Remover reduced wrinkle depth by up to 28% and smoothed the surface of wrinkles by up to 64%.

Stimulastine Jour combats elastin degradation to preserve skin’s elasticity. It provides a smoothing and lifting effect for visibly younger skin. Stimulatine Jour is make from 92% ingredients of natural origin and is paraben-free.


Yonka’s research results:
In a 4-week trial, users reported:

• Skin is nourished—100%
• Skin is more hydrated—95%
• Skin is smoother—76%

Essential ingredients:

• Boswellia serrata extract—anti-inflammatory, protects elastin 
• Oat Polysaccharides—smoothing
• Co-Enzyme Q10—antioxidant, protects skin from free radical damage 
• Silicon—minimizes skin imperfections
• Soy Peptides—biostimulants, restructuring
• Vitamins A, C, and E—antioxidants
• Yonka “Quintessence” (essential oils of thyme, lavender, cypress, geranium, and rosemary)—energizing 
• Shea butter, camelia oil, cereal germ oil—repairing, protecting, hydrating
• Plant glycerin, grape seed oil—hydrating, reconstructing
• Vitamins A, C, and A—antioxidants, regenerating
• Essential oils of geranium, lavender, neroli and jasmine—relaxing

Here is a review from one of my enthusiastic clients: 

I love the Stimulatine Jour! It does work believe it or not, especially for the reason I purchased it in the first place, which was to keep skin from drinking in my foundation. And it does help with this. I use a very light coverage foundation with SPF just to mask my redness. So it’s a great product for me. If it wasn’t, I wouldn’t pay $112 for it! When I type that amount out, it really just seems ridiculous, but it actually works and it hasn’t bothered my skin so far. I think it’s the frankincense/boswellia.

Yonka has been good to me lately. I’ve never had any other products actually do what they say, so perhaps it is worth the extra money. You should be pleased that you have invested so much in this skin care line over the years. You made a great choice and stuck with it. So many aestheticians are always looking for the next best product.

---

From Yonka headquarters: STIMULASTINE NUIT provides 3D results to diminish wrinkle depth and surface area thanks to its elastin-boosting natural activities. This smoothing cream helps repair and support healthy skin functions overnight, during skin’s regenerative peak. In an 8-week clinical test, Yonka Stimulastine Nuit Restructuring Wrinkle Remover reduced wrinkle depth by up to 28% and smoothed the surface of wrinkles by up to 64%.

Stimulastine Nuit combats elastin degradation to preserve skin’s elasticity. It provides a smoothing and lifting effect for visibly younger and well-hydrated skin. Stimulatine Nuit is made from 93% ingredients of natural origin and is paraben-free.

Yonka’s research results:
In a 4-week trial, users reported: 

• Skin is nourished: 100%
• Skin is smoother: 81%
• Skin is more hydrated: 95%

Essential ingredients:

• Dill extract—regenerating
• Silicon—minimizes skin imperfections
• Soy Peptides—biostimulants, restructuring
• Yonka “Quintessence” (essential oils of thyme, lavender, cypress, geranium, and rosemary)—energizing 
• Shea butter, grape seed oil, grain germ oil—repairing, protecting, hydrating
• Plant glycerin, grape seed oil—hydrating, reconstructing
• Vitamins A, C, and E—antioxidants, regenerating
• Essential oils of lavender, neroli, and jasmine—relaxing

For more information, see:

• Yonka—Discontinued: All links so far
• Yonka moisturizers: all links so far
• Day vs. night creams

Clay Mask Quick Tip #2: clay in the steam room

Remember—you'll have a clay mask on!

QUICK TIP: Apply a clay mask before hopping into the steam room. It’s the perfect way to keep the mask moist while protecting your skin at the same time. Do not go into steam rooms bare-faced!

For more information, see:

• How to use a Clay Mask—Important Instructions
• Is steam good for my skin?
• Clay Mask Quick Tip (#1)

Retail vs. Professional skin care products

You may not be aware that there are two different classifications for products in the skin care industry: retail and professional. Read further to get familiar with all of your options so you can be a smart shopper when it comes time to buy skin care products.

In the professional, skin care salon/spa realm, there is a great separation between retail and professional products. For instance, I would never consider using or selling a retail product (something you could find at any department store for example) in my office. Why? Quite simply, quality. Professional products are invariably superior in quality to their retail counterparts—not always, but usually.

Retail products are sold in a retail environment, like a department or grocery store. These products are sold to the mass market. Manufacturers annually spend millions of dollars for ad campaigns on TV and in magazines, enticing you to buy their products. A retail environment is usually where the average consumer looks to purchase skin care products. 

Most people look to the department store not only to purchase skin care products, but to get their skin care advice as well. Many consumers just don’t know where else to turn. Retail, department store products are sold by counter salespeople who generally have no hands-on experience with skin. They go through product training pertaining to the line they are selling, but usually lack any practical experience in treating skin.

If you have no-problem skin, you will probably fare reasonably well in the department store because not a lot will be required from either the products or the sales staff. But if you have problems with your skin (or just want professional skin care advice), I recommend talking to a licensed aesthetician. Not all professionals excel at their craft, but at least they have training and a license to back up what they are saying.

Other retail products are sold in drug or grocery stores. In this case, you are on your own. There is no salesperson to help (or pressure) you. At the grocery store you can take your time, read labels at your leisure, and really study the products before you buy. Many times you will pay premium prices at the department store for comparable products found at the local grocery, paying for name brands in fancy bottles and their ads with beautiful models. Products at the drug or grocery store may not have great packaging and are not marketed as aggressively, but their prices reflect this.

Finally, there are the multilevel, marketing-type products, again sold by salespeople, not skin care professionals. They are trained on the product, not specifically on skin. I’m not saying that everyone who isn’t a professional aesthetician is unqualified to help you with your skin, I only recommend you look closely at the people who are giving you advice. What does their skin look like? And most importantly, are they making sense—or just a sale?

In general, retail products tend to be fairly inactive, rendering them less effective in their ability to tackle specific skin problems. This is the dilemma with retail products. They can’t really afford to be very potent or the products would no doubt be returned en masse. Even a great product can cause problems if the skin is misdiagnosed and an inappropriate product is recommended and used. What you may find with retail products is skin care advice from a salesperson plus products that do very little for your skin.

Professional products are sold exclusively in a salon or spa by a licensed aesthetician. The idea being that a professional can correctly analyze your skin and recommend appropriate products. In this professional setting, the aesthetician can take care of your skin on an ongoing basis, both through facial treatments as well as with products. Professional products can address specific needs, whereas retail products are more general or generic.

My Chicago salon 2004

Couperose skin (generally red, sensitive skin with capillary damage) is one of the best examples of this. I would be hard-pressed to find a retail product specifically made to address this common skin care problem, whereas many professional lines do. In fact, I’m sure I would have a difficult time finding a retail salesperson who could explain what couperose is, let alone have a product to recommend. The quality of the product as well as its ability to address specific skin care needs are two areas that separate professional from retail.

In almost every professional line there are specialized products that are produced exclusively for use in a facial by a professional. These products are generally not available for the consumer to purchase. Retail products are ordinarily made solely for at-home use. Occasionally you will find retail products being used in a professional environment, usually at department store day spas or salons. Using a retail product in a professional environment (in facial treatments) would be extremely limiting.

Again, there wouldn’t be the class of products required to address a client with special needs. Unfortunately, not all professional products are going to give you great results. With the myriad of products available to you (retail and professional), very few will truly meet your needs. Many clients come to me discouraged, having jumped from one product to another, never finding anything that truly works for them. But take heart, exceptional products do exist. It may just take time to find them.

For more information, see:

• Finding the Right Products—for You
• Determining a good product: Natural vs. synthetic
• MYTH: It’s expensive, so it must be good

Yonka Products for Combination & Normal Skin

I wanted to post some information to help you put together a skin care program using Yonka products if you have combination & normal skin.

Click on any product name to be taken to its corresponding article on this blog. If one has not published yet, you will be taken to that product’s page on my website.

You first need to determine the amount of oil your skin produces to truly understand which products to use. Please read:

• Determining Skin Type

 

I have an oily t-zone and normal (or dehydrated) cheeks:

• Gel Nettoyant or Lait Nettoyant
• Lotion PNG
• Creme 93 or Creme PG or Pamplemousse PNG
• Creme 15 or Phyto 58 PNG
• Gommage Yonka (formerly Gommage 305)
• Masque 103

I have no-problem skin: Normal to oily

• Gel Nettoyant or Lait Nettoyant or Nettoyant Creme
• Lotion PNG
• Creme 93 or Pamplemousse PNG or Vital Defense
• Creme 15 or Phyto 52 or Phyto 58 PNG
• Gommage Yonka (formerly Gommage 305)
• Masque 103

 

I have no-problem skin: Normal to dry

• Gel Nettoyant or Lait Nettoyant or Nettoyant Creme
• Lotion PS
• Advanced Optimizer Duo or Pamplemousse PS or Vital Defense
• Advanced Optimizer Duo or Elastine Nuit or Phyto 52
• Gommage Yonka (formerly Gommage 305)
• Masque 105

For more information, see: 

• Yonka-Paris products for Your Skin Type
• Determining Skin Type (As mentioned above, I highly recommend this article!)
• Combination & Normal/No-Problem Skin explained

Aromatherapy, essential oils, and skin care products

Aromatherapy is the art and science of essential oils. Essential oils are volatile, gaseous substances extracted from plants and flowers. It is an ancient science dating back to before Cleopatra’s time. Although it has had a resurgence in popularity since the latter part of the twentieth century, aromatherapy has always been a part of our lives.

There are several characteristics to essential oils that make them perfect ingredients in skin care products. Since they are naturally acidic (on the pH scale), the use of products containing essential oils will automatically set up an acidic balance on the surface of your skin, rendering your skin less vulnerable to bacterial invaders. Essential oils are lipid (oil) soluble and therefore easily absorbed by the skin.

Essential oils are great for problem skin. Used “pure” (undiluted) as a spot treatment, they have similar actions to what benzoyl peroxide (BP) is said to do. Essential oils have antibacterial and antimicrobial properties helping to render the infected blemish unable to grow. However, essential oils have no side effects like drying or irritating the skin like some people experience with BP. Anything can be irritating if you are sensitive to it, but I have yet to encounter anyone who couldn’t put dots of essential oils on their spots or who had an adverse reaction using oils this way. Essential oils are used to restore balance back to the skin; most over-the-counter spot treatments do just the opposite.

Essential oils stimulate circulation, so using products containing essential oils helps with cellular respiration as well as detoxification. The skin “breathes” through the oxygen in the blood, and toxins are released from cells into the bloodstream. Essential oils help with these processes and any type of skin can benefit from this. 

Whether you are using skin care products that contain essential oils (like Yonka-Paris) or have used pure essential oils on blemishes or other skin problems, you have no doubt discovered the lasting effects from these wonderful, ancient liquid remedies taken from organic matter: plants and flowers. If you haven’t yet tried essential oils, I highly recommend that you do!

For more information, see:

• Essential Oils: a primer
• My review of Paula Begoun’s review of Yonka-Paris skin care products
• Geranium (or lavender) essential oil—spot remover for breakouts: How to use it and how NOT to use it