Hello Saturday 9 March, and as I welcome you to another Weekend Read, I am dedicating this newsletter to DoSe by VH, the concept, the products and the story.  The story centres on the evolution of health, skin health, and in reframing the parameters DoSe becomes a story in and of itself where health and beauty merge, and emerge as one.  In many ways this story began a very long time ago as it is an exploration of difference, demonstrating the power and efficacy of natural ingredients in an integrated and elevated approach to health and beauty.

In telling the story, it will become evident that this story is a culmination of everything I have ever written and everything I believe in.  As such it forms an invitation to enhance all aspects of our health and wellbeing with a curation of breakthrough, scientifically-based supplementation, now joined by a collection of highly efficacious topical serums and oils, specifically formulated by Shabir for the evolution of skin health, a subject I wrote extensively about two weeks ago.

Although I was setting the scene for the launch of the DoSe serums by writing about skin health, I have been writing about DoSe for several months as each of the VH supplements will, in time, carry the DoSe branding.  Yet, that is only one half of the story, because each of the Garden of Wisdom products will now carry the DoSe branding, allowing and embracing the crossover between health and beauty.  As such we are launching the DoSe serums on a health platform.

It has taken over two years to bring DoSe to market, and I am so happy and excited that we are now able to share this launch with you. Over the past few weeks I have written a few cryptic clues about this launch, so some of you may have guessed the direction we were taking but, notwithstanding that, any launch is dependent upon many factors and one of the most important factors was for us to listen to your feedback across the years, so a few things to share about that.

The DoSe serums and oils have been meticulously formulated by Shabir to the highest standards and they are blended in a laboratory renowned for its excellence, which is based in the UK.  The bottles are now glass, green glass, which means they are waterproof for the bathroom because detail matters.  Additionally the pumps are now lockable and they arrive with a small cap to ensure that products travel well and the contents don’t end up in the bottom of your cosmetic bag, which is something that drives me totally crazy, and I think that has happened to most of us with many products.  So, with that said, let’s move on.

DoSe is a considered wardrobe of serums and oils dedicated to skin health, offering a series of solutions designed and formulated for the longevity and integrity of skin, the largest organ of our bodies.  DoSe is an infinite journey, and we begin that journey with the launch of twelve serums and although I am not going to write about each of them today, I am going to begin with a hero product, Ergothioneine Serum, and I have made it a hero because I have been testing Ergothioneine Serum for over a year and in a world where not many skincare products impress me, Ergothioneine Serum is not only hugely impressive, but it plays a significant and extraordinary role in skin health.

So, let’s take a look because we have of course been talking about Ergothioneine as a skin health supplement for several years.  Ergothioneine is a natural antioxidant and Ergothioneine Serum contains a bioidentical form of L-ergothioneine, an amino acid which displays powerful antioxidant, anti-ageing, anti-inflammatory and hydrating properties.  Interestingly, as an antioxidant, Ergothioneine is more powerful than CoQ10 and Idebenone and it is an ingredient which has gone relatively unnoticed despite an array of studies indicating that it has one of the widest range of benefits of any single skincare ingredient or skincare technology currently available.

The other thing I want to say here is that Ergothioneine isn’t just a serum, it stands in testament to our commitment of pushing the boundaries of skincare, a commitment to innovation which allows an ongoing conversation about skin health and the pivotal role that clinically researched and targeted ingredients can play.  So, as Shabir does the in-depth on that research in his article, linked below, let me say that I believe Ergothioneine Serum will become a legend in its own lifetime.  It is one of the most important and efficacious skincare ingredients to have emerged in recent years and, such is its brilliance, it is now a total legend in my own bathroom.
VH Editorial: Ergothioneine Serum And Its Benefits For Skin; DoSe Ergothioneine Serum £26 for 30 ml

With Ergothioneine Serum launched, there are eleven other serums in the DoSe collection as it stands now.  The other thing to say here is that although most of the serums retain their original names, many of the original formulations have been updated demonstrating an acceptance and understanding of ongoing research which has always played such a crucial role in the development and creation of skincare, and the efficacy of such.  Fundamentally, this is not just a re-branding exercise, but a demonstration of an advancement and commitment to transparency, trust and ingredient integrity.

The only serum which has had a name change in this moment is Neurophroline Serum, which now becomes Peptide Rescue Serum, as we use the word ‘rescue’ in tribute to the properties of Neurophroline, which has been clinically proven to reduce cortisol production in stressed skin by almost 70%.  Cortisol is of course the stress hormone and one of the main causes of ageing skin is inflammation so, as ever, the clinicals evaluate efficacy and due process.    

Peptide Rescue Serum will also help enhance luminosity in stressed skin and on from that it helps supports collagen synthesis, which helps improve skin tone.  Reinforced with Resveratrol, an ingredient which helps protect skin from external aggressors, I have been talking about, and using, Neurophroline for many years as I believe, like Ergothioneine, it plays an in incredibly important and vital role in the health of our skin, most specifically stressed and compromised skin. 
VH Editorial: Do You Have Stressed Skin; DoSe Peptide Rescue Serum £22 for 30 ml

I am going to write about one more serum before I write about the DoSe concept, and that serum is Alpha Arbutin 2% & Kojic Acid 1% Serum.  This is such an important serum as it has been formulated to help brighten dull, uneven skin tone and it also helps target age spots and post-blemish marks as well as being a natural skin brightener for dull and uneven complexions.  It has been our bestselling serum for Post Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation (PIH) and allowing six to twelve weeks for this serum to have a noticeable effect, it blends well with all other serums, which is where we are going next.
DoSe Alpha Arbutin 2% & Kojic Acid 1% Serum £18 for 30 ml

At this point I am going back in order to go forward and most of you know that we have always kept our curation of skincare products really tight.  I have written much about this over the years, essentially because the skincare industry is over-populated, over-hyped and over-complex and that is probably an under-statement.  In the confusion that dominates the skincare industry, I wanted to be able to demonstrate and communicate that we are each able to benefit from cutting-edge and pioneering skincare ingredients with significance and simplicity.  Conceptually.

The concept of DoSe is actually really obvious, obvious because I have been writing about dosing products for rather a long time, and yet, in a twist, that is not where the name stems from.  The name DoSe stems from Shabir’s initials, except I twisted those initials around at 5 am one morning and DoSe was born.  I wanted to honour and recognise Shabir because of course he has formulated all the DoSe products, but in so doing I realised that I was also honouring a concept which I totally believed in.  So, I capitalised the letters D and S and went back to bed.  To dream.

Each of the DoSe serums can be used as a stand-alone, but in a dedicated and joyous play on alchemy, they may be blended or used to dose creams and lotions, in an infinite journey of discovery.  It is in the blending of serums that we are able to create a wardrobe of serums dedicated to skin health. The most important factor here is that our skin changes daily, based upon internal and external factors, but it is not only about the daily changes in our skin, dosing also allows us to adopt customised and specific morning, evening and weekly regimens.

I have been treating and dosing my skin in this way for many years, but there are rules and the primary rule is not to overload your skin with serums, because an excessive layering of serums could have a detrimental effect on your skin.  By having a wardrobe of serums, you can select as necessary whenever you need a certain solution, dependent upon seasonal changes and other influences, such as stress and sleep deprivation, which can often determine the condition and appearance of skin.

So, the serums are the first part of the equation and I am linking the entire collection of serums below, with further details about specific skin concerns on each of the product pages which will help you to decide which of the dedicated serums are best for you and your skin. The other thing to say here is that I know many will ask which serums I use, well obviously I have had the entire collection for testing purposes, but the five serums I use most often are Ergothioneine Serum, Peptide Rescue Serum, Hyaluronic Acid Serum, Super Bakuchiol Serum and Squalane Face Oil, the latter of which I tend to use in the evening as it helps prevent transepidermal water loss (TEWL).

As for Shabir, well I absolutely know he uses Egothioneine Serum, Multi-Peptide Anti-Ageing Serum and Alpha Arbutin and I really don’t know what else he uses, but I will find out.  Meanwhile, this is also to say that if you buy any of the DoSe serums, we will include a DoSe towelling headband with your order, so that you can dose your skin and not your hair.  There is only one gift per customer whilst stock lasts and I honestly don’t know how long that will be, but thoughts of Shabir wearing a DoSe headband are killing me.
The DoSe Serums 

The second part of the equation is the blending and dosing of the serums.  Whilst you can of course dose the serums into any creams or lotions, I have always dosed into Fulvic Face Cream, which won’t surprise many of you, because I love, love, love Fulvic Face Cream.  The story here is that I have incredibly sensitive skin and there are not that many skincare products which I can use without my skin reacting.  So many skincare products are formulated using essential oils and essential oils irritate my skin badly, so I asked Shabir to formulate a rich, moisturising face cream suitable for all skin types and Fulvic Face Cream was born.

Interestingly, but perhaps unsurprisingly, we launched Fulvic Face Cream on a health platform and not a beauty platform, embracing the power of active ionic minerals essential for healthy cell regeneration.  I have been writing about the benefits of Fulvic Acid for nearly twenty years and Fulvic Face Cream is a reflection of the trust and belief I have in this extraordinary ingredient.  And because it is extraordinary, and because we must always uphold extraordinary moments, I am dropping the price of Fulvic Face Cream down to £20 from £30 across this weekend, in celebration of what I believe to be a paradigm shift in skin health.
Fulvic Face Cream £20 for 60 ml (offer ends at midnight GMT, Sunday 10 March)

I cannot write about skin health without writing about supplementation because supplementation is crucial to skin health, not least because of the support supplementation offers in helping to increase the levels of strategic compounds which decline with age.  For many years I have written that Hyaluronic Acid is probably the most crucial of all anti-ageing supplementation, but with the body of research now evidenced from the clinicals on RiaGev®, we believe that NAD+ Generator, which has been formulated using RiaGev®, stands alongside HA in efficacy and importance.  I cannot separate the two.

This story is about DoSe and in the fullness of time each of our own supplements will carry the DoSe branding in an ongoing integration of an objective and responsible approach to our health and wellbeing.  The concept of DoSe is a catalyst for the solution, a solution which defines the simplicity of concept and an understanding of the ingredients, and products, which make a real and positive difference to each of us.  To celebrate that difference, I am discounting all of the VH supplements by 15% across the weekend, and that’s all of our supplements, not just the skincare supplements.
The VH Supplements; The DoSe Supplements (offer ends at midnight GMT, Sunday 10 March)

And into the Saturday only treat we go, and with every order placed for £35 and above, excluding p&p, we will automatically include Fulvic Body Lotion (60 ml)* with your order.  I know I am repeating a recent treat, but I like to be neat, and being neat means that you may wish to dose Fulvic Body Lotion too.  I honestly don’t think it needs it because it is an outstanding formulation, most especially if you have very dry skin, but we are all different and it presents an opportunity to become an alchemist, in your own bathroom.
Fulvic Body Lotion

As we come to the end of this Weekend Read, I will leave you with a song, the words of which tell their own story, a story where we took our passion and made it happen.  In allowing this story to happen, I thank you.
What A Feeling by Irene Cara; The VH Playlist

With love

Gill x  

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*Free gifts will only be granted if the items purchased are physical products and your total basket value exceeds the required amount noted.  Saturday only treats are subject to change should the specified gift run out prior to your purchase and are only included in orders placed between 7.45am (GMT) and Midnight (GMT) on the Saturday the Weekend Read is sent.  VH Addicts membership is a digital product and therefore will be excluded from the basket value.  Some gifts are blocked from international shipping due to local limitations imposed based on the country destination.  If this is the case, we will replace the gift with one that is able to be shipped to your destination. One gift per customer, whilst stock lasts.