This New Brand Doesn't Believe in Skincare Routines

Current State is all about living in the moment with your skincare.

When you think about what makes a good hair day, there are so many factors that go into it, from the weather to the shampoo you used that morning in the shower. But why don’t we take the same approach to our skincare? Many of us stick to the same routine day in and day out, but mix it up when it comes to other self-care.

“I assess what my body needs from a food and fitness perspective each day,” says Emily Parr, Co-Founder of new skincare line Current State. “Is it a coffee or green juice morning? Is it a yoga or long-run day? Similarly, I ask my skin these types of questions. What does my skin need to be in a state of homeostasis? More moisture? Some exfoliation? We all want energized and smooth, radiant and toned skin. It’s our job to help nudge it to get there. Current State seeks to bring the same kind of attention we bring to our diet and lifestyle to our skin: care that’s in tune to our skin’s fluctuating needs.”

The philosophy behind Current State—which launches today, February 1—was inspired by how we take care of our bodies. Parr’s first skincare brand, HoliFrog, was another major muse for the line, since they share an approach. “For the past three-plus years, I have been preaching about ‘situational skincare,’ which is the notion of tweaking your skincare routine to your skin’s current needs,” Parr says. “It’s a philosophy that really resonated with our customers. It made sense to bring this concept to a wider audience at a price-point that more individuals could afford. Current State is all about tuning in to your skin’s current state and having a relationship with your skin: your skin tells you what it needs.”

The Inspiration

In other words, sticking to the same skincare routine isn’t the way of Current State. “Routine-centric skincare doesn’t work,” Parr says. “Many of us have grown up learning a specific routine is always the best route to go. In my opinion, set-in-stone routines are a thing of the past. Skincare is all about balance and that requires a more diverse and flexible regimen. I like to think of this approach as ‘holistic individuality.’ You’ve got to respond to what your skin is saying in real time. It’s pretty empowering to go off of auto-pilot when it comes to skincare. For the most part, aside from SPF and retinol, routine rules are meant to be broken.”

Current State’s name gives that approach away. Parr explains that the terminology “state of skin” has been used by medical practitioners for several decades and it’s referenced in practically every medical journal covering the topic of skin. “It quite literally means assessment of the skin,” she says. “I was also very drawn to the word ‘current.’ As you peruse social media channels (Instagram, TikTok, YouTube), you will see the skinfluencer community often sharing their AM and PM skincare routines. But what I noticed is that many of these content creators were beginning to preface their lineup of products with ‘my current AM routine’ or ‘my current PM routine.’ I knew that the word ‘current’ had to be in the name because more and more people were switching up their routines based on their skin’s current needs. I wanted to give life to what was already beginning to happen. Current State breathed life into this idea of current skin assessment.”

The Formulas

After years of learning about product formulation with HoliFrog, Parr funneled all that knowledge into Current State. Single-ingredient and single-benefits formulas simply aren’t her jam. “I really believe in precision-tuned formulas, where multiple active ingredients are in each product; each has a precise and targeted purpose, yielding full-bodied harmony,” she says. “Current State products are nutritiously balanced and clinically responsive that support multiple concerns, which return your skin with multiple benefits. Even our gel cleanser, which is usually the simplest product in a skincare line, has 10 key (or as we like to call them, ‘intuitive’) ingredients.”

Take the Salicylic + Green Tea Exfoliating Cleanser ($17), for example, which is meant to be much more than a cleanser and is essentially a treatment. Designed to tackle breakouts while protecting the skin barrier, it features 2% salicylic combined with an AHA fruit complex to help sweep away dead skin cells. The acids are supported with sunflower and grapeseed oils, shea butter, aloe and glycerin. There’s also a powerful antioxidant blend of green tea, mangosteen and coconut fruit. “What makes this formula different is that it’s in a creamy base, rather than a lathery one,” Parr says. “We kept the surfactants (plant-derived) at a very low percentage, so that the acids mixed with cleansing agents do not cause irritation. I love to pack a punch in skincare as long as there are supportive ingredients.”

Current State is categorized into the “Current Core,” which are six skin-food groups: Exfoliation, non-fragrant plant oils, antioxidants, vitamins, skin-identical and cell communicating ingredients. “These categories are what I believe your skin needs for a well-rounded daily diet,” Parr says. “We created easy-to-follow Current Core icons, so that you can determine if you’ve had enough of your daily skin-food groups. No stress because if you didn’t get enough antioxidants today, then make sure you don’t skip that one tomorrow.”

The Anti-Routine

The inaugural lineup includes three cleansers, three serums, three moisturizers and an eye cream. “We aren’t suggesting that everyone needs all nine products from the start but create a skincare menu for yourself, based on its current needs and add to it, as new situations arise,” Parr says. “Even if you are living in the same state as someone, the same city, the same block and perhaps even the same building, your skin is not the same as your neighbor’s or your neighbor’s neighbor's. We all have unique needs and need to support our own skin at whatever state it may be in.”

Current state encourages “skin-self awareness,” meaning you should listen to your skin’s needs and swap out or add products to your routine accordingly. Designed to be used intuitively, it also aims to break away from traditional skin type classifications. “For too long, people have focused on a one-size-fits-all class system,” Parr says. “Don’t get me wrong, I believe in inherent skin types but I simply feel that ‘type’ is only half of the equation. Everything from seasons to hormones to the environment in which we live impacts our skin’s current situation. That’s where having a relationship with your skin comes in. There is no algorithm, skincare quiz or TikToker who knows your skin better than you. You are your skin’s best expert and that is where our skintuition needs to kick into high gear.”

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