How to Tome
Your prequel to skin renewal
Getting Ready
The Routine
The Foundational Treatment is designed to be used only once a week. We recommend starting at night, so it can get to work while you sleep and help your skin settle in. Keep in mind that there will be some downtime for your skin after treatment (especially the first one). You may experience 5-7 days of downtime at first, including some redness and tingling for 24-48 hours, and peeling starting around 72 hours post-treatment. As you get into the routine, expect the downtime to get shorter with each use.
The Source
Bioneedle™ is 100% Spongilla lacustris, a wild harvested freshwater river sponge that we’ve ethically sourced and delivered directly to you. We minimally process it into a powder and don’t add any scents or unnecessary additives to mask it, so it can have an earthy smell, almost as if you pulled it out from the river yourself.
The Sensation
The Foundational Treatment acts fast, and you’ll feel it working right away. Expect a strong tingling sensation and some redness as the microscopic structures of Bioneedle™ work to activate your skin’s natural response — don’t worry! It's all a sign that the process of skin renewal is starting.
Your Weekly Step by Step
Step 1. Wash and dry your face as usual, getting rid of dirt, oil, and makeup.
Step 2. Pour the Activator into the Bioneedle™ cup and mix with the brush until the powder completely dissolves. Let sit for 1-2 minutes, until it becomes a foamy, mask-like mixture.
Step 3. Use the brush to apply a dab of the mask onto a concentrated area of your face (approx. 1-2 inch section at a time).
Step 4. With two fingers, use light to moderate pressure in circular motions to massage mask into skin. You should massage for 20-30 seconds in that small, concentrated section. It should feel exfoliating and tingling. That means the Bioneedle™ is working! Do not apply the mask to sensitive areas: avoid the eyelids, under-eye areas, and skin right underneath your nostrils.
Step 5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you’ve covered your entire face. Let the mask sit for 10-15 minutes until completely dry.
Step 6. Fully rinse off the mask with water and gently pat face dry. Stay away from eye area and avoid rinsing product into your eyes. After you fully rinse off mask, expect to still feel the Bioneedle™ in your skin for about 24 hours. Make sure to read our complete aftercare steps below.
Aftercare
Start the routine at night, especially the first time, to give your skin time to settle in. Apply one dab of the mask at a time with the brush — then use your fingers to massage the 1-2 inch patch before you move on.
Expect:
– Some redness, depending on your skin’s sensitivity
– Tingling or a prickly sensation. This is the Bioneedle™ continuing to work in your skin.
Can use if desired:
– Gentle, hydrating serums (ex: hyaluronic acid)
Avoid:
– Moisturizer
– Harsh exfoliants (retinols, scrubs)
– Excessive sweating
Expect:
– Redness
– Tingling
Use:
– Moisturizer and hydrating products
– Sunscreen
– Cooling, calming products
Avoid:
– Excessive sweating
– Harsh exfoliants (retinols, scrubs)
Expect:
– Redness
– Dry skin. This is a sign that your skin is beginning to renew.
Use:
– Gentle, hydrating products
– Cooling, calming products
Avoid: Harsh exfoliants (retinols, scrubs)
Expect:
Some skin peeling. This is the start of new skin growth
Use: Your normal daily skincare routine
Avoid: Harsh exfoliants, depending on your skin’s sensitivity
Repeat the routine once a week.
How it works
Spongilla lacustris is a freshwater sponge that’s been known for its skin enhancing properties for centuries. Now, we wild-harvest it through traceable sourcing, powder it and deliver it to you as the hero ingredient in our Foundational Treatment.
It’s made up of microscopic spicules: small, rod-like shapes whose structure allows it to create micro-channels (microscopic openings) in the skin. This process helps activate the skin while letting the organic compounds of the sponge go to work.
This mechanism of deep, precise channeling, plus the organic properties of Spongilla, make it a powerful natural ingredient. That’s why we call it Bioneedle™.
Hydrogen peroxide is an oxidizing agent that we call the activator. When it mixes with the Bioneedle™ powder, it reacts with the sponge and liberates oxygen, which creates the foam. Through this process hydrogen peroxide is broken down into oxygen and water. Activating the Bioneedle powder at-home ensures even distribution of the spicules for maximum potency.
