Jonathan Van Ness aka JVN is Biossance's Self-Care Ambassador. We like his style, we like his title and we love Biossance's missions to save endangered animals, minimise waste and create great products, ethically. So, we got the self-care lowdown from JVN:

You're Biossance's self-care ambassador. What does self-care mean to you?

"Self-care means to me that what we do on our inside and outside makes us feel our most authentic and complete self. So that could be your skincare to whatever your spiritual or physical practice is that make you feel connected to yourself, the earth, and your community."

Skincare is often geared toward women. Do you feel it’s important that non-binary people and more men are included in the skincare/makeup space? Please elaborate. 

"Very much, its this misogynistic idea that it's too girly for men to use skin care and or makeup, or that they don't need it which is rude, why is it that only women are taught that if they don’t wear makeup and use skincare nobody will want them anymore? Toxic gender binary strikes again. Wanting to feel good should have nothing to do with our gender in the same way that skin care and makeup have been overly marketed toward women is because corporations have profited off of mainly women's insecurities and fears around aging. Which is the toxic cultural misogyny we deal with all the time. Non binary and trans people, and cis people alike should be allowed to play in the artform of skincare and makeup because its science based and cool, not because society teaches us we lose worth as we age. I embrace the idea that aging is a privilege and I want to age with agility and to feel good as I'm doing it and that should be something that everyone on the gender spectrum celebrates."

How long has skincare been an integral part of your life?

"Skincare has allowed me to create spaces in my daily routine to practice positive self-talk and work on positive affirmations and also creating more stillness in my mind. It feels good to create moment of gratitude and show myself through actions that I am worth investing my time in that I am worth taking care of myself. And it's really just an added benefit that it makes my skin look so dang pretty."

What is the craziest skincare revelation you’ve had?

"That melasma is real and that the White shiitake mushroom extract did not come to playwith these dark spots, Biossance’s Squalane + Vitamin C Dark Spot Serum is my fav of favs. It'sgiving me my childhood level of freckles as opposed to the melasma islands that all the new freckles were making."

What is your best skin care tip?

"If you want to prevent the look of more aged skin we must wear sunscreen methodically. You can do filler and do every skincare or treatment but if you don’t protect your skin from the radiation of the sunyour skin will continue to lose any benefits its gaining from your skincare and treatments in the long run. If you're new to mineral sunscreens definitely try Biossance’s Squalane + Zinc Sheer Mineral Sunscreenand prep your skin with the Squalane + BHA Pore Minimizing Toner or Squalane + Hyaluronic Toning Mist ist with the Vitamin C Dark Spot Serum and eye cream of your choice. And this mineral sunscreen is so seamless, long lasting, and absorbent while being non chalky I just love it."

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