Jaxon Journal: The Science of Skincare with JC Dombrowski
Welcome to Jaxon Journal, where we share the latest and greatest in revolutionary skincare and invite you into our conversations with our favorite members of the Jaxon Lane community. Our latest Journal features JC Dombrowski, TikTok star and skincare enthusiast-turned-expert.
Credit: JC Dombrowski on IG
Meet JC
Meet JC, a triple threat of the most unconventional kind: he’s a marine biology scientist, AND a TikTok sensation, AND a skincare and beauty expert. His precipitous rise to TikTok fame began on September 14, 2019, when JC posted his first video - but JC’s path to celebrating his passions and expertise started much earlier.
Ripple effect: JC’s road to TikTok
JL: Tell us about yourself! What was your path into marine biology - and then skincare?
JC: My teenage years were a series of formative experiences! First of all, I grew up in the suburbs in Atlanta. As one of the only Asian kids in my high school, a lower income student in an upper class area, and an openly gay kid in the South, I had lots of experience early on with standing out.
JL: What did that mean for your career and personal trajectory?
JC: I’d say that experience meant I grew comfortable with voicing unorthodox ideas. When I started to think about applying to college, I knew it was important to voice my opinions and my passions.
JC found himself flexing his storytelling muscles in a few ways: both making a case for his admission into top-tier marine biology schools and generating his first TikTok video. Little did he know that that first foray into content creation would go viral overnight, garnering a whopping 1.6 million views in just 24 hours. By the January following that first video, JC found himself with 500K followers. It was his mom who encouraged him to continue to showcase his passions via content creation, and JC started posting a “marine biology fact of the day” and other science-related content.
JL: What a rise to the top! It’s clear you have a deep love for science, which captured the hearts of your followers. How did you get into skincare?
JC: During the pandemic, we all got sent home from school. With that free time on my hands, I dove into the science behind skincare. At the time, I was struggling with acne and wanted to understand the data behind all of the different products out there.
JL: What conclusions did you reach?
JC: There’s so much misinformation on social media, and so many ads with wildly inaccurate information. I definitely succumbed to some of them when I was younger - I tried at home peels and products that stripped away all my skin’s oils. It was awful!
JL: We’ve all made some questionable beauty choices in our youth! When you delved into the science of skincare, what changed?
JC: I’ve come a long way thanks to my understanding of the science behind skincare. I know now which products and tactics work best for combination skin: hydration, hydration, hydration and using common ingredients throughout your skincare regimen.
JL: Any favorite products to share?
JC: I love Boom Cica Wow as my go-to daily cleanser. It hydrates while getting the day’s dirt off my skin gently. It’s very important to me that my products don’t strip my skin. It’s a misconception that when you have oily skin, you need to dehydrate your skin and strip all the oils away. In fact, that causes your skin to generate even more oil - so gentle hydration and cleansing is key.
At night, JC opts for an oil-based cleanser to remove makeup and sunscreen. He looks for ingredients like centella asiatica and ceramides to round out his routine, and likes products that combine hyaluronic acid and niacinamide in one place for convenience, price and effectiveness.
Which products have a hard-won spot on JC’s toiletry shelf? JC currently uses Tatcha’s The Essence, which has an extract JC loves called Hadasei-3 (a trio of fermented Japanese superfoods).
We’re thrilled to hear JC is an advocate for daily SPF, and considers Rain or Shine one of the products he can’t live without. The Bryoe Essence Toner is another permanent staple.
Into the crystal ball: JC’s skincare predictions
JL: Okay, you’re clearly super plugged into skincare trends - and importantly, which trends are actually worth buying into. What are your predictions for the world of skincare this year?
JC: One ingredient that’s going to blow up in the next year is Beta-Glucan. Beta-Glucan is naturally derived from sources like oatmeal or algae, and you’ll see it in skincare products for soothing sensitive skin and minimizing redness. It also has antioxidant properties, so it helps minimize signs of aging or sun damage. I love ingredients that have calming, restoring effects on the skin, instead of bombarding skin with abrasive ingredients which used to be popular.
JL: Any other ingredients you love?
JC: Two of my top hero ingredients are centella (asiatica) and hyaluronic acid. They’re tried and true and I love them. I’m a bit more ambivalent about niacinamide - but that’s largely because many products have too high of a concentration, like 10%, which can be irritating. The ideal percentage to see ideal results is around 2 - 5%. More is not always better!
JL: Our Bro Mask has 3% niacinamide! Just saying…
Making waves
In the vast sea (see what we did there?) of content creators, JC stands out not only for his engaging storytelling abilities but also for his dedication to science and his mission to educate and inspire others. We love his science- and expertise-backed recommendations, and can’t wait to see what comes next for JC’s explorations. Until next time!
JC sharing his favorite 2023 cleansers (Credit: @jc.dombrowski)