Which Environ step should you start with?

The short answer

Start at Step 1. Environ’s own guide sums it up as “start low and go slow”: begin with the moisturizer that has the least vitamin A, use two or three bottles until your skin is comfortable at that level, then move up one step. Its step-up page gives no separate starting point by age or skin type.

If you have used Environ before, or another vitamin A product, ask before you buy a higher step. Your history may change the answer.

What the step-up system is

Environ describes its Vitamin STEP-UP SYSTEM as a way to help skin become more comfortable with rising levels of vitamin A and other ingredients. Each product in a series contains more than the one before it, on the reasoning that skin needs time to adjust. RRYL’s shop carries two of these series:

• Vita-Antioxidant AVST Moisturiser (Skin EssentiA range): five steps, which Environ’s guide labels low, medium, medium to high, high and highest.
• Vita-Peptide C-Quence Serum (Youth EssentiA range): four steps, each with vitamin A and vitamin C, the amount rising from Step 1 to Step 4. Environ places Vita-Peptide Intensive Serum 4 Plus after them, for skin already comfortable with Serum 4 and Antioxidant Defence Creme.

AVST or C-Quence: the practical difference

The difference you will notice first is the routine. AVST is a moisturizer: after you pre-cleanse, cleanse and tone, you smooth it over the face and neck, morning and evening. C-Quence is a serum that Environ pairs with a second product: after cleansing and toning, you apply it and then Antioxidant Defence Creme, or mix the two in your palm, morning and evening. Our guide to Environ cleansers and toners covers the steps that come before either one.

The Environ pages we read do not say that one series suits a particular skin type, so we will not say so either. If you cannot decide between them, that is a good question to bring to Bouchra.

How long to stay on each step

Environ counts in bottles, not weeks:

• AVST Step 1: at least two to three bottles.
• AVST Steps 2 to 4: at least two bottles each.
• AVST Step 5: the final step, which Environ describes as suited to long-term use.
• C-Quence: at least two bottles of a step before moving up.

Treat those numbers as minimums. Environ’s other test is comfort: stay until your skin is fully comfortable at that level. It also advises speaking with a skin care professional before each move. We did not find a timetable in weeks on Environ’s pages, and how long a bottle lasts depends on how much you use, so we will not guess at one.

If your skin feels uncomfortable

The Environ pages we read do not describe how skin may react or what to do if it does. What follows from their advice is simple: do not move up while your skin is uncomfortable at your current step. Write to the studio before changing anything. If irritation persists or worries you, see a doctor or dermatologist.

If you stopped for a while

Environ says that if you stop, you should start again at a lower level, and that after a break of more than a year you should go back to the lowest one. A step you reached in the past is not necessarily where to pick up again.

Check first if any of these apply

• You are pregnant or trying to conceive: check with your doctor first.
• You use a prescription skin treatment, or have a skin condition: ask your doctor or dermatologist first.

Getting help choosing

You can order the range online from RRYL at the shop; our page on Environ skin care in Midtown covers how the range and the studio fit together. Bouchra can help you choose: email spa@rrylskinspa.com, call (929) 293-5538, or ask at your next facial.

If you would like to try Environ in the studio first, the Environ Deep Dual Facial uses the DF facial machine, with exfoliation, infusion and a finishing mask. Directions and cautions in this guide come from Environ’s public pages; your own skin may need different advice.