Biohacking Beauty: The Anti-Aging Skincare Podcast

Valentine’s Day Special: Our Top Skincare Recommendations for Each Other as Co-Founders + Life Partners

27 min
Feb 6, 20262 months ago
Listen to Episode
Summary

Co-founders Amitai Eshel and Anastasia Hojaeva of Young Goose recommend skincare ingredients to each other based on individual skin needs and lifestyle factors rather than personal preference. The episode explores their philosophy of consistent, intentional skincare aligned with longevity principles, featuring recommendations of methylene blue, chamomile essence, NAD Apex, ectoin, retinol, and other proprietary ingredients from their product line.

Insights
  • Skincare recommendations should be personalized to individual skin conditions and lifestyle stressors rather than based on product preference or marketing
  • NAD+ boosting has become a competitive category with multiple companies now developing similar products, requiring continuous innovation to maintain market leadership
  • Retinol alternatives are needed to address accessibility barriers including pregnancy, breastfeeding, sensitivities, and negative reputation despite efficacy
  • Ingredient efficacy should be evaluated through multiple mechanisms of action (e.g., ectoin provides hydration, blue light protection, and EMF defense simultaneously)
  • Daily consistency and foundational skincare rituals (like proper cleansing) are more impactful than occasional high-intensity treatments
Trends
NAD+ boosting ingredients becoming mainstream in skincare with major brands like Goop entering the categoryGrowing demand for multi-functional ingredients that address multiple skin concerns simultaneouslyIncreased focus on blue light and EMF protection in skincare formulations due to screen time exposureDevelopment of peptide-based retinol alternatives to address accessibility and safety concernsPersonalized skincare recommendations based on individual lifestyle factors and skin conditions rather than one-size-fits-all approachesIntegration of longevity science principles into skincare product development and marketingConsumer education around sun protection moving beyond SPF to include DNA repair and recovery supportEmphasis on ingredient transparency and founder-level product knowledge as competitive differentiator
Topics
NAD+ boosting in skincare formulationsMethylene blue for skin health and red light therapy enhancementEctoin as hydration and blue light protection ingredientRetinol alternatives and peptide mimicsVampire exosomes in skincareChamomile essence and epigenin for anti-inflammatory benefitsBlue light and EMF protection in skincareDNA repair and UV recovery in sun protectionPersonalized skincare protocolsNAD+ and cellular energy in skin repairCleanser formulation and shaving compatibilityHyperpigmentation mitigation strategiesLongevity herbal complexes in sun protectionOxygen therapy masks and tetrapeptide formulationsSkincare consistency and daily rituals
Companies
Young Goose
Co-founded by hosts Amitai Eshel and Anastasia Hojaeva; develops NAD-boosting skincare products with proprietary form...
Goop
Recently launched NAD cream product, indicating market validation and competitive entry into NAD-boosting skincare ca...
Qualia
Dr. Kelly from Qualia influenced NAD Apex development by discussing multi-angle NAD boosting approaches and potential...
People
Amitai Eshel
Co-founder and co-host of Biohacking Beauty Podcast; developed NAD Apex ingredient and leads R&D innovation at Young ...
Anastasia Hojaeva
Co-founder, co-host, and life partner of Amitai; currently breastfeeding and unable to use retinol; advocates for ect...
Dr. Kelly
Qualia executive whose NAD boosting framework influenced Young Goose's NAD Apex product development strategy
Quotes
"We build systems that last. We don't chase trends. We show up in the lab the same way we show up for each other with intention."
Amitai Eshel / Anastasia Hojaeva
"It wasn't about bias. It was about your skin, what you need right now and how it's changing and what supports you in the long run."
Anastasia Hojaeva
"Ectoin is what hyaluronic acid wished it was or wants to be. It's a true hydrator."
Anastasia Hojaeva
"If you're stimulating any type of repair, you need to have a lot of that currency. And I think we are going to do a better job in the future explaining why it's a perfect combination to have vampire exosomes and NAD."
Anastasia Hojaeva
"The discussion around sun protection is not nuanced enough. You really want to fortify your skin's ability to recover and repair DNA after UV radiation."
Amitai Eshel
Full Transcript
Hi, everyone. Welcome to Biohacking Beauty Podcast, the podcast that blends together the latest in longevity, innovation, and beauty. I'm Amitai Eshel. And I'm Anastasia Hojaeva. And together we are... hosts of this Biohacking Beauty Podcast. Yeah, but also co-founders... of Young Goose. Yeah. And before we start, we wanted to share a bit of context for this episode. This isn't a typical one for us. It's Valentine's. And while we don't usually shape our work around holidays, this one felt different. Because we're not just co-founders of Yungoos, we are also life partners. Yeah. And over the years, what's really stood out is how care shows up, not in the big gestures, but in the daily ones. consistency, attention, choosing each other again and again. Yes. And honestly, that's the exact same philosophy we've applied to skincare, to longevity, and to every protocol we create. We build systems that last. We don't chase trends. We show up in the lab the same way we show up for each other with intention. so and with quotes no i'm kidding so when our team asks us asked us to do a valentine's episode we said no um but then they convinced us and um they asked us to because this one fell different yes exactly we said no and then i said no no yeah you're doing that i said okay uh and so we they asked us to pick our, in air quotes, like favorite products. It actually became something, I think, a little bit deeper because we couldn't just say, oh, I love this serum or this is my must have. We know, first of all, it's very individual, but we know what's in every formula. We built them. So it had to be about more than preference. for sure and before we dive in to our actual favorite ingredients or well actually to that point i just realized that you didn't finish your thought you let me finish this thought but uh so yeah we didn't want to go uh and and just talk about our favorite products or ingredients instead we decided to flip it flip it and basically give each other recommendations Even, you know, how we phrased it is like, what would I recommend you? What ingredient would I recommend the other person? Exactly. And that shifted the conversation. It wasn't about bias. It was about your skin, what you need right now and how it's changing and what supports you in the long run. And what was wild is when we looked at the recommendation together, we realized these weren't just sentimental picks. collectively they actually cover everything we care about cellular energy inflammation repair resilience how your skin looks right now the whole longevity framework and now as usually before we get into the deep dive we want to highlight one of the reviews and we've been getting so many sweet reviews. Thank you guys so much. It's really just my favorite to scroll and read and we read each. That's your favorite ingredient? Yes. I would like to recommend you a review. And so I'm gonna read this one. It's by Ballet Repertoire. And the subtitle is Wednesday is my favorite day of the week, which is very sweet. And then the body of the review goes, this is the finest podcast regarding longevity, skincare, efficacy of products and ingredients. Absolutely love it. I learn so much and every week I wait with anticipation on what the topic or potential guests may be. Full disclosure, I use several of the products and I absolutely love them. They are based on the unique research that Duo performs and describes. Keep up the great work and can't wait to see what's next. That's very sweet. That's very sweet. If you would like us to give your review compliments, but also get a free product, make sure you leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Every week we read a review and that person we read the review, we send them a free product, as I just mentioned. Anyway, if you are that ballet repertoire, lovely lady or person, DM us on Instagram or email service at younggoose.com and your surprise is in the mail. Yes. Okay. Amitai. Yes. I think I want you to go first. First of all, for recap. Okay. We're going to basically recommend each other ingredients. Yeah. Okay. So. Based on everything happening right now. The season, the skin, everything right now. Yeah. So if there was one ingredient, top one ingredient that you wanted to anchor my skincare routine in, what would you recommend for me, for my skin? Well, I think my first approach, you know, is what does the most? And I was debating, debating, debating. And I'm going for methylene blue. For me? Yes, for you. Wow. And the reason is because it really, first of all, you're always doing red light. And it's such a... I'm actually, thank you for giving me the compliment of always. That's what I... You're not always doing red light. That would be excessive. But this is my goal. May I have a latte and... But it is my goal to do it very consistently. and now we're in February and the January month I was the most consistent with my red light therapy routine. So thank you for noticing, first of all. I think you noticed that because I put the panel now on the dresser and it's there and it's plugged in and you know, you know. And I can criticize you in Mayed. 30 seconds left. Yes, but go on. Yes, red light always. Anyway, yeah. So methylene blue is, first and foremost, it has this unique ability to improve red light really cool feature But aside from that it does so much that when you saying okay like what one ingredient would you recommend Or the first because we going to talk about a few. Yeah, that's what comes to mind because it does everything from like combating oxidative stress, improving your mitochondrial function, improving collagen production, elastin, basically creating more energy and more youthful vibrancy in the skin. And you are youthful and vibrant. Great. I'll take it. Yeah. And I'll take it now. And you're never blue. So you need to... Well, okay. And it's fine because every ingredient you choose, I can no longer choose. So, all right. So you want me to go next? Yes, please go next. Okay. So you surprised me with giving me like the most biohacking ingredient ever. and like almost like you know the methylene blue is such like a bro ingredient and so i'll maybe surprise you with uh choosing the chamomile essence for you okay that we use in um our cleanser so the epigenin rich chamomile essence and the reason is that i feel like you are always pushing very hard and you know with the constant jujitsu and sweating doing things outdoors and in general like i think your skin is so prone to get inflamed yeah so i like that it's anti-inflammatory it's important for me that you set your foundation and you know you have the ritual that the first step is cleansing because a lot of people skip that especially men i feel like And also, you know, since it's epigenin-rich, it lowers activity of CD38, which is the enzyme that chews, you know, it's up our NAD+. So it's a fun fact that the cleanser can contribute to higher NAD levels, which is, you know, most people's cleansers won't do that. And you're the type of guy that everything, every step you do, it needs to be biohacking and optimizing. So I feel like it's the only cleanser you would ever use. You know, thank you for that. I thought you were recommending it just because you want me to shave more. Also true. Yeah. It's a joke because you can shave with a cleanser. And women, ladies, if you're looking for your partner not to have razor bumps, this is a cleanser that they can shave with and not get razor bumps. You want to give me a second one? Could be a good Valentine's gift. Yeah. What? You want to go first now for the second ingredient? Second ingredient for you. Okay. Well, I think, you know, the credit, what's the expression? Give credit where credit is due. And the origin of our whole company is in boosting NAD plus levels. and you do so much on a daily basis to educate yourself with NAD Plus boosting that I think the next ingredient that you really earn and create it and, you know, it's your brainchild is NAD Apex. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you for that. Yeah, NAD Apex is really cool because, you know, and it's funny because it was actually the idea that we need to kind of attack or approach NAD boosting from different levels or add layers. Actually, it was born. The how maybe was mine, but the why or the fact that we need to do it, it wasn't in my head to begin with. It was actually because of Dr. Kelly from Qualia. Shout out to Dr. Kelly from Qualia. And when they came out with their NAD boosting product and he was talking about different angles to boost NAD. and some of the overlap that this could create and how it can mitigate some of the issues with just posting NAD, with using precursors or with using, for example, like niacin or something like that. It stuck with me and slowly, slowly, going back to the R&D facility and looking at innovation within the product that was something or what's available now, new ingredients, stuff like that in the world, it started to take shape. and I'm very proud of NAD Apex. We see even, I don't know if you, did you see Goop came out with NAD cream? No, but I, you know, since we launched our company and we were the first to have NAD boosters in skincare, now there are so many companies and there's maybe like five or six that are pretty successful. So it comes as no surprise that really bigger companies are now also developing something and yeah, it makes me happy actually. Yeah, for sure, for sure. And so it's important to continue being the leader. I mean, we're not going to get into the differences and stuff like that, but obviously it's important to innovate, to continue providing the best that's available out there and not settling for older technology, primary technology. The innovation never stops. yeah right so yeah thank you for that i'll tell you what since we talked about nad boosting i think one of the things that um by the way just as a reference i don't know any the apex you have we have different types of nad boosting abilities any the apex is in our youth products like youth reset youth daily in our blue peptide spray ladder serum so people are looking for it i want to talk about the essence for you specifically i would recommend or whatever are we recommending what are we doing are we dedicating the ingredient are we we started with uh with recommending and then i dedicated you one ingredient but i also recommended the nada book so i would honestly recommend it to everyone so i would i would i would i would uh you know the ingredient i dedicate to you is ectoin and ectoin is actually really cool it's also in our youth products in many of them But ectoine is really cool because I call it what, you know, I call it what hyaluronic acid wished it was or wants to be. But it's a true hydrator. And I think a lot of the ingredients that we use the simulate renewal they need NAD right That everyone I mean I think we do a good job educating why NAD is like the currency for repair So if you're stimulating any type of repair, you need to have a lot of that currency. And I think we are going to do a better job in the future explaining why it's a perfect combination, you know, to have vampire exosomes and or platelet-derived exosomes and NAD and why those two rely on each other. but there is another thing that happens when you increase renewal, which your skin is getting drier. And ectoin is this incredible molecule that increases hydration. And the reason I dedicate it to you, I mean, you work so hard. You are, unfortunately, that begets being in front of screens. and ectoin does many things but it also improves how your skin deals with blue lights emf pollution especially the higher concentrations that we use um like over two percent one percent doesn't really do that so i really think this is like a hero like a distilled idea of of of an ingredient that that your skin specifically really should enjoy or does enjoy or yeah and my skin actually it's a good choice for me my skin really benefits from actoin and similarly how you know nada books is kind of like your brainchild using actoin was something i was pushing for and i'm so happy that we use it so many products really yeah like you said it's the the ingredient that first of all it's like a perfectionist ingredient everything that it does it does so well it has like 11 day hydration carryover, which is insane. So if you use it, you know, on Monday, think about it's like what until like Wednesday next week, it's like still working for you. It's like unheard of. And the blue light protection, we've actually gotten a lot of kind of like feedback and our elastin episode went sort of viral because we talked a lot about the elastin breaking down, you know via blue light yeah and so yeah definitely it's a must-have for me somebody that works in front of screen all day and for many many people out there so good choice good choice and it can be found again many many different products but i think the product that is like the hero the hero product for that is like the the amplifying essence right yeah And amplifying essence would be an essence that you layer after the blue peptide spray. And as the name suggests, it amplifies the results of other products that follow. It has also oxygenation complex, which is very cool. Okay. Well, I think the next ingredient that I will choose for you, for your skin, it will be retinol. Also, because I cannot use retinol still. and because i'm still breastfeeding for anyone listening and wondering why but amitai is also somebody who whose skin is so quick to develop pigmentation and he's kind of like always in the process of mitigating it and the results are really profound yeah so i would recommend it for you yeah it's a staple i mean i think again like talking about innovation and stuff like that I am so in love with the results, you know, just vitamin A's provide me, that for the past, I would say, like a year, we were looking at a way to have more people using it. Yeah. And develop peptides that mimic retinol, right? Yeah. Which is... It's going to take a while. It's going to take a while. But it's not, by the way, it's not a knock on bioretinol or retinol. I think it's the best that's available right now. But I think there are a lot of people that can't use it for many reasons. Sensitivities or pregnancy, different type of like autoimmune conditions. I mean, I wasn't able to use it for the last three years and I really miss it. So yeah, pregnant and breastfeeding, for me that was like already three years. like for the two. And then also, unfortunately, retinol does have a bad rep. So there is also a lot of people that might not be sensitive, might not have any counterindications, but they will stay away just because of the reputation that it has right now. And they will not get the benefit. So if we can develop a peptide, which we are working on that can mimic the effects, that's great. I definitely can't wait to get back to retinol. And behind the scenes, the results are pretty cool. Anyway, yeah. So, you know, talking about retinol, talking about ectoin, I really, you know, one of the things that I want to recommend, not as an ingredient, but a complex, which is our longevity, herbal longevity complex that's in the BioShield. wow and you're going granular you're going like i think i think you know when people with the conversation around um sun you know sun exposure mitigation or defense is it is not nuanced enough you think that it can be significantly more nuanced and maybe because there is kind of a battle, maybe because dermatologists on one hand think that people don't use enough sunscreen, and on the other hand, kind of anti, you know, in our community, the biohacking community, the kind of anti-sunblock community is so triggered by the idea of sunblock. And then the discussion around like, you know, chemical, organic, whatever, there is a lack of understanding of what it takes to really have your skin thrive in the sun or protect against the harmful effects of the sun. One of the things that you have to do when you experience UV radiation or when you're exposed to UV radiation, or by the way, to pollution or anything that creates oxidative stress in your skin is not only to fortify the ability of your skin to kind of fend against UV but you really want to fortify its ability to recover and repair your DNA after UV radiation And this complex is really cool in doing that or supporting that alongside other ingredients. So that is something that, you know, I think is a really cool approach the reason i think you specifically uh or or i i associate it with you is because you it's it to me it's like an intuitive thing we we we put there before we we really understood that it's a missing piece like it you know spf takes forever to formulate so we kind of worked for it in the early beginnings of the formulation it's a lot of years ago and um it was one of those intuitions that you had you're a very intuitive person and I think you will benefit from it to this day so it's really cool thank you and I feel like this complex is almost like a bouquet of flowers so I feel like I just got flowers hint hint that's the flowers you're gonna get this Valentine's hope you enjoy them and yeah. Okay, okay. Let me see what I want to recommend you. So my next recommendation for you in terms of ingredients will be actually a blend of tetrapeptide 4 and marine algae that people can find in our Habiburic mask which mimics Habiburic mask oxygen therapy and I think that another product ingredient that I can associate with you because it just turns on a cascade of so many cool processes and you are very creative in finding ways. I definitely turn on a cascade of a lot of processes in you. Sometimes I do something and there is a cascade. yeah but i i wanted to say that uh you're very creative in trying to like maximize your impact with i wouldn't say minimal effort but finding ways to use expend less effort okay you're trying to biohack effort yes you're biohacking effort and this product is actually a testament to the fact that it can work which um you know sometimes that it's the cascade don't try to buy a hacker for well you're a proud member of adhd community that you spoke about uh before with audience i'm not like disclosing uh previously unavailable medical data but i sit in a lot of my successful adhd entrepreneurs they find ways to to yeah exert less energy because they're limited in focus you know and again so if you apply this product at night let's say you wake up in the morning with like oh my god the skin looks so different and there's a clear change that you can see. And there are also processes, like, I mean, life happens and sometimes we have to travel. Sometimes we didn't eat well, we didn't sleep well. So it's one of those products that just got your back. And that's what I think of you. Just don't apply it on the back, okay? Apply it on the face. Anyway. But you got my back. You got my back a lot. So I appreciate it. Very nice. Okay. I mean, that was a good, I think that's pretty good. that's pretty good i think yeah yeah and yeah i guess that's uh that's a wrap i'll i'll i'll i have one more oh you know what we'll finish at that yeah no but now people gonna want to know what no this is as far as ingredients but i have one joke which is okay people love your jokes we get comments a lot about your great sense of humor which it is so go ahead he dedicates vampire exosomes to you because every because basically uh i'll tell you why okay for every problem you can throw vampire exosomes at it like you got this you got you know wrinkles vampire exosomes hyperpigmentation vampire exosomes uh sensitivity vampire exosomes acne vampire exosomes and it's like you everything everything i can't find i'm asking you where is this anastasia where is that I have this problem, Anastasia. But this is outside of the premeditated ingredient. Yeah, well, thank you. Thank you. I get a crown jewel, vampire exosomes, and all the work we put into it, I'll take it. But, so there was a secret challenge here. Was there? No, not a secret challenge, but there was something that, you know, putting vampire exosomes aside, the ingredients that we talked about, we did basically create like a little collection, which we made available, collected for Valentine's. Yeah. So it's going to be available after Valentine's. Obviously, the products will be, and you should go ahead and use them. But for Valentine's, we created something special around that, a special offer. Yeah. And we hope you enjoy. A few surprises there as well. So some nice tidbits that you're going to get if you are getting it. So get ready to be surprised. Yeah. Yeah. And if you're listening to it on Valentine's, happy Valentine's. If you're listening to it on Valentine's, first of all, this is amazing. We appreciate that that's what you're doing on Valentine's. We love being your Valentine. And yeah, thank you very much for listening. We love you. we also love you if you're listening to it not on Valentine's oh yeah less we love you we at least appreciate you we're okay with you you are fine well and with that see you next week bye bye The End