Questions, answered properly

A professional skincare line formulated, compounded, filled and lot numbered in our own micro batch laboratory in Surrey, British Columbia. It is built for compromised and post treatment skin: skin after peels, lasers, ultrasound and microneedling, and skin that reacts to almost everything else.

The line is developed by Clara Song, PhD, who also teaches the science behind it to working estheticians through Complete Elixir Academy. The same products run on our own back bar and in partner spas and clinics.

Three things, and none of them is a marketing claim.

• We make it ourselves. Nothing is handed to a contract manufacturer. One person writes every formula and the same hands weigh and blend it.
• Small batches. That is what makes it possible to build a formula around a barrier problem rather than around a price point, and to keep a record for every batch that leaves the room.
• Short ingredient lists. Every ingredient is there to do something. When we cannot explain why something is in a bottle, it comes out.

The practical consequence is that every claim on this site can be explained rather than only asserted. Ask us about any ingredient and you will get a real answer.

Production is in house, so there is no gap between who formulates and who checks. Clara Song, PhD, oversees formulation, stability and every batch record.

There are limits to what a bench can establish, and we are straightforward about them. Microbial challenge testing to ISO 11930 or USP 51, and accredited stability work, belong to an outside laboratory. We commission those rather than imitate them.

No. We do not test finished products or ingredients on animals at any stage, and we do not sell into markets that would require it.

The actives that appear across the line, and what each one is actually for:

• Nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN): a precursor the body uses to make NAD+, the coenzyme cells spend on maintenance. It supports the cellular energy behind the skin's own repair work.
• Bakuchiol: a plant active that encourages collagen and softens the look of fine lines, without the flaking that makes people abandon retinol.
• Retinol: the long studied option for turnover and firmness, buffered here with ceramides so the barrier keeps up.
• Niacinamide: evens tone, refines texture and supports the barrier. One of the few actives that does several jobs without irritating.
• Sodium hyaluronate, at more than one molecular weight: holds water at different depths rather than all in one place.
• Alpha arbutin, tranexamic acid, licorice root, N-acetyl glucosamine: four routes to the look of a more even tone, gentle enough to layer.
• Resveratrol, ferulic acid, vitamin E, CoQ10: antioxidants that support each other. Alone they oxidise quickly.
• Stable vitamin C: magnesium ascorbyl phosphate in water based formulas, tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate in oil based ones.
• Ceramides NP, AP and EOP with cholesterol: the lipids a barrier is actually built from, in the ratio that matters.
• Centella asiatica, green tea, beta glucan, panthenol: for skin that flushes and stays flushed.
• Polyglutamic acid: holds water at the surface longer than hyaluronic acid alone.

Full ingredient lists are on every product page. Nothing is hidden behind a proprietary complex.

We make in demand driven small batches and ship soon after production rather than holding stock for months.

• Unopened: best used within 12 months, with a shelf life up to 24 months.
• After opening: the 30 mL serums are sized for two to three months of daily use, which is also how long you want an opened active formula in play.

LUMINOUS is different. It is made to order. Alpha arbutin is at its strongest in the months after production, so we only sell bottles mixed recently rather than holding inventory.

Most of the cost is in places you cannot see on the shelf.

• Raw materials. Actives like NMN, bakuchiol, resveratrol and ceramides are expensive at levels that do anything. Below those levels they are label decoration.
• Small batch production. Fresh costs more per unit than a year of stock in a warehouse.
• No filler. No synthetic fragrance, no drying alcohol, nothing added to bulk out a formula cheaply.
• Concentration. A 30 mL serum lasting two to three months of daily use is not the same as a larger bottle of a weaker formula.

We would rather tell you that than claim the price is about luxury.

Each product has its own instructions on its page. The general approach:

1. Patch test. A small amount on the inner arm or behind the ear, then wait 24 hours.
2. Add one thing at a time. If you start five products at once and something reacts, you have learned nothing about which one caused it. One product, two to four weeks, then decide.
3. Go slowly with retinol, acids and vitamin C. Every other night at first, building up as your skin settles.
4. Apply to clean, dry skin, work it in, follow with a moisturiser, and wear sunscreen through the day.

Consistency moves the result further than intensity does.

Yes, with some care. These are formulated at working concentrations, so stacking them on top of another brand's retinol, salicylic acid, AHA or vitamin C is how people end up with a stripped barrier.

• Patch test before layering anything new.
• Split strong actives between morning and evening, or alternate nights.
• If you see dryness, redness or stinging, simplify rather than push through.
• Sunscreen every day. Most actives increase sun sensitivity.

If you are unsure what to combine, write to us with your current routine and we will tell you honestly, including when the answer is that you already have enough.

Ask your doctor or midwife before starting anything new, and take the product page with you so they can see the full ingredient list.

Retinol in particular is not generally recommended during pregnancy. If you would like gentler options from the line, bakuchiol based formulas such as ECLIPSE and MOONLIGHT, or hydrating and soothing serums such as OASIS and GREEN, contain no retinoids. We can point you to them, but the decision belongs with your clinician rather than with us.

Directly here, at completeelixir.com. The line is also carried by partner spas and clinics, and stocked on their back bars.

If you run a spa, clinic or esthetics school and would like to carry it, the Distribution page explains how that works.

Orders are processed within one to two business days, excluding weekends and holidays. You receive tracking by email once the parcel is on its way.

• Shipping is calculated at checkout, and standard shipping is free over $150.
• Standard delivery takes about five to seven business days. Expedited options are available.
• We cannot ship to PO boxes or APO and FPO addresses.

LUMINOUS is made to order, so allow a little longer for an order containing it.

Yes, to most countries. Some regions, the European Union in particular, have cosmetic regulations that restrict certain ingredients, so not every product can go everywhere.

If you are outside Canada and the United States, write to info@completeelixir.com before ordering and we will tell you what can be shipped to you and what it costs.

Unopened and unused products can be returned within 30 days of purchase.

Opened products cannot be returned for hygiene reasons, with one exception: if you have an adverse reaction, write to info@completeelixir.com and we will sort it out with you, whether that is a credit, an exchange or a refund. We would rather know that a formula did not suit you than have you quietly stop using it.

Not as sachets. Trial sizes are in development, and we run pop up events and in store testers where you can try the line in person before committing to a full bottle.

Follow @completeelixir for dates, or write to us and we will tell you what is coming up near you.

First time customers get free shipping for the purchase over $150 CAD.

Seasonal offers are announced to our list and on @completeelixir first. VIP membership carries year round member pricing, described on the membership page.

Yes, for professional partners: licensed practices, spas, clinics and brands. The work is done in our own laboratory by the formulator rather than passed to a factory, which means you talk to the person making the decisions.

Write to info@completeelixir.com with what you are trying to make and who it is for. The Distribution page covers wholesale, back bar supply and territory conversations.

Yes, and it is included with a partner account rather than sold separately. Training covers how the formulas behave, how to sequence them for reactive and post treatment skin, and how to have the retail conversation without overstating anything. It is written down, so a new hire six months later gets the same version.

Complete Elixir Academy goes further: clinical skin science, problem skin modules with certification, written treatment room protocols, and a five day residency in the laboratory itself. See the Academy page.