When Jess Manuel first discovered PRFCTSKIN, she wasn’t looking for a complicated skincare routine. She was postpartum after having her fifth baby, and the dark spots and melasma on her face were getting progressively more noticeable.
She decided to give Dr. Zoe’s approach to skincare a try.
Seven years later, Jess is now a mom of six, and PRFCTSKIN is still the foundation of her routine.
And that last part is important.
Jess’s story isn’t about doing everything. It’s about finding the right products for her skin and using them consistently over time.
Melasma is a chronic pigmentary condition that typically appears as patches of brown or gray-brown discoloration, often across the cheeks, forehead, nose and upper lip.
Hormonal changes, pregnancy, UV exposure and visible light can all contribute to melasma, which is one reason it can be particularly frustrating to manage. Even after pigmentation improves, ongoing maintenance and diligent sun protection are important because melasma can recur.
For Jess, worsening pigmentation postpartum was what initially prompted her to rethink her skincare.
Improve the appearance of existing pigmentation and uneven skin tone while creating a routine that could also support brighter, smoother, hydrated and healthy-looking skin long term.
Most importantly, it needed to be something Jess could actually stick with.
Because good skincare doesn’t have to be complicated to be effective.
Here’s exactly what Jess is using now:
1. Cleanse
Start with a clean canvas, removing oil, sweat and buildup without unnecessarily stripping the skin.
2. Advanced X6 Pads
A targeted step in Jess’s pigment-focused routine to help improve the appearance of discoloration and uneven tone.
3. The One Serum
A multitasking serum that supports overall skin quality and hydration while helping keep the routine streamlined.
4. C Glow 20% Vitamin C E & Ferulic Acid Serum
Vitamin C is one of our favorite daytime antioxidants. It helps defend against oxidative stress while supporting brighter, more even-looking skin. For pigmentation-prone skin, antioxidant protection is an important complement to a comprehensive melasma routine.
5. Dew Moisturizer
Hydration matters, especially when a routine includes active ingredients. Dew helps support the skin barrier and leaves skin hydrated, soft and, appropriately, dewy.
And always: sunscreen.
Daily broad-spectrum sun protection is essential when managing melasma. No pigment-focused skincare routine is complete without it.
1. Active Cleanse
The evening reset to remove the day and prepare the skin for the products that follow.
2. Balancing Toner
Helps prep the skin before Jess moves into her treatment products.
3. The One Serum
Yes, again. Jess uses The One Serum morning and night as a foundational step in her routine.
4. Perfect Change Serum 1% Retinol & TCA Serum
PCS has been an important part of Jess’s routine over the years, particularly when targeting melasma and uneven pigmentation. With retinol plus TCA, it’s our more targeted retinol formula for pigment concerns.
But if you’re new to retinol, sensitive to it, or convinced your skin simply can’t tolerate one, there’s another PRFCTSKIN formula we want you to know about.
5. Dew Moisturizer
Jess finishes by replenishing hydration and supporting the skin barrier overnight.
Meet Skin CEO….the retinol for everyone.
We hear it all the time: “I can’t use retinol. My skin is too sensitive.”
Skin CEO was created with exactly that person in mind.
It’s our hero retinol for a reason. Skin CEO pairs retinol with our plant-based exosome serum in a formula designed to deliver the skin-quality benefits we want from a retinol while making it approachable for people who have struggled to tolerate traditional retinol products in the past.
Think smoother-looking texture, more even-looking tone, support for collagen and visible signs of aging, all in a formula you may actually look forward to using. Seriously!
Over the years, both Perfect Change Serum and Skin CEO have had a place in Jess’s routine. Rather than alternating them nightly, she uses one formula consistently until the bottle is finished, then rotates in the other.
For the retinol devotee.
For the retinol beginner.
And especially for the person who has already decided, “Retinol just isn’t for me.”
You might just need this retinol.
There isn’t one miracle product hiding in Jess’s bathroom.
Her routine works as a system.
She’s combining pigment-focused ingredients with antioxidants, retinol, hydration and daily sun protection, then doing the part that is considerably less exciting but incredibly important:
She keeps using them.
For seven years.
That consistency is part of what makes Jess’s story so compelling. Skincare is often marketed around dramatic before-and-afters and the newest ingredient of the moment. But healthy, beautiful skin is usually built much more quietly through a thoughtful routine repeated day after day.
And Jess is proof that your routine doesn’t need to contain 14 steps to make a meaningful difference.
If you found this page because you’re dealing with melasma too, there’s one thing we want you to know:
Your skincare routine should be personalized to your skin.
Melasma can behave differently from person to person, and the right routine depends on factors including your skin type, pigment pattern, sensitivity, pregnancy or breastfeeding status, current products, previous treatments and sun exposure.
Jess’s lineup is Jess’s lineup.
It can be a helpful example of what a comprehensive pigment-focused routine can look like, but it isn’t automatically the right prescription for everyone.
That’s exactly why PRFCT approaches skincare differently.
Whether your goal is improving the appearance of melasma, sun damage, uneven tone, texture, fine lines, dryness, acne, or simply having healthier-looking skin, we can help you take the guesswork out of what belongs on your shelf.
Want Jess’s routine? Shop her complete PRFCTSKIN lineup.
Not sure Jess’s routine is right for your skin? Let us build yours.
Because the goal isn’t more skincare.
It’s the right skincare.
Xo,
Dr. Zoe + Your PRFCT Team
