The Truth About Exfoliation and A Healthy Skin Barrier with Osmosis
Skincare Anarchy
Ekta et al.
4.2 • 2K Ratings
🗓️ 4 April 2025
⏱️ 41 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this thought-provoking episode of Skin Anarchy, Dr. Ben Johnson, founder of Osmosis Skincare, returns to challenge everything you think you know about skincare. From overprescribed medications to the obsession with exfoliation, Dr. Johnson breaks down why the industry’s go-to methods might be doing more harm than good.
He takes us behind the scenes of traditional dermatology, calling out harsh treatments like antibiotics, Accutane, and peels that treat symptoms but ignore root causes. Instead, he promotes a whole-body approach—one that starts with gut health, hormonal balance, and inflammation control.
One standout topic? The exfoliation myth. Dr. Johnson explains why that post-peel “glow” might actually be trauma, not health. Rather than stripping the skin, he advocates for strengthening it—protecting the barrier, supporting circulation, and embracing intelligent ingredients that nourish rather than inflame.
The conversation also rethinks cleansing, highlighting Osmosis’s Purify Cleanser as a model for how skincare can be both gentle and effective. Plus, Dr. Johnson shares new insights into the gut-skin axis, the post-COVID microbiome shift, and how popular supplements might be contributing to skin issues like SIBO and H. pylori flares.
If you’re tired of the same old skincare advice, this episode offers a refreshing, science-driven alternative. It’s not just about looking good—it’s about helping your skin function as it was meant to. Tune in for a deep, transformative look at what it really means to have healthy skin.
CHAPTERS:
(0:02) – Introduction: Welcoming Dr. Ben Johnson
(1:11) – Realizing the Flaws in Traditional Dermatology
(3:50) – The Obsession with Exfoliation in Skincare
(5:16) – The Truth About Exfoliation and Its Harmful Effects
(7:23) – How Exfoliation Affects the Skin's Natural Barrier
(9:02) – The Concept of "Glow" and Alternative Approaches
(11:01) – The Importance of Proper Cleansing in Skincare
(12:50) – The Right Balance for Cleansing: Lipids and Surfactants
(15:18) – The Microbiome: Keeping It Intact for Healthy Skin
(19:24) – The Connection Between Skin Health and Gut Health
(22:57) – Exploring the Role of Epigenetics in Gut and Skin Health
(25:25) – H. Pylori, SIBO, and Their Impact on Skin Health
(27:48) – Epigenetic Shifts and Their Role in Health Issues
To learn more about Osmosis, visit their website and social media.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey guys, welcome back to Skin Anarchy. This is your host, Ecta, and I'm really excited about our guest today because we're welcoming him back after a couple of years. |
| 0:08.0 | A lot of you might recognize his wonderful skincare brand, Osmosis. We hosted him before about it, but welcome back, Dr. Ben Johnson. I'm so excited to host you. |
| 0:16.5 | Oh, yeah, I'm so excited to be here. Thank you, Acta. Yeah, no, I'd love to dive in. You've been such a trailblazer, you know, in the space of skin care, obviously dermatology, but also bringing that to the OTC space and really kind of bringing products that actually work for various skin conditions. And I'd love to talk to you about that, you know, in terms of when was it in your career when you realized that traditional dermatology |
| 0:38.4 | and the model was kind of flawed? I mean, out of the outset, I could see that, you know, |
| 0:43.4 | because we all know the damaging effects of antibiotics, acutane steroids, but it just has been a |
| 0:49.9 | growing trend that they're using these as their only strategy and they're just never seemingly |
| 0:57.9 | looking for the source of skin conditions. And if you're not trying to troubleshoot and listen |
| 1:03.0 | to your patient about their dietary habits and what the influences those have, it can be |
| 1:07.8 | really disheartening for the patients. and I know a lot of your listeners have |
| 1:11.0 | probably had that experience so yeah the idea here was listen that's not good enough you know we're |
| 1:16.2 | in a day and age now where we can use our mental faculties to explore all the possible reasons why |
| 1:23.0 | people's skin suddenly changes and you know that's the thing It's like sudden change in your skin just to say, |
| 1:28.4 | oh, your body just does that. You know, what are you going to do? It doesn't work for me. And so right now, |
| 1:33.0 | there's, there's a few, like, epidemics, I'll call them, of skin issues. And so more needs to get out to |
| 1:39.5 | the consumers and your listeners that let them know that they can empower themselves here. |
| 1:45.3 | They don't always have to just rely on what is oftentimes unsatisfactory answers. |
| 1:50.4 | Yeah. |
| 1:50.7 | I know, you know, I love that you're saying this because there was a point where, like, |
| 1:54.1 | I've been doing this podcast now for four years. |
| 1:56.2 | And there was a point where I stopped and I was like, |
| 1:59.2 | there are so many outdated drugs in dermatology, I feel like. |
| 2:02.7 | There's so many things that are being used and they're actually damaging people in some ways |
... |
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