Sofia Reyes

Sofia Reyes has been writing about skincare and beauty for five years. She approaches the category with more skepticism than most beauty journalists, which she attributes partly to spending time in cosmetic chemistry coursework and partly to having sensitive skin that reacts badly to poorly formulated products.

Sofia's coverage focuses on what the ingredients actually do, not what the packaging suggests. She reads formulations carefully: actives need to be present in concentrations where they have clinical effect, not just present in trace amounts to justify the marketing claim. She checks whether key actives appear high in the ingredient list or near the bottom. She flags fragrance-heavy products and discloses irritation potential honestly.

The categories she knows best: vitamin C serums (she has strong opinions about L-ascorbic acid stability), niacinamide formulations, hyaluronic acid products, sunscreens (both mineral and chemical), scalp care, body care, and at-home devices like microcurrent devices and red light therapy masks.

Sofia tests skincare over a minimum of two weeks before drawing conclusions. She uses products on her actual face and reports results that include both positives and negatives. She's honest when a product gave her a breakout or caused irritation — information she considers more useful than glowing reviews from people who tested for three days.

She lives in Austin and has opinions about SPF that she will share with anyone who asks.