THE SKINCARE ACADEMY
Advanced Acne Education for Skin Professionals
ADVANCING HOW THE SKIN INDUSTRY UNDERSTANDS AND TREATS ACNE
Acne education in the skin and beauty industry has barely changed since the 1960s, yet the clients walking into clinics today have.
Acne clients are more informed than ever and they are asking for the root cause of their acne to be addressed. The industry, however, is still filled with products, protocols, memberships and machine-led treatments that focus on the surface of the skin, not what is driving acne internally.
This isn’t a failure of the individual practitioner. Dermal clinicians and Nurses, professionals who have completed the highest level of aesthetic training available, still graduate without the clinical knowledge to understand acne from the inside out. It is a gap in the curriculum, which has never offered clear, science-led learning outcomes for identifying and addressing the root causes of acne.
YOUR EDUCATION PATHWAY
HERE
We listened to what skin professionals actually need.
Not another product-led protocol, surface-level CPD or brand-led training, but a clear, evidence-based understanding of why acne happens and how to address its cause.
No guesswork. No overwhelm.
Just clinically grounded, Naturopathically informed education that gives practitioners the knowledge and confidence to deliver lasting results for their acne clients.
Skincare Academy was founded by Hayley Barnes, ABIA Educator of the Year and internationally recognised Acne Educator.
A Clinical Acne Naturopath, Nutritionist and Herbal Medicine Practitioner (BClinSc, BHSc) with nearly a decade in clinical practice. Hayley is redefining how skin professionals understand and treat acne, from an internal, root cause approach in the skin industry.
THE CERTIFIED ACNE SPECIALIST™ PATHWAY
Skincare Academy is the world’s first advanced acne education pathway built by an Acne Naturopath and educator, exclusively for skin professionals. Our curriculum is built on treating the root causes of acne, grounded in the understanding that acne cannot be fully resolved until you understand what is driving it internally.
This is not another CPD box to tick. It is a fundamental shift in how you think, assess and treat acne. You will learn to critically evaluate the information in front of you and build the most effective treatment plan for each individual client. This education will transform your consultations, your client results and your professional identity.
Whether you are a skin therapist, dermal clinician, nurse, beauty therapist or aesthetician, if you are committed to becoming the most knowledgeable acne professional in your field, you belong here.
Evidence-based.
Naturopathically informed.
Internationally accessible.
The acne education the industry has been waiting for.
A New Standard in Acne Education
From a decade of personal struggle with acne and two university degrees in Naturopathic Medicine, Skincare Academy was created by Hayley to deliver what the industry had never offered: a clinically grounded, evidence-based, acne-specific education pathway built for skin professionals.
Hayley knows what it feels like to live with acne and not be given answers. Determined to find them herself, she began studying Naturopathic Medicine in 2011 to understand what was driving her own acne. In 2018, Hayley opened her clinic. Australia’s first dedicated online acne clinic, helping clients treat their acne from the inside out.
That experience shaped the standard behind the Skincare Academy: every acne client deserves real answers and every skin professional who is passionate enough to look for those answers deserves the education to find them.
Our students come from every stage of the industry, from a Diploma of Beauty Therapy to a Bachelor of Dermal Sciences. Time and again, they tell us they have never found education like this anywhere else. They learn to think like clinical detectives, look beyond the skin and uncover what is really driving each client’s acne and the results speak for themselves.
This is not generalist skincare education. It is specialised acne education, continually updated as the evidence evolves and designed for practitioners who refuse to settle for surface-level treatments and results.
SKINCARE ACADEMY: NATUROPATHIC MEDICINE MEETS AESTHETICS
VISION
To internationally transform the way the skin and beauty industry treats acne.
We envision a new standard in acne treatment, one that looks beyond surface-level, product-driven solutions. Internal health is addressed first and external treatment plays a supporting role only.
We see a future where skin professionals understand acne as a sign that the body needs whole-body support, not simply a condition to be managed topically. A future where clients don’t just achieve clear skin, but learn to understand and listen to their bodies, with improvements in their hormonal health, gut health, energy and overall wellbeing.
Our vision is for Naturopathically informed acne education to become the industry standard and for skin clinics to become destinations for whole-body health and transformation, with the Skincare Academy leading the way.
MISSION
To reinvent the way skin professionals are educated and the way acne clients are treated, by making Naturopathic, evidence-based acne knowledge accessible and clinically actionable for every practitioner, regardless of their background.
To build a network of trained Skincare Academy Acne Specialists™ who understand that lasting clear skin depends on supporting the whole body, including the hormones, gut, liver, lymphatic and nervous systems.
To make individualised care the new standard. Not generic protocols or retail supplements, but client-specific treatment plans guided by functional pathology testing and practitioner-grade supplementation, custom-formulated in the highest quality, most bioavailable forms, free from unnecessary fillers and designed to address the internal causes of acne.
To deliver all of this through the highest level of integrative education, translating complex dermatological science and extensive Naturopathic clinical experience into clear, step-by-step learning that empowers skin professionals to achieve exceptional results for their clients.
Clear skin is just the beginning.
VALUES
Our education is guided by evidence based practice, not trends or commercial interest. We look at the research objectively and critically, so our practitioners can trust that what they learn is grounded in science and focused on real clinical outcomes. Where the evidence shows a better way, we lead the change.
The knowledge we share is not theoretical. It is built on extensive clinical experience treating real acne clients, combined with rigorous academic research across Naturopathic and Complementary Medicine. We translate that experience into clear, practical education, giving skin professionals the tools to achieve results that speak for themselves.
The six foundational principles of naturopathic medicine sit at the heart of everything we teach: First Do No Harm, The Healing Power of Nature, Identify and Treat the Cause, Doctor as Teacher, Treat the Whole Person, and Prevention. Integrated with modern scientific research, these principles guide every module, framework and treatment approach across Skincare Academy.
The skin is a reflection of what is happening within. Lasting skin health depends on understanding the body is connected whole. Every Skincare Academy certified Acne Specialist™is trained to recognise how gut, hormonal, liver, lymphatic and nervous system health shape the skin and how to approach each client with that complete picture in mind. When the body thrives, the skin follows.
No two acne presentations are the same. Every client deserves a treatment plan built around their individual biology. No brand bias. No one-size-fits-all protocols. Just personalised care that addresses the root cause.
Hayley Barnes
B. Clin. Sci. (Nat.Stud./Comp.Med.) | B. Hth. Sci. (Naturopathy)
Leading International Acne Educator | Clinical Acne Naturopath | Founder of Skincare Academy | ABIA Educator of the Year
Hayley Barnes graduated from Southern Cross University in 2015 with a Bachelor of Clinical Science in Naturopathic Studies and Complementary Medicine. Hayley’s fascination with the connection between internal health and the skin led her to further study at Endeavour College of Natural Health, where she completed a Bachelor of Health Science in Naturopathy in 2017.
In 2018, Hayley founded Australia’s first virtual acne clinic, working with hundreds of clients internationally and refining the signature treatment method that would become Advanced Acne to g l o w®.
As founder of the Skincare Academy, redefining acne treatment and education on a global scale. Hayley now equips skin professionals with that same method, giving them the knowledge and confidence to understand the root causes of acne and deliver lasting results for their clients. Hayley’s work challenges outdated industry norms, showing that clear skin starts with understanding the individual, not just the surface.
As the science of gut, hormonal and integrative skin health continues to evolve, Hayley remains at the forefront, continually updating her curriculum as new research emerges.
A sought-after voice in the skin and beauty industry. Hayley has shared her expertise as a keynote speaker. In 2026, Hayley’s contribution to acne education was recognised throughout Australia and New Zealand, when Hayley was named ABIA Educator of the Year.
Hayley’s philosophy has never changed: treat the cause, not the symptom. Hayley believes lasting clear, glowing skin is never the result of a single product or protocol, but understanding the individual. That philosophy is the foundation of everything the Skincare Academy teaches.
Clinically Driven Acne Education
INTERNAL™ MENTORING
