10 New Year Skin Goals You Can Actually Achieve
Here’s how to make 2024 your best skin year yet.
Everyone wants better skin. Because life is always greener and you might not have too many wrinkles yet… but dang that oily T-zone!
Let’s get one thing straight, however, skin perfection is a total myth. Honestly, it simply doesn’t exist. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to improve the complexion you were born with. Less enlarged pores? Count us in. Fewer breakouts? Yes, please. But the key to better skin is to ensure your skincare goals are realistic and achievable. Otherwise you’re going to live in a constant state of disappointment. And that is no fun at all. Our advice is to start small and hope this allows the big stuff to take care of itself.
Easy, yes? Then read on for 10 ways to get on that…
Goal #1. Wear Sunscreen Every Day
If you choose just one habit to take on for 2024, sunscreen is it. And not just any sunscreen because there are a few simple rules when it comes to doing right by your daily sun protection.
Firstly, always look for a broad-spectrum formulation because this means it shields your skin from both UVA and UVB radiation. And that’s important. Next, stick to an SPF of 30 or above which skin experts agree is the sweet spot for day-to-day use. Finally, choose mineral sunscreens over chemical formulations. Mineral ingredients like zinc oxide or titanium dioxide are currently the only active ingredients deemed safe and effective by the FDA. Good news, people: our SPF 30 Mineral Sunscreen with Vitamin C checks all those boxes... and then some! Apply it every day, without fail, as the last step in your morning routine.
Goal #2. Stop Touching Your Face
Most of us can’t help but lean our faces on our hands, or touch our skin throughout the day. But grubby hands transfer dirt, oil and bacteria to your face which can clog up your pores and encourage acne breakouts.
Help your skin stay as clean as possible by keeping your hands off. It’s a tricky one to nail because you probably do it without even knowing it. But the first step is to catch yourself out. Oh, and wash your hands more often to keep as many germs away from your face as possible.
Goal #3. Look After Your Eyes
Remember, looking after the skin around your eyes is just as important as the rest of your face. In fact, the skin around your peepers is thinner, drier and more delicate than your face which makes it even more susceptible to the slings and arrows of everyday life and therefore more likely to age up.
Do it a solid by treating this area with a delicate touch when cleansing, and use an age-kicking eye cream morning and night after cleansing to help fight lines, wrinkles, dark circles and puffiness. Try our new Depuffing Longevity Eye Cream which is fast becoming a fan favorite.
Goal #4. Work Out For Glowing Skin
Did you know that exercising is not only great for your health but, according to the American Academy of Dermatology, also gives your skin a gorgeous, radiant glow? This is because working out increases blood flow to your skin, flooding it with oxygen and nutrients to help nourish the complexion and get rid of impurities.
Hate gym classes? Then try at-home yoga or go for a brisk walk two or three times a week. It all counts!
Goal #5. Figure Out Your Serum Bestie
Facial serums are a major win for any skin type, but it’s not always easy to know which one is right for you.
Lightweight and super-powered, serums pack a real punch thanks to their small molecular makeup which allows for a deeper penetration of active ingredients. This means they’re able to get right under your skin – where regular lotions and moisturizers can’t reach – and are far better at targeting specific issues like discoloration, fine lines, wrinkles and dehydration.
When searching for your best serum fit, think about your main skin concern and go from there. If you’re concerned about aging, serums that contain retinol, peptides, collagen or bakuchiol are always a great shout, whereas if you want to big up your glow, look for formulations that boast ingredients like the mighty vitamin C. And if you just want an all-round good guy? Then we recommend our awesome Multi-Vitamin Facial Serum which contains 11 plant-derived vitamins, minerals and electrolytes for fabulous-looking skin, all year long.
Goal #6. Cleanse Twice Daily (No Excuses!)
We shouldn’t have to say this but please, please, PLEASE make sure you cleanse your skin every morning and every night. You know better than not to. Enough said.
Goal #7. Get Intimate With Retinol
Almost everyone can reap the benefits of retinol. It’s just one of those ingredients that works.
Adored by derms the world over and used for decades to treat everything from acne through to aging, retinol is a form of topical vitamin A that communicates with your skin at a cellular level, helping it to turn over more efficiently and encouraging healthier collagen production.
We strongly suggest you get in on the act if you want your skin to look and feel better over time. Just remember, 'time' is the key because retinol takes a few months to really kick in. Try our Retinol Moisturizer a few times a week to begin with (it’s always best to start slowly) then build up to nightly as your skin acclimates. And be patient with it.
Goal #8. Be 100% Hydrated
Sipping on the clear stuff 24/7 won’t magically give you better skin, but the fact that your body is made up of around 80 percent water means you can’t argue that hydration is good for you.
Drinking plenty of water and eating water-rich fruit and veggies is vital for maintaining the correct balance of your body’s essential fluids. And if your body is in good health, it figures that your skin will follow suit. According to the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, you should be taking on between 2.7 and 3.7 liters of fluids a day, with about 20 percent coming from your food.
Goal #9. Exfoliate More Often
Like retinol, exfoliation helps improve sluggish turnover to improve both the look and feel of your skin. It works a little differently to retinol, however, removing the dead, hardened cells from the skin’s surface through physical stimulation like face scrubs and mitts, or through chemical formulations like glycolic or salicylic acid.
Whichever form of exfoliation floats your boat is good with us, just make sure 2024 is all about consistency. We recommend exfoliating a couple of times a week to begin with to ensure the least amount of irritation.
If you hate abrasive scrubs and worry they do more harm than good (which they can if you’re not careful), try our glow-getting go-to 6% AHA, BHA and PHA liquid Exfoliant. You won’t regret it. And if 2024 is about anything, it’s about no regrets.
Goal #10. Care For Your Collagen
Collagen is a massively important component in your skin, acting like a framework to hold your tissue together and give it the strength and stability to function at its very best. Together with elastin, ceramides, hyaluronic acid and all the other good stuff in your skin, collagen is the key to a healthy, hydrated, youthful-looking complexion.
The problem is collagen disappears as you age. It just does. Stress, poor skincare choices and environmental nasties like UV radiation also work hard to ruin your collagen supplies and age your skin lightning fast. And this is why you have to look after your collagen by applying sunscreen (see above), leading a healthy lifestyle and applying collagen-boosting skincare ingredients like retinol, antioxidants and MSM.
Then there are collagen-boosting supplements which work perfectly with a healthy lifestyle and skincare routine to promote natural collagen production in the skin. Not sure where to start with those? Then, try our new Collagen Boosting Skin Supplement which was launched just in time for the new year and is, quite frankly, the bees knees for healthy aging. Not only is it formulated with vegetarian collagen (others use animal skin or fish scales!), but it also contains other skin-loving favorites like vitamin C, vitamin E and biotin.
Obsessed? Much? Absolutely.
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![Good Or Bad? 5 TikTok Skincare Trends – Dissected]()
Are social media skincare hacks harmful or helpful? To follow, our thoughts on five of the latest beauty fads doing the rounds…
Isn’t social media awesome? Well, it is, until it isn’t. You see, the problem with giving everyone a voice and a platform on which to share their skincare routines and DIY beauty hacks is that not ‘everyone’ is an expert. In fact, most people are far from it. Of course, there are plenty of fabulous makeup artists, dermatologists, plastic surgeons and aestheticians you can follow across Instagram, YouTube and TikTok and a lot of them have incredible advice to offer. There’s also a lot to be said for things like Facebook Groups where, if you struggle with chronic skin issues, you can connect, learn and find solace from others with similar concerns.
But then there’s all the other 'stuff' from people who have so much to say… about things they don’t know that much about. And this is the kind of information that can do more harm than good. This is why we’ve sifted through some of the most recent viral skincare fads you might want to be wary of. Instead, read on for the real truth about how best to take care of your skin.
1. Slugging
What Is Slugging?
Skin slugging might sound gross, but it’s become a huge deal on TikTok, with its hashtag currently notching up around 1.5 billion views.
Not to be confused with most people’s least favorite mollusk, slugging involves smearing a thick layer of petroleum jelly all over your skin as the last step in your nightly skincare routine. Do so and you’re guaranteed to wake up with the softest, most moisturized skin ever. So they reckon, anyway.
Is Slugging Good For Your Skin?
This trend started gaining momentum almost two years ago, but it will not go away. Therefore there has to be something in it, right? Well, petroleum jelly is an occlusive ingredient that creates a seal over your skin to help lock in moisture. So, sure, it will definitely stop water from evaporating from the surface of your skin as you sleep, we’ll give you that. However, petroleum jelly has no hydrating qualities. At all. This means it doesn’t really moisturize your skin, it just stops any moisture that’s already present from escaping from the surface of your skin.
Not only that but petroleum jelly creates a barrier over your pores, completely blocking them and causing no end of problems for oily skin types. Namely, breakouts like you will never believe.
Much Better Advice?
Rather than slathering your skin with what is essentially just ‘grease,’ you’re much better off applying night cream to not only lock in moisture but to help hydrate and feed your complexion with skin-loving ingredients like antioxidants, ceramides, peptides and/or vitamins and minerals.
Our Vitamin C Deep Hydration Night Cream is a great bet or why not try the combo of our new Rejuvenating Longevity Serum and Renewing Longevity Moisturizing Cream?
2. Potatoes For PimplesWhat's It All About?
Dealing with acne can be a real struggle. Especially when you reach adulthood when you were promised your skin would be so much clearer. But it’s not common to be plagued by breakouts as you get older. In fact, research shows that around 25 percent of American women in their 40s suffer from some kind of acne.
It’s no wonder, therefore, that there are so many short-term hacks for dealing with pimples. Back in the day it was toothpaste and nail varnish remover (gasp!). Now it’s slices of raw potatoes. The idea is that you tape a small slice over your spot to make it magically disappear. Some TikTokers have even resorted to rubbing the whole darn thing over their skin.
Are Potatoes Good For Your Skin?
Don’t get us wrong, we love a potato as much as the next person. But on our dinner plates, not taped to our faces. So, why has this acne hack become such a thing? Ha, your guess is as good as ours but the main draw is that potatoes have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties which are both known to help reduce redness and unwanted pigmentation.
They also contain exfoliating and oil-reducing properties and feel nice and cool on the skin which is a big deal when you have a big, throbbing red zit on your chin. So maybe, just maybe, they might offer some short-term benefits. But little more than that.
Much Better Advice?
If you’re an acne sufferer, you’ll understand that short-term fixes are all well and good but, in truth, it’s all about the long-term. This is why we prefer to treat and control breakouts with smart skincare that’s been specifically (and safely!) formulated for the job. Products that contain science-led and dermatologically-tested ingredients like salicylic acid, tea tree oil and AHAs are going to offer your skin way better benefits than a bag of your best russets. Sorry, but they just will.
3. Sunscreen Contouring
What Is Sunscreen Contouring?
If we had to choose just one viral beauty trend that gets our blood boiling the most, it would be sunscreen contouring. Stupid at best, downright dangerous at worst, sunscreen contouring is when you apply sunscreen to select areas of your face and body only, in order to intentionally create tan lines for a contoured effect.
Some people have taken to applying a lower SPF to areas of their face they want to tan more, and a higher SPF to those they want to remain pale and ‘highlighted’ but either way, this is bad news.
Is Sunscreen Contouring Good For Your Skin?
Absolutely not. Not even slightly. The sun is responsible for almost 90 percent of skin aging, accelerating the formation of fine lines, wrinkles, sagging and dark spots. This means it’s absolutely essential to protect ALL exposed skin to the damaging effects of UV radiation. Because tan skin = damaged skin. End of story. Not only that, but c’mon people, skin cancer.
Much Better Advice?
First, in order to truly protect your skin from the damaging effects of the sun, you need to apply SPF 30 Mineral Sunscreen every day to all areas of exposed skin. The alternatives are just not worth it. And if you do want to create contours on your face and body such as highlighting your cheekbones, sculpting your nose or defining your abs, stick with a self-tanning lotion or makeup. Easy. And way less damaging.
4. Lemon Juice As Toner
What's It All About?
Pure lemon juice. As toner. Simple as that.
Yes, lemons are astringent, yes they’re packed with vitamin C and yes, vitamin C is awesome for the look, feel and health of your skin. But when life gives you lemons, do not squeeze out their juice and use it to tone or brighten your face.
Is Lemon Juice Good For Your Skin?
Citric acid can be an incredible ingredient in many topical skincare treatments, offering great antioxidant qualities and helping to fight environmental skin damage. However, skincare products are formulated in certain ways and use very specific concentrations of ingredients in order to help benefit your skin without causing irritation. Pure lemon juice, however? The opposite. Applying it in its pure form can seriously irritate your skin, screwing up your barrier function and causing long-term issues with hyperpigmentation and sensitivities. It can even burn your skin if you’re not careful.
Keep yours for the G&Ts and leave lemon skincare cocktailing to the pros, OK?
Much Better Advice?
Get your fix of vitamin C from a facial serum that contains sodium ascorbyl phosphate (SAP) which is a gentle and very effective form. Our Vitamin C Facial Serum is always a big favorite but we also have the mighty Vitamin C Super Serum + which really amps up your glow factor. We like to use it twice a week, alternating between this and the OG.
5. Face Taping
What Is Face Taping?
This cheeky little trick has been used by Hollywood’s finest for decades so sorry, TikTok-ers, but you did not invent this one. Also known as wrinkle taping, the idea behind it is that you strategically place sticky tape on your face, usually overnight, to lift the skin, reduce muscle movement and therefore reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. It’s most often used under the eyes, at the edges of the cheeks, over the forehead or across the chest area.
You can also use face tape to provide an immediately lifting effect, keeping it on for an event, for example, whilst camouflaging it with heavy makeup.
Is Face Taping Good For Your Skin?
As an immediate wrinkle-reducer and skin-smoother, face taping is actually pretty effective. But it’s a very short-term fix and takes a lot of clever makeup artistry to cover the tape and make it look natural.
As an overnight solution however? Yeah, we’re not convinced. For one thing, the glue that’s used on the tape can be super irritating for some skin types, especially if it’s used under the eyes where your skin is thin and extremely delicate. And for another, leaving the tape on for long periods of time can clog your pores and encourage breakouts. The phrase, ‘out of the frying pan, into the fire,’ comes to mind.
Much Better Advice?
Two words: effective skincare. Cleansing and exfoliating regularly, treating your skin with daily antioxidants, applying sunscreen daily and using age-defying ingredients like retinol, bakuchiol, hyaluronic acid and vitamin C? So much better than silly old face tape that might be OK for ten minutes but will do no good in the long-term.
Try our new Smoothing Collagen Serum, Firming Collagen Day Lotion and Collagen Boosting Skin Supplement which are great for healthily preventing premature aging.
Good Or Bad? 5 TikTok Skincare Trends – Dissected
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