5 Unusual Things That Can Trigger Breakouts

Adult acne might feel and look the same as teenage acne but when it comes to nailing an effective, breakout-busting skincare routine, it’s a whole different beast.

As if fine lines, wrinkles and all the other signs of skin aging weren’t enough to contend with, there’s also that crazy little thing called adult acne. Acne ‘should’ be something that you say farewell to as you come to the end of your adolescent years and your hormones settle into adulthood. But that’s not always the case. In fact, adult acne is on the increase and it’s estimated to affect more and more adults as they hit their 50s and older.

What Is Adult Acne?

Acne vlugaris, the proper name for the type of acne we’re dealing with here, is exactly the same at any age. It rears its head when your hair follicles and pores become blocked with excess oil and dead skin cells. Unlike regular teenage acne, however, the adult kind can be split into two different types: persistent acne and late- or adult-onset acne. Persistent acne continues from adolescence, never really giving you a break, whereas late-onset acne is the stuff that appears for the first time later on in life. Just when you thought you’d gotten away with it. Dang!

This all sounds pretty simple, but things get a little more complicated from here on in. How so? Because acne can take on many forms. If the plug bulges out above the surface of your skin it creates a whitehead, for example. If the plug opens up, it oxidizes with the air, turns dark and creates a blackhead. And if bacteria gets involved and infects the blockage? Then it becomes a full blown zit – a papule, pustule, nodule or cyst, if you will.

So, Why Do Some People Get Adult Acne While Others Don’t?

As a rule, acne is genetic, so if you’re predisposed, thanks to your parents, there’s not much you can do about that. What you can do, however, is to understand what’s triggering these breakouts later in life – hint: more often than not, it’s your hormones. During menopause, for example, your hormones are all over the place and if you’re sensitive to these triggers, this creates an imbalance that causes sebum production to go wild and your your skin to completely freak out.

Emotional stress and certain medications can also overstimulate your sebaceous glands, as can pore-blocking or harsh ingredients in your skincare regime.

On that note, here’s how to create a kick-ass skincare routine that cares for your adult skin (aka doesn’t dry it out!) and helps to balance oil production to keep breakouts to a minimum.

The Best Morning Skincare Routine For Adult Acne

1. Gently Cleanse Your Face

For some, a morning cleanse can seem a little OTT when all you’ve done is sleep since your last cleanse. Not so for you. Because your skin is oilier than most you’re going to want to gently remove any sebum that may have built up overnight. Also, your night cream might feel kind of heavy for daywear, so it’s good to start with a clean slate in the AM.

One word of warning: don’t fall into the trap of grabbing the most skin-stripping cleanser you can find. You can just about get away with that when you’re 13 – although it’s never ideal – but when your skin is more mature it’s going to need way more care. Choose something that will help replenish your barrier function, soothe and calm inflammation and cut out any risk of over-cleansing your skin. A product like our Soothing Cleansing Milk is great for morning use.

2. Balance Your Skin With Tea Tree Oil

As you know, we’re massive fans of face serums for targeting skin issues exactly where they’re needed, and when it comes to adult acne, our favorite topical ingredient is tea tree oil.

Unlike other acne-busting favorites like benzoyl peroxide, tea tree oil is less drying and irritating on the skin which makes it a great choice for mature skin. But don’t think that means it’s any less effective because its antifungal, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties combine to give it true superpowers in the fight against bacteria and acne breakouts.

Try applying our Tea Tree Super Serum+  two or three times a week after cleansing and before moisturizing to help balance and calm your skin. We like to alternate it with Niacinamide (B3) Facial Serum which is another winner for regulating oil and reducing inflammation.

3. Lightly Moisturize

Moisturizing oily, acne-prone skin might seem counterintuitive but it’s actually crucial for keeping your barrier function healthy and keeping sebum under control. If you miss this step, your sebaceous glands will think your skin is dry and thus overcompensate with more oil.

Avoid thick creams that are jam-packed with heavy occlusives like cocoa butter, however – these will block your pores and cause no end of problems. Instead, stick with light gel or lotion formulas that incorporate hydrating ingredients like glycerin, aloe and hyaluronic acid. Our Firming Collagen Day Lotion is great for oily skin, plus it helps tackle the visible signs of aging at the same time. Result.

4. Apply Sunscreen

UV radiation will make acne (and any potential scarring) worse. Not to mention all the other dastardly deeds it gets up to as the sun beats down on your skin on a daily basis.

Wear sunscreen every day, without fail, and always choose a broad-spectrum formula with SPF 30 or above. And if you really can’t bear the thought of applying moisturizer AND sunscreen? Try our SPF 20 Mineral Sunscreen with Vitamin C. It’s packed with hydrating and moisturizing ingredients which are probably just right for your oily skin.

The Best Nighttime Skincare Routine For Adult Acne

1. Remove Makeup & Cleanse Your Face

Before bed is when a more thorough (but still not too full-on) cleanse comes into play. Your evening cleanse is way more important than the morning one because this is when your skin has been subjected to at least 15 hours worth of makeup, sunscreen, dirt, oil and pollution. And if you don’t whisk that away it can, and will, build up on your skin where it will combine with dead skin cells and sit in your pores waiting for the worst to happen.

We recommend our Charcoal Clarifying Cleanser or Tea Tree Super Cleanser+ which both work hard to whisk away debris from the surface of your skin while balancing, detoxifying and refreshing your complexion.

You should also exfoliate once or twice a week to gently boost cellular turnover and minimize any risk of dead skin cells hanging around for too long. Try our Vitamin C Gentle Face Scrub after cleansing.

2. Treat Your Skin With Retinol

Retinol might be the gold standard of aging treatments, but it’s also right up there in the fight against adult acne. A derivative of vitamin A, retinol helps to increase cell turnover. It’s a little bit like exfoliation, although it works in a very different way. Instead of removing dead skin cells at a surface level, retinol goes deeper into the skin and activates certain genes to accelerate cell turnover down below. It’s very clever and a great way to keep dead skin cells moving along so they don’t clog up your pores. This is music to the ears of mature, acne-prone skin – especially when you add in all the other age-defying benefits retinol brings to the table.

Just remember, retinol is very powerful, so start slowly by applying Retinol Facial Serum just once or twice a week to clean, dry skin. Then, as you build tolerance, you can build up to every night.

3. Hydrate & Moisturize

Allow your serum to sink in for a minute or two, then finish with moisturizer. Of course, you can double up with the same product you used in the morning, but you might find your skin needs a little more moisturization at night.

Our fabulous Retinol Moisturizer is a great product to apply before bed as it combines retinol with hydrating hyaluronic acid, soothing vitamin E and plumping panthenol. If the combination of this and the retinol serum is too much for your skin, however, try our Longevity duo: Rejuvenating Longevity Serum followed by Renewing Longevity Moisturizing Cream. Both of these formulations are incredible for aging skin that gets a little, shall we say, problematic. They harness the powers of bakuchiol, which is nature’s kinder alternative to retinol.

Calling anyone over the age of 30 with sensitive skin. You need to read this.

Mildly sensitive skin isn’t the worst thing in the world. But it can be a real pain as you get older and want to introduce some potent skincare ingredients to your routine. Because wrinkles don’t take care of themselves. Neither do dark spots. Or sagging skin, for that matter. They need help from effective skincare formulations that ward off environmental pollution, boost collagen production, care for your barrier function, hydrate, brighten and basically do everything they can to help counteract the visible signs of skin aging.

Thankfully, these awesome ingredients are tried and trusted to take care of business – without irritating your precious skin.

1. Bakuchiol

Bakuchiol is basically nature’s answer to retinol which, as a skin buff, we’re sure you know a lot about. To recap, retinol is every derm’s dream ingredient. With decades of research under its belt it’s been proven to enhance collagen synthesis and encourage healthy skin turnover. That being said, retinol is a potent little beast and not for everyone – often causing all sorts of irritation if it’s not treated with the respect it deserves.

This is why bakuchiol is such a winner. Extracted from the seeds and leaves of the babchi plant, its anti-inflammatory properties have been used for centuries in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine to treat the skin. More recent clinical studies have shown that, when applied regularly bakuchiol can also improve the surface of the skin by stimulating collagen synthesis and accelerating cellular turnover. Yes, just like retinol. And all without the irritating side effects.

You gotta try it. And we can help out with that because we have an entire range of healthy aging products dedicated to the wonder of bakuchiol. Check out our Longevity range, right here.

2. Ceramides

When it comes to caring for and fortifying your skin’s important barrier function, very few ingredients beat ceramides. Ceramides are important lipids that are found in abundance in your skin’s structure. There are many different types but each one plays a major role in the efficiency of your barrier function by binding the cells together while providing strength and stability, and preventing moisture loss.

Of course, like most of the good stuff in your skin, levels of ceramides drop dramatically as you age which can upset your barrier function and cause things like dryness, redness and dehydration. But if you stack them into your skincare routine you help to combat all this, therefore allowing your barrier function to do its job properly.

Interested? Then try our Collagen range which is jam-packed with ceramides as well as vegan collagen peptides and antioxidant-rich superfruits. We call that an absolute dream team for battling premature aging.

3. Hyaluronic Acid

Hyaluronic acid is no stranger to sensitive skin. And rightly so. As one of the most well tolerated ingredients in skincare, hyaluronic acid is another natural substance found in the human body – and that’s why your risks of developing irritation after application are so low.

We know you’re probably aware of hyaluronic acid and its genius way of hydrating your skin so we won’t bang on about it too much – although if you are interested in the full deets, head here. Instead, all we’ll say is this. One of the biggest issues with irritation and sensitive skin is dehydration. Hyaluronic acid draws moisture in to the top layers of your skin like a veritable water magnet. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to get why the latter is so good for the former.

We recommend our Hyaluronic Acid Facial Serum which also contains vitamins C and E for extra brightening, soothing powers.

4. Niacinamide

A compromised barrier function is a one-way ticket to sensitive skin, so if you want to strengthen your skin and cut down on irritation you have to give it all the love. And one way to do this? By incorporating niacinamide into your daily routine.

A form of vitamin B3 and a very effective antioxidant, niacinamide is a whizz at rebuilding ceramides and lipids at a surface level, thus helping to moisturize and rebalance your skin while reducing excess sebum that can result in enlarged pores, breakouts and facial redness. It’s really great at supporting your skin’s barrier function and significantly reducing inflammation, but the best thing? It’s super gentle on your skin – you can even use it around your eyes. Many eczema or rosacea sufferers that can’t bear to put active ingredients on their skin also find that niacinamide is a god send.

It’s not for everyone (heck, what is?) but it’s worth a go if you’re looking to up your antioxidant protection and help ward off free radical damage. And who doesn’t want to do that?

Try our Niacinamide (B3) Facial Serum each morning before moisturizing.

5. Oat Milk

Most sensitive skin types are plagued with dry, dehydrated skin – they just seem to go hand in hand. Dry skin lacks sebum to keep itself moisturized and protected, you see, and this is a killer on the barrier function, causing it to lose moisture quicker than a leaky faucet.

One of the best ways to reduce irritation before you even get to your serum and moisturizing routine is to take a look at your cleansing game. Of course, there are many ingredients to avoid like harsh sulfates and synthetic fragrance, but one we do recommend is oat milk.

Like colloidal oatmeal which is a regular on the skincare ingredients scene, oat milk has similarly amazing benefits for dry, irritated skin. It’s made from oats and water only and has benefits as long as your arm. Think potent antioxidant powers to ward off premature aging; hydrating effects to reduce irritation and dehydration, and incredible anti-inflammatory properties to calm redness and, well, reduce any forms of inflammation. Like niacinamide, oat milk has also gained many fans with skin conditions like eczema and rosacea. We take that as gospel.

Give our Soothing Cleansing Milk a go which also contains rice milk to help even out your skin tone and give your complexion plenty of much-needed moisturization.

6. Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate

Sure, you’ve heard of vitamin C, but what about its gentler, far superior (IOHO!) cousin, sodium ascorbyl phosphate?

Known to its buddies as SAP, sodium ascorbyl phosphate is a salt form of pure ascorbic acid which means it has a sodium and a phosphate molecule attached to it. So what? Well, this makes it more stable when you apply it topically, allowing it to stay potent for way longer than the pure stuff. It also means that your skin needs to convert it back into ascorbic acid after you apply it in order to gain any benefits from it. That might sound kind of laborious, but in actual fact it’s a great way to reap the benefits of ascorbic acid with fewer of the side effects often associated with this skincare giant.

For your fill of everything SAP has to offer (brightening, free radical damage and collagen boosting to name just a few of its benefits), we have a whole array of fantastic vitamin C products including exfoliants, cleansers, serums and moisturizers. We’re specifically all over the Vitamin C Deep Hydration Night Cream right now. Skincare while we sleep? So down with that.

7. Zinc Oxide

Applying sunscreen to sensitive skin can be a real headache if you choose the wrong kind of product. So don’t. But don’t simply ‘not bother’ either. Sunscreen is the single most important product for minimizing the signs of premature aging – by a country mile! So make sure you apply it every day, but stick with a formula that uses zinc oxide as its sun protection.

Zinc oxide is a mineral sunscreen and one of the gentlest, least irritating sunscreens available. Unlike chemical sunscreens like avobenzone, it’s far less likely to cause any kind of reaction, making it the number one choice for sensitive skin types. That’s why our SPF 30 Mineral Sunscreen with Vitamin C uses it to disarm UVA and UVB radiation and protect your skin from harm.

And Before We Leave…

One of the most important things you can do to save your skin from becoming irritated or inflamed from any active skincare ingredient (no matter how well tolerated it is by the skin) is to patch test new products first.

Apply a small amount to a discreet area of skin (behind your ear is a great spot) then wait 24-48 hours for any reaction. Don’t see or feel anything? Then you are good to go. If you experience any kind of burning, stinging, excess redness or itching, however, the product in question is probably best left alone. In your case, anyway.

Not lucky enough to have been born with perfect, flawless skin? Er, who is? Truth is, glowing, makeup-free skin isn’t a given, but requires work with a consistent skincare routine.

Makeup is great. It covers a multitude of sins, makes our best features way better and helps create the illusion of a chiselled jawline or defined cheekbones – even if you were right at the back of the queue when those were handed out.

However, makeup is not a permanent solution for healthy skin. And, heck, sometimes you don’t even want to apply foundation, anyway. Just look at Hollywood right now. The ‘no makeup’ movement is becoming a real thing thanks to stars like Pamela Anderson who, frankly, is looking more gorgeous than ever while showing off her clean, natural skin on the red carpet. And we’re sure she would attest to the fact that the real solution for healthy skin is to find a good, consistent skincare routine.

So, if you’re looking to pare back your makeup routine by cutting out foundation or ditching the bronzer, your skincare needs to be absolutely spot on. Read on for the important steps we believe are the key to getting you there…

Your Daily Must-Dos

The morning might be your busiest, most frantic time but it’s not one in which to skip essential parts of your skincare routine. A regular morning routine is extremely important for your skin because it sets you up for the rest of the day, giving your skin protection from environmental aggressors while maintaining much-needed moisturization.

Set aside ten minutes or so to crush these five crucial steps every morning, without fail.

Cleanse

Everyone’s skin is different, so how you cleanse your skin and with which formulations you choose to do it are totally up to you. There are a few important rules to follow, however.

Number one, don’t think facial wipes will give you a thorough cleanse. Hands down, they won't. Proper cleansers are always best. Number two, spend an extra minute massaging your skin as you cleanse – it's a great way to boost circulation and help lymphatic drainage. And number three, never use scolding hot water as this’ll strip important oils and lipids from the surface of your skin, upsetting the balance of your barrier function and potentially causing dehydration.

We have some fantastic cleansers to suit most skin types, wants and needs but to really help get your morning glow on, we recommend Vitamin C Brightening Cleanser.

Tone

Not everything can be bothered to tone, and that’s OK. But, truthfully, if you want to do the best you can for your skin and want your complexion to really shine without makeup, toning is a great step that literally takes seconds. Not only do toners often contain incredible ingredients to help hydrate, sooth and brighten your skin, but they also help the rest of your skincare penetrate better into your skin. And who can say no to that?

Try our Ocean Minerals Super Toner which contains vitamin C and glycolic acid to protect, brighten and improve skin turnover.

Treat

After toning and prepping your skin, it would be remiss not to apply some kind of treatment to your face and eyes. We like to apply serum then eye cream to really get the skin going for the day. Again, the products you use are totally in your court but mornings are made for collagen-boosting peptides, hydrating hyaluronic acid, energizing caffeine or antioxidant ingredients like vitamin C, vitamin E and niacinamide.

Our current favorite morning combo is our new Caffeine Facial Serum followed by Depuffing Longevity Eye Cream which helps deal with morning eye bags. No concealer required!

Moisturize

A great moisturizer is one of the most important ways to keep your skin ticking along nicely all day long. It’ll help seal in your serum so all of its ingredients get to do what they’re supposed to, plus it strengthens and fortifies your barrier function to help your skin retain water and repel toxins. And all this plays nicely into the hands of gorgeous skin that’s ready to take on the world – with or without makeup!

Your choice of moisturizer will depend on your skin type but Firming Collagen Day Lotion is a great option for almost anyone as it does everything a moisturizer is supposed to do, with the added extras of boosting collagen and enhancing your skin’s youthful good looks.

Protect

Finally, what kind of morning doesn’t call for sunscreen? Answer: no mornings, literally none of them. In fact, sunscreen shouldn’t even have to be something you think about, you should just do it. Applying sunscreen every day will improve the tone and texture of your skin like nobody’s business. Plus, it’ll ward off the signs of premature aging like no other skincare product can even dream of.

The good news is that daily sunscreens have come on leaps and bounds in the last few years. Current formulations are extremely lightweight while maintaining effective, broad-spectrum protection, and they fit seamlessly into your skincare routine with zero effort. Saying that, we can only speak on behalf of our SPF 30 Mineral Sunscreen with Vitamin C which checks all those boxes with flying colors.

The Nighttime Secrets

Day routine, sorted. But what about bedtime? Should your skincare stay the same before you hit the sack or does it need turning up a notch?

Well, as you sleep your skin goes into regeneration mode. Blood flow increases, collagen synthesis accelerates, your skin’s natural antioxidant system kicks in and cell turnover steps up. This means that, yes, you still need to cleanse and tone as you would in the morning to rid your skin of an entire day’s worth of sweat, oil and grime. However, your treatments and moisturizers can definitely benefit from a change of pace…

Treat

When it comes to your nighttime serum, sure you can stick with the same one you used in the morning, but to really up the ante and help boost the natural rejuvenation process your skin undertakes at night, we like to switch things up.

With what, we hear you ask? With retinol, of course (or bakuchiol!). Retinol is a smart little cookie because it has this innate ability to ‘communicate’ with your skin at a cellular level, accelerating the production of collagen and elastin, improving cell turnover and strengthening your skin to help refine lines and wrinkles and reduce dark spots and acne breakouts. It’s extremely potent, however, which is why it's often advised for nighttime use only. And this is when we like to apply it. Retinol in the evening... brightening antioxidants in the morning, FTW!

Give our Retinol Facial Serum a go for a fabulous overnight skin revamp, or try the equally as awesome Rejuvenating Longevity Serum with Bakuchiol (that’s nature’s gentler alternative to retinol if you didn’t know!).

Moisturize (With More Intensity)

Intense moisturizing in the morning is not everybody’s jam. And we’re sure that especially rings true if you have oily, combination or acne-prone skin. But rich moisturizers at night that offer an intense boost of hydration and nourishment without clogging up the skin? Now that is something we should all get on board with. And it’s what night creams were made for.

Our Vitamin C Deep Hydration Night Cream is a great way to support your skin as you sleep. Fueling your skin’s overnight renewal process with antioxidant-rich vitamin C and B5, plus aloe and MSM to hydrate and improve the overall health of your skin, we call it our 'smooth skin secret' because it truly helps give us the confidence to go bare-faced and makeup-free.

The Extra Add-On

Now you’ve got the daily stuff nailed down, there’s just one more addition you mustn’t forget: exfoliation. Regular exfoliation boosts cell turnover and reduces dead skin cell build-up at the surface of your skin. And that’s crucial if you want your skin to look naturally radiant and healthy.

Of course, if your skin can handle it and you use a super gentle formulation like our Vitamin C Gentle Face Scrub, you can potentially get away with exfoliating daily. But that’s not for everyone, so listen to your skin and find your exfoliation sweet spot – be that daily, weekly or somewhere in between.

Keep up this routine and you’ll soon notice healthier-looking skin that needs no help from makeup.

That’s not to say you should never wear makeup again, of course. We don’t know about you but we’d hate to give that up. But still, options.

Incoming... skincare goals that truly make a difference. Count us in.

We don’t know about you, but years of making pointless new year’s resolutions ‘just for the sake of it’ have made us somewhat over them. Sure, it’s great to have ambitions and personal goals to strive for, but forcing yourself to come up with something, just because it’s the start of a new year? That’s a hard pass from us.

Making skincare goals, however, is something we can totally get on board with. And if you’re reading this you’re probably in complete agreement. Because knowing you’re doing your best for your skin – even if you change only one habit or add just one extra product to your routine  – is worth a thousand ‘I shall spend less at Starbucks’ false promises.

So, on that note, to follow are some very doable skincare goals for you to totally crush this year.

DO Reassess Your Skin

Your skin is not the same as it was ten years ago. Heck, it’s not even the same as it was this time last year. So, spend a few minutes taking a good, long look in the mirror to see what’s going on. Are you noticing some redness? Maybe a few extra dark spots have appeared? Perhaps your skin is feeling more dehydrated than it used to? Or, wait, is it weirdly oilier?

You can only deal with skin concerns if you actually know what they are, so make sure you’re totally on the ball with where your skin is at right now. Then you’ll be able to act accordingly with targeted skincare and better lifestyle habits.

DON’T Use Cleansing Wipes On The Reg

Face wipes are fine in a pinch but most of them are doused in drying chemicals that do your skin zero good. Granted, they might be called ‘cleansing wipes,’ but rarely do they actually cleanse your skin thoroughly – instead they simply move surface debris around a bit. Then there’s the fact that they’re mostly made from synthetic, non-biodegradable materials which end up hanging around in landfills for up to 100 (no joke!) years.

You might be tired, but make it a priority to cleanse your skin with a decent face wash morning and night. Try Vitamin C Brightening Cleanser which is so delightful, you’ll actually enjoy using it.

DO Moisturize Skin When Damp

You’ll have had undoubtedly heard this trick before, but we bet you don’t actually put it into practice, right? Well, try it. You see, applying moisturizing while your skin is still slightly damp from cleansing helps to seal in those tiny droplets of water that are left hanging around at the surface. It’s basically free moisture your skin will really benefit from – especially during winter when the air is extremely drying on your poor skin. C’mon, when we put it like that, it seems insane not to.

DON’T Give Up On Retinol

Retinol is one of the most effective topical ingredients for the skin. It deals with premature aging, it helps keep acne under control, it protects your skin from environmental damage, it does your laundry. OK, so that last one is a bare-faced lie, but you get where we’re coming from.

The problem with retinol is that its potency can be hard to deal with – especially during the first few weeks when it can make your skin especially dry, red, flaky and even a little itchy. As long as it’s not causing discomfort, however, a little initial irritation is OK, it’s just your skin adjusting, so don’t give up. Simply reduce your frequency of use as your skin acclimates, then build back up again. Easy.

DO Give Your Neck Some Love

You may be meticulous with your facial skincare routine but if your habits stop at your chin, you’re doing yourself a real disservice. How so? Because your neck is one of the first places to show signs of aging.

The skin on your neck has fewer sebaceous glands than your face, you see, which means it can’t produce as much oil to keep it soft and moisturized. This is seriously bad news in the fight against dry skin, fine lines, wrinkles and sagging because moisture is essential for the firmness and elasticity of your skin.

Whatever you do to your face, continue down to your neck and décolletage area. Cleanse it, tone it, treat it with serum, moisturize it (we love Renewing Longevity Moisturizing Cream for the neck area) and protect it from the elements. It’s the least you can do.

DON’T Fret About Your Imperfections

If we asked you to name something you hate about your skin we bet you could reel off a few without taking a breath. Well, do you know what, those crow’s feet you hate or monthly breakouts that drive you crazy are not worth crying over. You’re not perfect. But big deal, who is? So instead of sweating over the bad stuff, do the best you can for your complexion with a consistent skincare and good lifestyle habits. And, instead of feeling all the skin self-hate, try to focus on the good. Sure, you have fine lines around your mouth, but hey, isn’t your forehead looking pretty fabulous?

DO Trash Old Products That Rarely See The Light Of Day

Skincare products do not last forever. In general, they’re usually good for around one year if previously opened or two years if unopened. Unless it says otherwise on the label, of course.

Go through your vanity and trash anything that’s older than two years. Allowing your products to collect dust in the vain hope you might go back to them one day? Not gonna happen.

DON’T Underestimate Your Bedtime Skincare Routine

Sleep time is crucial for your skin. As your brain goes into rest mode, your skin gets super busy. Blood flow increases to nourish it with valuable nutrients; cell turnover accelerates to bring fresh, healthy skin cells to the surface; collagen production revs up big time and your natural antioxidant system kicks it to help nix any free radicals which may have built up during the day.

If you go to bed with unclean, unmoisturized skin, this whole rejuvenation process becomes compromised. So don’t do that. Make sure you’re doing everything you can to ensure your skin is thoroughly cleansed before bed, then apply your favorite serum and moisturize with Vitamin C Deep Hydration Night Cream.

DO Exfoliate More

As you get older, your skin doesn’t turn over as quickly. What does this mean? Well, when you’re in your 20s the life cycle of a skin cell is around 28 days during which time it’s created, moves up to the surface, then dies and sloughs away. Great. As you age, however, this process slows down and dead skin cells get ‘stuck’ at the surface where they cause uneven texture, blocked pores and dull-looking skin.

The good news is that exfoliation helps keep things moving at a more favorable rate, so how about increasing the frequency of your exfoliation game going forward? This can mean anything from once a week to three or four times a week but it depends on your skin so play around to find what works.

Our Vitamin C Gentle Face Scrub is fantastic for gently brightening and exfoliating your skin without drying it out making it ideal for regular use. You could also try our 6% AHA, BHA + PHA Liquid Exfoliant which does without scrubbing particles and instead uses gentle skin acids to slough away dead cells. Neither are a bad choice. Far from it.

DON’T Ignore Sketchy-Looking Moles

Noticed a change in a mole? Get. It. Checked. Out. Moles that change in color, shape, texture or just start to feel or look wrong should always be immediately looked at by a qualified expert to rule out serious concerns such as melanoma. The chances are your mole is totally fine or, at least, can be treated quickly and painlessly, but it’s better to be on top of them.