True Radical Honesty From Our Community

Fine lines and wrinkles, dark spots and dry, dehydrated skin: three of the most common signs of aging skin, right there. So, let’s see what we can do to keep them to a minimum, shall we?

Skin aging happens to us all. Literally, every one of us. And while you can’t press a button and stop time (if so, we’d take age 32, please!), you can, for sure, take control of the rate at which you age – to a certain degree, of course. Looking after yourself with a healthy diet and regular exercise is a given. But what else can you do to specifically target your most niggling skin bugbears? Here, we take a look at three of the most common signs of aging skin…

1. Fine Lines & Wrinkles

What They Are: Fine Lines and wrinkles can crop up on your skin pretty early on in life. They happen when your skin’s support network (collagen and elastin) breaks down as you age, causing your skin to become thinner, weaker and less resilient. Kind of like deflating a balloon, your skin loses its plumpness, feels less taut and starts to wrinkle. Lines and wrinkles are usually most prevalent around your eyes, mouth and forehead where your face is the most expressive.

What Causes Them: Father Time is obviously a major factor here, but it’s not just getting old that breaks down collagen and elastin fibers. Exposure to the sun also speeds up this process like lightning. As does smoking; a poor diet that’s laden with salt, sugar, processed carbs and bad fats; environmental pollution, and repetitive facial movements such as smiling, laughing, frowning or squinting.

What You Can Do: One of the most important ways to prevent lines and wrinkles is to look after your skin’s barrier function through gentle cleansing and regular moisturizing. Your skin’s barrier is its outermost layer that protects it from external nasties, while reducing moisture loss and transporting essential nutrients and hydration to the underlying layers of your skin. This barrier is super important for the look, feel and health of your skin, so ensure you moisturize regularly, never over-exfoliate and cleanse gently twice a day, avoiding skin-drying chemicals and scorching hot water.

What To Use To Target Fine Lines & Wrinkles: Topical antioxidants are a joy for dealing with the signs of aging, and when it comes to those pesky lines and wrinkles, you can’t go wrong with Retinol Serum. Proven time and again for being one of the most effective ingredients for improving collagen synthesis and cell turnover, retinol is the boss when it comes to softening crinkly skin. And we don’t say that lightly.

2. Dark Spots

What They Are: Possibly even more frustrating than lines and wrinkles are those dark spots that seem to come from nowhere as you hit your 30s and beyond. Otherwise known as hyperpigmentation, dark spots occur when your skin’s production of melanin (that’s the pigment that gives your skin its natural color) goes awry, creating patchy areas of dark skin in all the wrong places. Dark spots can appear anywhere on your body but are commonly seen on your face, shoulders, chest and hands.

What Causes Them: Three things: the sun, hormonal fluctuations or some kind of skin trauma/injury like a bug bite, acne spot or eczema. These all interfere with the melanin-synthesizing cells in your skin (melanocytes), causing them to over-produce melanin which then gets unevenly distributed in the epidermis. The result? Blotchy, speckled skin.

What You Can Do: Exfoliation is a great way to remove dulling dead skin cells at a surface level, allowing for all the fresh, untarnished stuff to make its way to the surface. Chemical peels are great for this if you want something hardcore, but don’t dismiss at-home exfoliation which can also reap great results with patience and dedication. Just don’t overdo it or you could cause irritation, redness and an unnecessary thinning of the skin.

What To Use To Target Dark Spots: As well as being mildly exfoliating and a go-to for fighting off damaging free radicals that form in the skin thanks to sun exposure and pollution, studies have shown that vitamin C can help inhibit melanin production at a cellular level. This is great news for anyone looking to improve dark spots. Try our fan favorite Vitamin C Serum.

3. Dryness & Dehydration

What They Are: Similar… but very different, dryness refers to a lack of oil in your skin, whereas dehydration indicates a lack of water. Also, dry skin is a skin type that you’re born with, whereas dehydration is a condition anyone can experience.

What Causes Them: As you get older, the dermis and underlying layers of your skin get thinner and more fragile which makes it harder for your skin to retain moisture. Couple this with the natural loss of ceramides, hyaluronic acid, fats and lipids and it’s no wonder your skin becomes drier and more dehydrated. Your sebaceous glands also slow down through age which might be music to the ears of oily skin types, but for everyone else this is a one-way ticket to unwanted dryness.

What You Can Do: Fight back and make moisturizers, facial oils and hydrating serums your BFFs. Moisturize your skin after every cleanse, and choose products that contain both humectants (to help boost moisture content) as well as emollients and/or occlusives (to create a seal over your skin and help lock all that moisture in). Also, try to avoid using hot water on your skin which can strip all the healthy fats and oils away, causing further dryness and dehydration.

What To Use To Target Dryness & Dehydration: You can't beat a well-rounded formula like our Hyaluronic Acid Serum for boosting much-needed moisture in dehydrated skin. Hyaluronic acid is naturally present in your skin, but as you hit age 20 it tends to beat it faster than you can say 'pass the moisturizer'. Our awesome serum helps counteract natural HA loss and also lavishes your skin with aloe, glycerin and botanical oils to help dryness as well as dehydration. Just remember to apply moisturizer on top to make sure all that skin-loving moisture stays there.

Finally, there’s one other small but seriously important skincare trick for helping to prevent ALL of the above. You probably know where we’re going here, right? Yes, sun protection.

Excluding the natural aging process, the sun is responsible for between 80 and 90 percent of all visible signs of skin aging. Lines, wrinkles, dark spots, dryness, dehydration, the works. So, as well as using an awesome facial treatment that’s targeted to your specific concerns, you must always apply SPF 30 Mineral Sunscreen every morning. No excuses, no arguments.

Skin barrier protection is on everyone's lips right now. Why? Because this uppermost layer of your skin is a real workhorse – and it needs looking after if you want it to function properly. Here’s how…

Like many skincare brands, beauty blogs and glossy magazines, we often talk about the skin barrier. It's super important for the health of your skin. Which means it’s also super important for how your skin looks and feels on a daily basis.

But what is this elusive skin barrier? And why does it play such a vital role? Well, your skin’s barrier is basically its uppermost layer – the very top of your epidermis that’s made up of around 20 layers of cells and known in the beauty biz as the stratum corneum. This top brick wall-like layer arguably works harder than the rest of your skin put together because it acts like a security guard to protect your skin and your body from the outside world, preventing moisture from getting out and external irritants from getting in.

Of course, the aging process weakens your skin’s barrier as it naturally loses vital moisture, ceramides and cholesterol over time. Which is a bummer. And if you suffer with sensitive skin? Well, that's got a lot to do with having a thin or compromised barrier that’s unable to effectively keep pesky irritants like pollution, toxins, UV radiation and harsh chemicals at bay. These environmental stressors not only cause things like irritation, dryness, dehydration and redness for your skin, but they simultaneously keep chipping away at your skin’s barrier function, weakening it and making it even more prone to damage.

The basic premise is this: you must keep your skin barrier thick and resilient if you're serious about achieving and maintaining healthy, strong skin. An efficient, hardworking barrier will make your skin look far better than one that's not doing so well – think radiant, smooth, even... you know the drill.

So, want more intel on how to protect your skin’s all-important barrier? Read on for our five golden rules…

Rule #1: Pare Back Your Skincare Routine

Gosh, it’s tempting to lavish your skin with every vitamin, acid and goodness knows what other skin-loving ingredients you can get your hands on. And while complicated skincare routines might sound awesome in theory, too much of a good thing can reap disastrous results – especially where your skin’s barrier is concerned.

The key to a solid barrier-strengthening regimen is to keep it simple, yet effective. Easier said than done? Actually, no. Just avoid overloading your skin with tons of serums, essences, oils and potions containing active ingredients that could work against each other and irritate your skin. It’s as simple as that, really. Stick to a basic cleansing, toning and moisturizing routine, and add in just one treatment product, two at the absolute max – one for use in the morning and one for nighttime.

Our favorite serum for nourishing barrier function is Niacinamide Serum. Niacinamide has been shown to help boost ceramide production and is one of the best antioxidants for sensitive skin. Apply it before moisturizer for fabulous results.

Rule #2: Up Your Moisturizing Game

Moisturizers are key for hydrating the top layers of your skin and preventing transepidermal water loss (TEWL). And as you know, moisturizing is an important step in any skincare routine – whether your skin is oily and prone to breakouts, dry and itchy, or somewhere in between.

When it comes to skin barrier protection, the key is to find an effective moisturizer that’s packed with reparative ingredients like glycerin, hyaluronic acid, ceramides and botanical oils rich in essential fatty acids. We love Vitamin C Brightening Moisturizer.

Extreme dryness can seriously damage your skin’s barrier, leaving it vulnerable to external aggressors like pollution, UV radiation and the like, so if your barrier function has gotten out of whack and you’re experiencing a lot of dryness and abnormal sensitivities, moisturizer alone might not be enough. This is where a barrier cream may be needed. Barrier creams not only hydrate the skin and prevent dryness, but they also provide a kind of protective seal over your skin to repair damage, allowing your barrier to heal itself and therefore do its job better.

Rule #3: Press ‘Go’ On The Ultimate Protection Plan

Supercharged moisturizing is all well and good for building up your barrier function and healing your skin, but you also want to prevent further damage, right? Right. Well, on top of applying a broad-spectrum sunscreen every day, another great way to do this is to incorporate a topical antioxidant into your daily routine.

Antioxidants are the bee’s knees at neutralizing cellular damage caused by environmentally-induced free radicals. This means they’re a must if you want to look after your valuable collagen and elastin supplies. And, btw, you absolutely do want to look after collagen and elastin because they’re crucial for the integrity of your skin’s barrier – and your skin’s health, in general.

But as we mentioned, don’t overcomplicate your routine by bombarding your skin with too many antioxidant treatments. Find one you love for the morning (vitamin C is awesome!) and apply another before bed. Our Retinol Serum is a fantastic overnight treatment boasting antioxidants known to boost cellular turnover for stronger, brighter skin. Retinol can be potent, however, so always patch test it first and introduce it slowly into your routine to make sure you don’t compromise your skin’s protective barrier.

Rule #4: Try Not To Stress The Small Stuff

Stress is an ugly beast when it comes to your skin’s barrier. Not only has it been proven to deplete your skin’s production of healthy oils and valuable moisture, but stress also alters your skin’s pH level, produces unnecessary free radicals and triggers various hormones (hi there, cortisol), which can result in inflammatory reactions and all sorts of consequences like itching, redness and flaking skin. Stress has also been directly linked to chronic skin conditions including rosacea, psoriasis, acne and eczema. All of which are barrier issues. Sigh.

Managing stress isn't simple and unfortunately, there’s no solution that fits all. You could be totally into meditation or you might hate the thought of it. But try to think of something that relaxes you and do this for a good amount of time, every day. Perhaps it's reading a book, deep breathing, or going out for a walk. Even just watching your favorite show. Whatever your jam, find time to regularly do it. Honestly, this is the best place to start. And your skin will thank you for it.

Rule #5: Say A Big NO To Harsh Skincare Ingredients

We believe some ingredients have no place on your skin. Cleansing detergents like sodium laureth sulfate (SLS) and sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES), for example, alter your skin’s pH and strip your barrier of essential oils. Yes, they’re fabulous at getting rid of built-up dirt and debris, but tbh, they’re almost TOO good, so they end up leaving your skin’s barrier fragile and weak. The good news is we don’t include such nasties in our face washes, so you know you're getting good and clean with Vitamin C Brightening Cleanser or Charcoal Clarifying Cleanser.

While we’re on the subject of too much of a good thing, you might want to avoid synthetic fragrance in your skincare (which can seriously irritate sensitive skin) and try cutting back on physical exfoliation with things like cleansing brushes, mitts and abrasive scrubs. These can also upset your skin’s barrier if not used with care.

Of course, we can’t leave before finally mentioning a few other lifestyle habits that can do a real number on your skin’s barrier. Smoking, cruddy sleep and a poor diet are just a few and we’re sure you can think of many others – one of which starts with an ‘a’ and ends with an ‘l’.

The simple answer to this whole skin barrier protection game? Be nice to both your body and your skin. That is all.

It’s time to take control of your least favorite skin concerns with these simple skincare updates.

Let’s get one thing straight: perfect skin is the stuff of fantasies. What you see on the red carpet, for example, requires hours of preening and painting, not to mention the years’ worth of treatments and tweakments undertaken at the doctor’s office. 

However, in-office treatments aren’t for everyone and constantly striving for perfection can be an exhausting game to play. That's why we prefer to work with what nature gave us by looking after our skin through smart skincare and lifestyle choices. Sure, these kinds of habits will never eradicate wrinkles, plump up thin lips or make sunspots miraculously disappear overnight, but taking positive action will absolutely help your skin in the long-term. At the same time, it does wonders for your mental wellbeing.

Whatever your skin bugbear, our advice is simple. 1. Try not to sweat it too much. It’s really not the big deal you make it out to be, plus other people probably don’t even notice it. And 2. Ensure you’re choosing and applying the right skincare so as not to make matters worse. Because you know what? Great skincare and good lifestyle habits are an awesome way to prevent AND treat your concerns.

Here’s how to tackle some of your most common skin worries…

An Oily T-Zone

Dealing with a greasy nose, chin and forehead is bad enough at high school, but when oily skin continues to irritate the hell out of you in your adult years? Enough already.

First, the good news: overactive sebaceous glands mean your skin is less likely to prematurely wrinkle. So, at least there’s that. However, oily skin is still irritating, especially in the summer months when it gets doubly worse.

What to do, then? Well, don’t think moisturizing is pointless, because if you fail to moisturize your skin after cleansing, it will just produce even more oil to counteract the dryness. Not cool. Choose light, moisturizing ingredients like aloe vera and glycerin rather than heavy oil-based formulations, and invest in a cleanser that contains activated charcoal to draw out toxins and mop up excess oil. Try Charcoal Clarifying Cleanser.

Sagging Jowls

Aging skin isn’t solely about wrinkles. A lack of firmness (thanks to the natural loss of collagen) can be another frustrating bugbear that causes your skin to seriously slacken and head south, especially around the jaw area.

Facial exercises are a good way to strengthen the muscles in your face and neck to help keep jowls under control. One of our favorites is called "Kiss the Ceiling". To try this one, tilt your head back, pucker up your lips and really push them forward as if you’re trying to kiss someone extremely tall. Hold for 10 seconds, then repeat five times every day.

You should also include a hardworking antioxidant serum in your daily routine to help stay on top of free radical damage – one of the biggest offenders for collagen breakdown and skin aging. Vitamin C Super Serum+ is a great choice for lax skin, as it contains MSM, retinol, botanical hyaluronic acid and vitamin C to build strength and firmness. A no-brainer, if you will.

Stubborn Blackheads

Blackheads strike when overactive sebaceous glands block up your pores with sebum. This sebum then combines with dead skin cells, breaks through the pore and oxidizes (turns black) as it hits the air. They most commonly strike on and around your nose but can appear anywhere, especially if you have naturally oily skin.

Just like a shiny T-zone, blackheads are best kept in check through sebum control, so ensure you cleanse thoroughly (but gently) morning and night, and always after exercising. Never squeeze blackheads, as it can cause inflammation and/or scarring. Instead, embrace skincare that contains salicylic acid, which not only cuts through excess oil but also dissolves the bonds between dead skin cells, encouraging them to slough away more efficiently.

Our Tea Tree Super Serum+ works as a fabulous spot treatment for stubborn blackheads. Simply apply it 2-3 times a week to targeted areas or all over.

Puffy Eyes & Dark Circles

The skin around your eyes is super fragile and also lacks fat and muscle support. This is why it’s often one of the first places to scream ‘aging’!

Unfortunately, aging concerns around the eyes are often hereditary and if you have pale skin, you’re more likely to notice dark under eye circles than if you have darker skin. Sun damage is also a major player here, so always wear UV protective sunglasses when you’re outside, sleep with your head elevated to reduce water retention under the eyes and apply a daily eye treatment containing antioxidants to further fight the damaging effects of the sun.

We love Peptide Eye Gel as it contains peptides (obvs!), plant stem cells, botanical hyaluronic acid, licorice extract and a bunch of other ingredients that have a rep for gradually improving the look of fine lines, dryness, morning puffiness and dark circles.

Red Cheeks

Facial redness can be caused by many things. It arises when your blood vessels become dilated, accelerating blood flow to the surface of your skin. The big question, however, is why your blood vessels dilate more than others. And the answer? Well, how long have you got? Genetics is a major factor in things like eczema, acne, rosacea and psoriasis, all of which result in facial redness. But then there are other issues like over-exfoliation, allergies, hormonal fluctuations and stress.

The best ways to deal with facial redness is to check in with a skincare expert so you can diagnose the issue, understand what’s causing it and then treat it. Of course, a gentle skincare routine is also key to reducing redness and irritation, so go steady with potent ingredients like retinol and glycolic acid, and make sure you moisturize your skin twice daily.

Niacinamide Facial Serum could be a good option for you because it has soothing and anti-inflammatory properties. But always check with your dermatologist and do a patch test first.

Hormonal Breakouts

Hormonal acne, which makes you break out during your periods or menopause, affects around 25 percent of women in their forties and a whopping 50 percent of women in their twenties. That’s a lot of women having to put up with zits and pimples at a time when there’s so much else to deal with. Sigh.

Menopausal acne is believed to arise because estrogen levels drop as your periods slow down and eventually stop. At the same time, androgen hormones like testosterone increase – cue breakouts.

There are many options for dealing with hormonal acne, including prescription meds, but retinol is a great shout if you’re looking for an effective way to up your skincare game. Retinol activates certain genes underneath the surface of your skin to boost cellular turnover and stop dead skin cells from lurking around way past their sell-by-date. The result? Clearer pores and fewer breakouts. It’s a very powerful ingredient, however, so slowly introduce Retinol Facial Serum into your routine after patch testing first.
 
 
 
 

Who’s in the market for fresh, revitalized skin for spring? The real question is who isn’t?

If your skin is screaming ‘tired, worn-out and kinda lackluster', the good news is (hold on, there’s some good news?) you’re not alone. Google searches for ‘how to get naturally glowing skin’ and ‘how to keep skin younger and glowing’ continue to trend, proving that when it comes to covetable skin, freshness and radiance are everything.

Which figures. After all, fine lines, wrinkles, pimples and dark spots immediately appear less obvious if your overall complexion looks good. Refreshed, clean, glowy skin also knocks years off you, and don’t even get us started on how simply looking more wide-awake makes you immediately feel better and more raring to go. Oh, the power of being happy in your own skin…

So, how can you up your radiance game? Well, exfoliating your skin with a gentle scrub or rinsing your face with cold water are decent places to start. But to really get ‘under your skin’, if you will, and reap lasting benefits, you should think about incorporating some kind of active ingredient into your daily routine. Specifically, one that’s known for accelerating cell turnover and loaded with skin-renewing powers.

So, just what are these masterful ingredients? Let’s see, shall we?

Retinol

We could go on for weeks about the benefits of retinol on both aging and acne-prone skin (don’t worry, we won’t), but when it comes to skin renewal, we do have a few things to say. First, retinol is the best. And second? Well, do you need a second?

A derivative of vitamin A, retinol gets converted into retinoic acid when absorbed by your skin. And it’s this retinoic acid that works hard at a cellular level, kickstarting collagen and elastin production, boosting cell turnover and stimulating blood circulation to help make your skin thicker, firmer, stronger and brighter.

Of course, every silver lining has its cloud and retinol is a potent little beast that needs to be used with caution and care. The number one rule is that any new retinol product should be patch tested first to check for adverse reactions. Then, and only then, should you introduce it slowly into your skincare routine, starting with once a week and building to daily as your skin acclimates. This helps avoid irritation and gives your skin time to adjust to turning over at a faster rate.

Looking to refresh and revive your skin long-term? Then retinol has to be top of the list. It just has to.

Try: Retinol Facial Serum

Glycolic Acid

Exfoliating acids are another must for fresh, renewed skin and if you’re looking for the absolute queen, look no further than glycolic acid.

Glycolic acid is derived from sugar cane and belongs to a group of acids called alpha hydroxy acids, or AHAs. When applied to the skin, AHAs work by softening the bonds between dead skin cells, which encourages them to slough away more easily and make way for the newer, healthier cells underneath. Kind of like physically exfoliating your skin with a scrub... but minus the effort!

By improving desquamation (the fancy term for the shedding of dead skin cells), glycolic acid also stimulates cell regeneration, making your skin look and feel way better over time.

Glycolic acid has the smallest molecular size of all AHAs, making it one of the most effective and potent exfoliating acids out there. It’s trusted by pros and often used in chemical peels, but you can also find it in lower concentrations in loads of skincare serums and treatments. But remember, just like retinol, glycolic acid packs a punch, so it should always be applied with caution.

Try: Ocean Mineral Super Toner

Peptides

Peptides are a bit trickier to get your head around, but bear with us because they’re an absolute must for skin renewal.

Made up of short chains of amino acids, peptides help your skin produce proteins like collagen and elastin. How so? Proteins are similarly comprised of amino acids, which allows peptides to act like little messengers, searching out depleted proteins and ‘telling’ your skin to produce more collagen and elastin where it needs them most. Think of peptides as building blocks for the structure, firmness and elasticity of your skin.

There are hundreds of peptides out there – some of which are awesome and some which, frankly, aren't even close. Good ones to look out for are Matrixyl 3000 and palmitoyl tripeptides, which have been proven to boost collagen production in aging skin. Studies have even suggested that Matrixyl 3000 has the potential to almost double the amount of collagen your skin produces. Impressive stuff, don’t you agree?

Try: Peptide Anti-Aging Eye Gel

Vitamin C

You’re probably aware of how much we love vitamin C here at TruSkin HQ. After all, our entire skincare range stemmed from our award-winning Vitamin C Serum, which continues to be a fan favorite. And rightly so.

Vitamin C is one of the most researched and trusted antioxidants in skincare, but it’s so much more than a free radical neutralizer and fighter of environmental (cough, sun) damage. Of course, all this is super important for the feel, look and health of your skin because nixing free radicals helps keep your collagen and elastin levels at their peak, which simultaneously maintains efficient cellular turnover. But vitamin C has another trick up its sleeve for giving your skin that extra glow factor. And this is its ability to inhibit melanin production.

As we’re sure you know, melanin is the pigment that gives your skin (as well as your hair and eyes) its unique color. Sun exposure ramps up melanin production, which is why you tan. However, melanin can get a little out of whack sometimes, producing dark, uneven spots known as hyperpigmentation: bad news if fresh-looking skin is your mojo. Vitamin C helps keep melanin under control by inhibiting tyrosinase, an enzyme which catalyzes melanin production. Clever vitamin C.

Try: Vitamin C Brightening Moisturizer

Niacinamide

Otherwise known as vitamin B3, niacinamide is one of the gentlest active ingredients in skincare. But don’t let its gentle nature fool you because it more than holds its own when it comes to strengthening, renewing and energizing your skin.

Like vitamin C, topical niacinamide is another hardworking antioxidant that keeps skin-damaging free radicals in check. It also increases ceramide production in the uppermost layers of your skin to help strengthen your barrier function (very important, btw) and improve your skin’s resiliency. Ceramides are waxy lipids that work like glue to hold your skin together, keeping toxins out and moisture in. Like most of the good stuff in your skin, your natural levels of ceramides deplete as you get older, which is why boosting production is so important. In a nutshell, more ceramides = better hydration and fewer issues like dryness and itchy skin.

Niacinamide has also been proven to help brighten skin, although exactly how it does this is still not entirely known. Ooh, a mysterious one, we like that.

Try: Niacinamide Facial Serum
 
 
 

Retinol can make or break your skincare game. Which is why you need to seriously know your way around this active and very potent ingredient. BTW, we’re here to help with that…

Love it or loathe it, there’s no denying that when it comes to kicking serious ass in the battle against skin aging, retinol is everything. OK, OK, we hear you, vitamin C, glycolic acid and friends, it’s not everything, but it’s definitely one of the most talked-about and recommended of all anti-aging ingredients. No question.

Here’s the thing. Retinoids (the group of topical vitamin A ingredients in which retinol, along with its prescription-only cousin, tretinoin, belongs) have been studied for decades. And the results are always the same: they work. By communicating with your skin at a cellular level, retinoids have been proven to boost healing and rev up the production of collagen and elastin, which in turn accelerates cell turnover and helps strengthen your skin, increase elasticity and reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, pimples and dark spots.

If this all sounds too good to be true, you're right, it’s not all moonlight and roses. While retinoids are awesome, they require thought, patience and careful planning to make them work for your routine. And you know what? Sometimes they might not work out at all if your skin's super sensitive to such active ingredients. And that’s OK — skincare's got something for everyone.

However, we like to believe there’s a retinoid out there for almost anyone. For starters, retinol and its derivatives are way kinder to your skin than full-throttle tretinoin, so it's a good place to begin if you err on the side of sensitive skin. And second, if you’re clued-up on how and when to use a retinol serum or cream, you’re already halfway there.

Not feeling particularly clued-up just yet? Then give us five minutes to change that with our list of useful dos and don'ts...

DO Patch Test Your Retinol Treatment

Patch testing skincare is super important, especially when it comes to potent ingredients like retinol. Why? Because there’s always the possibility that your skin might react negatively, causing irritation, stinging or itching.

Skin can take up to 48 hours to react to something it doesn’t like, so apply a small amount of retinol to a discreet patch of skin (such as behind your ears or on the side of your neck), then monitor it for a couple of days before incorporating it into your routine. Mild reactions like slight redness or tingling are OK, but anything that feels super uncomfortable, burning or painful is a definite red flag and means you should not continue use. And if the feeling gets worse? Seek advice from a board-certified skincare expert, pronto.

DON’T Overdo It

One of the biggest mistakes people make when using a retinol serum or moisturizer for the first time is to apply it every day – or worse yet, twice a day. Bombarding your skin with such a powerful ingredient on the reg is simply asking for trouble (aka irritation).

Instead, take it steady. When you first start to use retinol, apply your treatment to clean, dry skin just once or twice a week so your skin has time to acclimate. Then, after a few weeks, you can – and should – slowly increase to daily use, as long as your skin can tolerate it, of course. This may take up to two or three months, but going slow will totally be worth it for the state of your skin and your sanity.

Also, with most retinol treatments, the smallest amount will go a long way, so always read and follow the instructions before use. They’ve been included for a reason.

DON’T Be Put Off By Mild Side Effects

Despite patch testing (nice job!) and introducing retinol slowly into your regimen, you could still experience some short-term side effects like mild redness, dryness and peeling. Sure, we know this is a real Debbie Downer, but don’t be put off, because slight irritation (with an emphasis on the word 'slight') is actually a good thing – so much so that the whole process has been given a name. Hear us out for a minute...

When you start using retinol, your skin goes through a kind of ‘learning’ period in which the cells adjust to turning over at a much more efficient rate. Retinization is its name and skin purging is its game. During this time, your skin may look and feel worse than it did pre-retinol. Think zits, patches of red skin and dry areas. Don’t worry, though, all this should get better in a few weeks. The rule here is not to give up too soon.

DO Regularly Moisturize

Due to the drying effects of some retinol treatments, it’s super important to keep your skin thoroughly moisturized, day and night. If you’re using a retinol serum, allow it to settle for a minute, then apply moisturizer over the top – just make sure it’s not packed with loads of other active ingredients like benzoyl peroxide or glycolic acid as this could cause major upset to your skin’s barrier function. Keep it simple, OK?

You could also incorporate a retinol moisturizer into your routine instead of the obvious retinol serum. Due to their larger molecular structure, moisturizers don’t penetrate the skin quite as much as serums, which means a retinol-based moisturizer will be much gentler on your skin in both the short and long-term.

Our Retinol Moisturizer is perfect here and contains aloe, glycerin and botanical hyaluronic acid to hydrate, as well as shea butter and jojoba oil to seal in moisture. Did you catch that, sensitive skin types?

DO Be Patient

For the best results, retinol requires consistency and dedication. This means that whatever your frequency jam is, stick with it until your skin allows you to increase usage. Stop using it and you’ll sacrifice all the time and benefits you previously put in. 

Another thing: you probably won’t see visible improvements in the texture and tone of your skin for, gulp, a good three months of continued use. Sure, your pores may start to look a little more refined before that and breakouts might improve a tad, but an overnight miracle-worker, retinol is not. Time and patience are key.

DON’T Stop At Your Face

A retinol cream will reap just as awesome rewards for your neck and décolletage as it will for your face, so when you apply your treatment, don’t finish at your jawline. Smooth it down your neck and over your chest area – always applying it to clean, dry skin, of course.

And if you find your décolletage is a little too sensitive for your regular retinol cream? Reduce your frequency or try applying some basic moisturizer first. Yes, you read that correctly, by applying moisturizer before a retinol treatment, you help reduce its potency and therefore minimize irritation.

DO Apply Sunscreen Every Morning

Finally, one of the most important rules with retinol: ALWAYS apply sunscreen as the final step in your morning routine.

Skin often becomes more sun sensitive as it adapts to retinol and the surface layer of dead cells becomes thinner. But here’s the kicker, contrary to popular belief, retinol does NOT increase sun damage. It can also absolutely be applied in the morning. The reason retinol is typically used as an overnight treatment isn't because it makes skin more sensitive to UV destruction, but because sunlight deactivates retinol and makes it less effective. So now you know.

Having said that, you must apply a high factor, broad spectrum sunscreen containing FDA-approved sun protective ingredients like zinc oxide or titanium dioxide every morning. Even if you only apply retinol before bed, you have to protect your skin each day from the damaging effects of the sun. No arguments.

What on earth is crepey skin and can you prevent or treat it before it’s too late? Let’s see, shall we?

Aging skin is a fact of life and we like to think we’re very much ‘pro-aging,’ rather than anti-aging. After all, unless you’re some kind of Harry Potter-esque whiz kid, time simply cannot be stopped. It just can’t. This means that no matter what you do or how awesome your skincare routine is, the telltale signs of aging will always creep up on you. Whether it’s lines around your eyes, the odd dark spot on your temples or a penchant for early nights and hot milk over late nights bars and hard seltzers, aging is life. And life is a precious thing.

Of course, all this being said, you can’t just let nature take its course and hope for the best. Looking after yourself by eating well, exercising and employing a kickass skincare regimen is vital if you want to prolong your life and look amazing as part of the deal. And a kickass skincare regimen is definitely something we can help you with.

Take crepey skin, for example. It might not be a concern you read about all that often due to fine lines, wrinkles and dark spots taking center stage, but crepey skin can be just as frustrating. Plus, it's much more widespread, affecting many areas of your skin – not just your face.

So, what is this annoying little phenomenon and what can you do about it? Read on for all the answers...

First, What Is Crepey Skin?

Crepey skin is usually found on the back of your hands, top of the inner arms, under your eyes, on your neck and on your elbows and knees. It’s defined by very thin skin and, like its name suggests, looks like crepe paper. Unlike fine lines and wrinkles, which are usually more dispersed, crepey skin consists of many shallow, tiny lines that are concentrated in one area of your skin. This area will also look thin and is the kind of skin that, when gently pinched, doesn’t retract back to normal as quickly as you might hope.

What Causes Crepey Skin?

Similar to lines and wrinkles, crepey skin is that which has lost its natural elasticity due to the degradation of collagen and elastin. And this happens as part of getting older. In fact, after the age of 20, your skin produces one percent less collagen each year, making it progressively thinner, more delicate and susceptible to signs of aging. Your elastin fibers also diminish, as does the amount of oil your skin produces, which all adds up to dryness and the inevitable crinkling that comes with it.

But your age isn’t the only factor at play here. Unlike dynamic wrinkles which are mainly down to years of repetitive facial movements, the number one cause of crepey skin is sun damage, which is a devil for breaking down your levels of collagen and elastin. Pollution, stress, dry skin, hormonal fluctuations and smoking also have their own way of crinkling up your skin. And don’t forget excessive weight changes that can stretch your skin, making it thinner and more crepe-like.

5 Ways To Deal With Crepey Skin

1. Double Up On Sun Protection

Ask any skincare expert for their number one way to prevent crepey skin (and in fact, EVERY SINGLE visible sign of skin aging) and they will all agree sunscreen is it. Apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen with at least SPF 30 every day (winter, summer, spring and fall). And this doesn’t just mean your face, but all areas of exposed skin and especially those thin, fragile places that are prone to creping like the back of your hands, arms, neck and décolletage.

Another way to help shield your skin from the damaging effects of the sun is to apply a facial serum that contains topical antioxidants like vitamin C, vitamin E and niacinamide. Antioxidants work to nix free radicals before they get a chance to do their worst on all the good stuff in your skin, including collagen, elastin and DNA. Try our bestselling Vitamin C Serum under your moisturizer for awesome environmental protection.

2. Don’t Smoke

Do we really need to tell you how bad smoking is for your skin? Okay then, here we go. Simply put, tobacco contains over 4,000 nasty chemicals that decrease blood flow to your skin, thus starving it of oxygen and all the nutrients it needs to heal and repair itself. These toxins also destroy collagen and elastin, which is bad news for the strength and suppleness of your skin.

Don’t fancy dealing with weak, thin, crepey skin that doesn’t snap back as well as it should? Then say a big fat 'no' to cigarettes.

3. Boost Collagen With Retinol

Retinol is one of those superpowered skincare ingredients that has the ability to ‘communicate’ with your skin at a cellular level, making it function better. This may sound like marketing nonsense, but decades of research don’t lie.

When absorbed by the skin, retinol triggers and activates certain genes to increase collagen production and stimulate the skin to turn over more efficiently. This not only helps soften, thicken and plump up the skin but offers no end of benefits for aging skin, making lines and crepiness look way less obvious.

Retinol is probably already in your facial skincare arsenal, but if you’re noticing a little crepiness creeping up elsewhere on your body, don’t be afraid to apply a retinol-based treatment on these areas. Just remember, retinol is potent so always patch test it first. It’s also deactivated by sunlight so apply it at night as part of your pre-bedtime routine. And Tip #1 is key here: always wear sunscreen whenever retinol's part of your routine.

Try Retinol Moisturizer on your face, neck, décolletage, hands, arms or anywhere else crepey skin is bothering you.

4. Maintain A Balanced, Healthy Weight

Major fluctuations in your weight will cause your skin to stretch, retract and, over time, lose elasticity. And as you know, skin that lacks a certain amount of bouncebackability is likely to crepe faster than you can say ‘pass the SPF.’

Of course, a low percentage of body fat means you’ll have less fat around your face and eyes to hold everything together and keep your skin looking plump and crinkle-free. So, be wary of trying to be super skinny just as much as becoming overweight. Maintaining a balanced weight that’s somewhere in the middle is ideal. Both for your skin and your health.

5. Make Moisturizer Your BFF

Dry, dehydrated skin will do nothing but exaggerate crepiness, so make sure you moisturize well and often. This is especially important as you get older when your skin starts to produce fewer natural oils to protect and nourish your barrier function.

Look for creams and lotions that not only help draw in moisture with ingredients like glycerin and hyaluronic acid, but also work hard to seal that moisture into your skin with emollients like shea butter and botanical oils. This will reduce dehydration as well as soften, plump and reduce the appearance of crepiness. Bonus: Try an all-encompassing moisturizer like our Vitamin C Brightening Moisturizer, which is the ideal all-round product for the job.

PS: Vitamin C Deep Hydration Night Cream is also a total winner and works as a fabulous overnight hand treatment. Simply smooth any leftovers from your face and neck over the back of your hands, then pop on a pair of clean cotton gloves to allow all those skin-loving ingredients to work their magic as you catch some valuable zzz's.