True Radical Honesty From Our Community

What does springtime mean for your skin? Well, it’s all about the three ‘r’s – refresh, revive and renew. Here’s how to get that working for you…

Often described as the most beautiful season of the year, spring screams glorious weather with oceans of daylight hours and blooming flowers. Heck, what’s not to love about that (darn allergies aside, of course)? But while slipping into tank tops and strappy sandals is a given as spring springs into action, switching up skincare isn’t such an obvious move.

The thing is, winter can be really harsh on your poor complexion. Months of cold, dry weather coupled with equally-as-dry indoor heat can lead to a buildup of dead skin cells coupled with dryness, dullness and dehydration. Not the ideal start to spring, right?

This means now is the ideal time to inject a little life back into winter-worn skin. Here’s how…

Revive Your Skin With Gentle Exfoliation

Arguably the best way to hit reset and give your skin an instant new lease on life is to up your exfoliation game. But don’t get us wrong, this isn’t a green light to frantically scour your face with a harsh, super-grainy scrub twice a day. That will do nothing but ruin your skin’s delicate barrier function and increase redness, dryness and sensitivities. Not cool.

To gently boost cellular proliferation – the fancy way of saying cell turnover – try a chemical exfoliator instead. Chemical exfoliants are usually split up into alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) and beta hydroxy acids (BHAs), and include the likes of glycolic, lactic and salicylic acids. When applied to your skin, they work by breaking the bonds between your cells, helping them slough away more easily. Obviously, it’s a bit more technical than that but you get the idea...

When used correctly, chemical exfoliants are much kinder to your skin than physical ones (think scrubs, loofahs and cleansing brushes), but they still offer awesome, long-lasting results, clearing away dullness and encouraging brighter, fresher skin.

Try our Ocean Minerals Super Toner after cleansing. This jam-packed toner contains glycolic acid, which is extracted from sugar cane and is the most researched, widely used and effective of all AHAs. Kind of a show-off, for sure, but we love that in our skincare ingredients.

Tea Tree Super Serum+ is another fabulously low-maintenance formula if you find your skin gets oilier (and blemish-ier) as temperatures and humidity levels start to rise. Why is it such a must? It contains salicylic acid to gently exfoliate and mop up excess oil. And to add a little ‘spring’ to your skin, it also contains the ultimate renew crew—retinol, niacinamide and vitamin C. Just remember, it’s a potent little formulation, so always patch test it first and apply just two or three nights a week. Add SPF during the day and your clear-skin refresh is all set!

Eat Your Way To Wide-Awake Skin

A great skincare routine is all well and good, but if you don’t look after yourself from the inside out, your skin will pay the price. Of course, drinking plenty of water to flush out the system is a given, as is cutting down on the bad stuff (fried food, processed carbs, sugar, salt and alcohol). But thankfully this is much easier come spring when your desire for ‘comfort food’ takes a dive.

A hearty intake of fresh fruit, veggies, whole grains and healthy fats is essential year-round but it's especially important when you want to kickstart a flagging complexion. You see, fruit and vegetables are rich in antioxidants, which are vital for strengthening your skin and protecting it from environmental aggressors like pollution, smoking and the sun.

Try to include a rainbow of colors in your diet to get your fill of a whole array of phytonutrients, and most importantly, ensure you get plenty of vitamin C to really get your glow on. Oranges are the obvious choice here, but kiwis, strawberries, blueberries, bell peppers and sweet potatoes are also great sources of the big C.

Try Skincare, Served Chilled

Let’s get one thing straight, you don’t need to keep your skincare products in a fancy beauty fridge. It doesn’t make them more effective and there’s very little evidence to suggest it makes your products last longer. In fact, most formulations contain some kind of preservative to make them last as long as you should need them, anyway.

However, some products just feel better when they’re cold. A refrigerated eye cream or gel, for example, can feel wonderfully soothing on the skin around your eyes, plus the coolness helps reduce puffiness as an extra bonus. We’re major fans of keeping Peptide Eye Gel in the fridge at this time of year, btw.

Jade rollers also feel awesome when kept in the fridge or freezer, and the cold temperature of the stone helps constrict blood vessels to really amp up the skin-brightening effects.

Finally, you might want to try ice globes to boost circulation, minimize enlarged pores, reduce inflammation and accelerate cell turnover. These are a great way to get your complexion souped up for spring and in turn, they help soothe, tighten and brighten your skin.

Power Up Your Routine With Topical Actives

Let’s harp on vitamin C again for a second because as fantastic it is in your diet, it’s just as great in your skincare routine. One of our favorite antioxidants for neutralizing free radicals and fighting oxidative stress, vitamin C is a must when you want a little extra pep in your skincare step. The reason it’s such a fabulous glow-getter is that it inhibits the production of melanin in your skin, which works hard to reduce discoloration and correct an uneven skin tone. It also increases collagen synthesis to help reduce surface dullness while strengthening and smoothing the skin.

We blend vitamin C with all manner of amazing active skincare ingredients including hyaluronic acid to hydrate, vitamin E to soothe and niacinamide to reduce inflammation and help minimize pores. Check out our range of serums here to find the perfect one to suit your springtime skincare needs.

Switch Up Your Makeup

Winter makeup equals heavier textures and darker, richer tones. Which is great when the weather is gloomy and the holidays require some major party vibes. However, if you want to lift your skin and add brightness to your face as spring approaches, you need to bust out the color and lighten your makeup load.

First up, think about your base and ensure it’s not too thick. When it comes to spring skin, it’s all about barely-there textures and lighter tones to allow your skin, rather than your foundation, to do the talking. Sheer may sound scary at first and it’s hard to stray from a tried-and-tested makeup routine but give it a go; you won’t regret it. Can’t bear the thought of packing away your full-coverage foundation for another year? Try mixing it with a little moisturizer or BB cream to lighten it up just a touch.

As for the rest of your face, swap out smoky eyes and red lips for rose gold and coral tones, glossy lips and graphic eyeliner in pastel or neon shades. All of which are BIG trends for spring/summer 2022, don’tcha know…

If you care about aging, leaving your hands to deal with Mother Nature and Father Time with zero help is a massive mistake. Here’s why…

Do you, like us, remember your mom saying how one day she looked down at her hands and suddenly saw her mom’s hands staring back at her? Oh, how true that statement is. And like all things in life, it happens generation after generation as time catches up with you and years of hard work (damn those dishes!) and fun in the sun start to take their toll on the skin on the back of your hands.

Fun fact: the back of the hand is called the opisthenar. But we digress…

The problem with skin aging is that hands aren’t particularly ‘up there’ on most people’s priority list. Crow’s feet? Sure. But fine lines on your hands? Not really bothered. That is, until one day, you are. All of a sudden, tiny lines start turning into wrinkles, sun spots quadruple and, wait, what’s going on with those prominent veins? Eek.

Here’s the thing. When it comes to the visible signs of aging, your hands are just as susceptible as your face. Maybe even more so. How so? The skin on the back of your hands is much thinner than that on your face and neck. It also contains very little fat and is exposed to the slings and arrows of environmental damage day after day – usually without any kind of protection. Couple this with the natural aging process, which sees your skin lose collagen and elastin (read: strength and elasticity), then add all the sanitizing and hand washing you’re doing and, heck, the skin on your opisthenar (sorry, not sorry!) stands no chance.

That is, unless you partake in a few smart skincare choices, of course. Herein, five ways to help your hands stay looking younger for longer…

Sanitize With Care

Three years ago, hand sanitizer wasn’t really on our radar, but now that it’s an essential, we feel it's worth talking about. Why? Because these days, there’s no escaping the need to practice hand hygiene 24/7, and unfortunately, all that alcohol is terribly drying for your skin.

According to guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hand sanitizer must contain at least 60 percent alcohol in order to effectively kill germs. That might sound like a lot of alcohol for your poor skin to contend with but… well, actually, you’re right, it is. And there’s no getting around this. Choose something with less alcohol in it and it simply won’t work.

So, what’s the answer? Well, look out for sanitizers that contain hydrating and moisturizing ingredients to help combat the alcohol. Hyaluronic acid, glycerin, aloe vera and skin-nurturing oils are all great. And whenever you can, wash your hands with gentle soap and lukewarm water rather than always relying on your sanitizer.

Go Big With Moisturizer

Moisturizing twice a day is usually enough for your face, but hands get submerged in water way more frequently, meaning extra moisturization is vital. You see, water and cleansing ingredients break down the skin’s natural barrier function, which increases transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and allows bacteria and germs to penetrate skin more easily. It doesn’t help that the skin on your hands contains fewer sebaceous glands than your face, which also makes it more prone to dryness. Dang.

Basically, you need to apply hand cream after every time you cleanse or sanitize. No arguments. After washing your hands, dry them gently and apply hand cream while your skin is still damp to help lock in water. However, after sanitizing, do not apply moisturizer until your skin is thoroughly dry or this could affect its germ-busting efficacy.

At night, show your hands what true moisturizing love is by smothering them in our super luxe Vitamin C Deep Hydration Night Cream. This will blanket your skin with free radical-fighting antioxidants, as well as hydrating aloe vera, soothing panthenol and nourishing emollients. It makes for an awesome overnight treat. Trust us, we've tried it.

Protect Your Hands From The Sun

The sun plays a massive role in the aging process and can lead to thinning, wrinkles, dark spots, the works. And just like the skin on your face, your hands are constantly exposed to the elements, so they need some savvy shielding from UV radiation to keep all those skin annoyances at bay.

Thankfully, the solution is simple: protect your hands as you would your face. When you apply your antioxidant facial serum, smooth a few extra drops over the back of your hands – our Vitamin C Serum is ideal for this, as it’s super lightweight, fast-absorbing, and glides over skin like a dream.

Do the same with your sunscreen to ensure your hands get their fair share of the sun protective love. Look out for broad-spectrum formulations, as these not only protect skin from UVB rays, but also sneaky UVAs, which penetrate glass and hit you every day of the year.

Don’t Forget To Exfoliate

A little mild exfoliation once or twice a week is a fantastic way to remove dead skin cells and allow your skin’s protective barrier to do its job properly. It’ll also help your SPF and moisturizer to penetrate your skin better, which your hands (and wallet) will totally thank you for.

The best part is you don't even have to buy a special hand scrub. Simply mix together a teaspoon each of salt, sugar and olive or coconut oil, then rub this mixture all over your hands for two minutes before rinsing and gently towel-drying. Easy. 

Take Cover

Gloves are a great way to protect the skin on your hands from the elements. Dish gloves shield from oil-stripping water and abrasive household cleansers while winter mittens guard against skin-drying winter winds. Heck, even driving, cycling and gardening gloves are awesome for keeping your hands out of harm’s reach – and by harm, we mean those pesky sun rays again.
 
Another reason to invest in more pairs of gloves? Two words: retail therapy...

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.

While skincare is the absolute foundation for a healthy-looking complexion, there are some lesser-known things that can also do your skin real good.

Don’t you just love it when you find out some things in life come with extra benefits? And when these things enhance your skin and, heck, even make you look a little younger? Count us in for some large slices of those, please!

Read on for some of the most interesting – and downright surprising – things that are proven to have awesome skin benefits. Cheetos and tanning beds need not apply…

Working Out

Think of it as the ultimate skin fitness boost. Aerobic exercise accelerates your heart rate, making it a great way to increase blood flow to your skin. This helps reduce toxins while increasing transportation of oxygen and nutrients to your skin, helping keep it healthier and radiant-looking. Three words for you: post-gym glow.

Sweating also eliminates impurities to help keep your pores clean and clear. However, you must always cleanse your skin before working out to remove pore-clogging dirt, oil, makeup and bacteria. And then you should do the same again afterwards because, well, ditto. Try our Charcoal Clarifying Cleanser, which is an awesome cleansing treatment with activated coconut charcoal to rid your skin of nasties, along with aloe vera, glycerin and essential oils to help hydrate and balance.

Red Wine

Booze is a tricky one because it’s notoriously bad for your skin due to it being a diuretic. What does that mean? Well, diuretics cause you to pee more often and therefore reduce your body’s ability to retain water and remain hydrated.

On top of accelerating skin dehydration, alcohol also depletes vitamin A, which is an important antioxidant and crucial for reducing oxidative stress caused by skin-damaging free radicals. And when you add mixers to your favorite tipple, your skin also has to contend with all that added sugar and/or salt, which can cause inflammation, dryness and highlight visible signs of aging.

So, hold on then – what right does red wine have appearing on this list? Well, red wine is heads-and-shoulders above other boozy favorites due to its high content of a certain polyphenol called resveratrol. It's a case of the good outweighing the bad.

Like niacinamide and vitamins C and E, resveratrol is a powerful antioxidant that works hard to neutralize free radical damage and help your skin fight off lines and wrinkles.

Just remember, downing a bottle a night will do more harm than good (hello dryness and dehydration), so stick to one glass a night max and sip on the red stuff only. Why does red beat the white stuff? Resveratrol is only found in the skin of grapes used to make red wine, so white wine can't boast such antioxidant benefits on its resumé. Take that, chardonnay!

Dark Chocolate

Dark chocolate is another treat that’s rich in antioxidants, as well as minerals like iron, magnesium and zinc. This time you have the cacao pod to thank for its antioxidants properties. Cacao is "choc"-full (sorry, not sorry!) of flavonoids, which help regulate cellular activity by nixing free radicals, therefore fighting off the damage they can cause to your skin. Flavonoids also have anti-inflammatory effects, making them great for reducing redness and sensitivities.

The thing is, and it’s kind of a big thing, chocolate also contains a ton of sugar and is high in saturated and monounsaturated fats – none of which are good for your skin. So, if you’re a chocolate fan, always choose at least 70 percent dark chocolate to maximize those flavonoids and reduce your sugar and fat consumption.

Studies are also ongoing as to whether dark chocolate may decrease your skin’s vulnerability to UV light, but the jury’s still out on that one. So our advice is yes, feel free to feed your choc addiction with high quality dark chocolate, but always apply a topical antioxidant serum like Vitamin C Serum. Use this every morning before generously applying sunscreen to genuinely help protect your skin from the damaging effects of the sun.

Getting A Dog

Pet allergies can be super annoying for your skin, but if recent research is anything to go by, being exposed to dogs early in life may help protect you from developing eczema later on in childhood. Eczema is characterized by patches of extremely dry, itchy skin and can be triggered by any number of things, but it's usually caused by a response to external allergens or irritants.

This tip may be too late for you, but it’s worth pondering if you have or are thinking of having children. Plus, other than providing a lifetime of love, dogs are supercute stress reducers, which can help decrease the level of inflammation and redness your skin has to potentially deal with.

So, who’s up for a fun evening of curling up on the couch with a labradoodle, glass of red wine and large bar of dark chocolate? Perhaps followed up by a quick gym session in the morning? Let’s do it!

Can you really eat your way to healthier, glowy skin? We truly believe that if you combine a great diet with spot-on skincare, then yes, you totally can.

As a skincare company, awesome products that deliver quality, value and results are everything. But we also know that a great complexion doesn’t solely come from a fabulous skincare routine. Yes, gentle cleansing is vital. And of course, daily moisturizing and protecting your skin from that great big ball of fire in the sky are just as important. Duh! However, to truly max out your complexion and make sure you enjoy your best skin 24/7, you must also think about the food that goes into your body.

Now we would never (not even for one minute) suggest you cut out all the fun things from your diet – just try to take away our cupcakes and pinot, we dare you! – but moderation is key. And as long as you balance the slightly less nutritious stuff with plenty of skin-loving food and drink, your skin won't punish you for treating yourself every now and again.

Read on for ten essential nutrients to help your skin get its glow on…

1. Beta Carotene

Beta-carotene belongs to the carotenoid family and once ingested, gets converted by your body into vitamin A. So why's this good for your skin? Well, vitamin A is a fabulous antioxidant that protects your skin from environmental damage, thus helping push back the signs of premature aging for as long as possible. It also accelerates cellular turnover, boosts your skin’s natural protection from UV damage and helps give you a gorgeous glow.

Find It In: Any yellow-orange fruits and veggies, plus leafy greens.

Skincare Partner: Retinol Serum. Because retinol is the topical form of vitamin A, after all.

2. Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Unlike saturated and trans fats, omega-3s are the good guys because they help regulate sebum production, improve the fatty acid composition in your skin and strengthen your barrier function to reduce irritation, dryness and dehydration. Omega-3s have also been shown to help reduce breakouts and soothe skin concerns like eczema and psoriasis. It’s a must for your daily diet, no matter your skin type.

Find Them In: Fish oils, oily fish such as wild salmon and mackerel, flax seeds and chia.

Skincare Partner: Vitamin C Deep Hydration Night Cream, our richest moisturizer and the perfect way to relieve dryness and dehydration.

3. Flavonoids

Flavonoids are a type of polyphenol found in almost all fruits and vegetables. Just like carotenoids, flavonoids are responsible for their bright color – but they’re so much more than a pretty face. With powerful antioxidant properties, flavonoids are a great way to help protect your skin from oxidative stress and improve its strength and suppleness by reducing DNA and collagen destruction.

Find Them In: Green tea, red wine (hallelujah!), kale, strawberries and citrus fruits.

Skincare Partner: Retinol Moisturizer, which contains organic green tea.

4. Vitamin C

This antioxidant essential not only deals with the pesky free radicals that form in your skin after exposure to things like UV radiation and pollution, but vitamin C also encourages collagen and elastin production for stronger, younger-looking skin. Furthermore, studies show that vitamin C boosts the efficacy of your sunscreen AND balances melanin production for a brighter, healthier glow. Everything but the kitchen sink springs to mind, right?

Find It In: Kiwis, berries, citrus fruits, broccoli and red peppers.

Skincare Partner: Vitamin C Serum – our award-winning bestseller that's packed with vitamin C. Enough said.

5. Vitamin E

Often known as the moisturizing, healing vitamin in the world of skincare, vitamin E is equally as important in your diet as it is in your face cream. Just like our friend vitamin C, vitamin E comes packed with antioxidants to boost your immune system, fight inflammation and reduce collagen damage caused by environmental pollution and UV radiation.

Find It In: Avocados, spinach, seafood, almonds, seeds, wheat germ and sunflower oil.

Skincare Partner: Hyaluronic Acid Eye Cream. Because looking after the skin around your eyes with HA plus vitamins C and E is a shoo-in.

6. Selenium

Selenium is an essential mineral that protects your cell membranes and maintains the firmness of your skin by safeguarding it from free radical damage. When paired with vitamin E, selenium has also been shown to reduce inflammation, curb acne breakouts and help your skin heal quicker and better. *Immediately adds to Instacart

Find It In: Brazil nuts, poultry, seafood and lentils.

Skincare Partner: Tea Tree Super Serum+. It's packed with antioxidants and brimming with clarifying goodies like salicylic acid and tea tree essential oil to unclog pores and reduce breakouts.

7. Lutein

Lutein is well-known for the vital role it plays in keeping your eyes healthy. But it also looks after your skin by providing protection from high-energy sources like the sun and your various digital devices. Improving elasticity and skin tone are an added string to its bow. Oh, and one other thing, lutein cannot be produced by your body so you have to get your fix from your diet.

Find It In: Spinach, kale, bell peppers, parsley, corn and egg yolk.

Skincare Partner: Vitamin C Super Serum+ which is chock-full of skin-protecting antioxidants to protect your skin from HEV (blue) light.

8. Zinc

Did you know your skin holds about 20 percent of your body’s entire supply of zinc? This makes it one of the most important trace minerals when it comes to the health of your skin. Anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and oil-regulating, zinc plays a critical role for oily skin types and for those who suffer from clogged pores and pesky breakouts. It also aids healing, boosts collagen synthesis and helps build protein in the skin to keep it younger-looking longer.

Find It In: Breakfast cereals, red meat, poultry, legumes, asparagus and milk.

Skincare Partner: Charcoal Clarifying Cleanser, a go-to for clarifying, regulating sebum and detoxifying acne-prone skin.

9. Probiotics

Probiotics help promote good bacteria in your gut, which is thought to be directly related to your skin and its delicate microbiome. The skin’s microbiome is an intricate system of microorganisms like bacteria and fungi which live within the various layers of your skin. Yes, that sounds kinda icky, but these microorganisms work hard to keep bad bacteria at bay, so they’re super important. What's equally important is supporting this microbiome with dietary probiotics. Why? Because things like eczema and inflammation, plus hot showers and chemical-laden skincare, can throw your microbiome totally out of whack.

Find Them In: Yogurt, kombucha, kimchi, miso, sauerkraut and sourdough bread.

Skincare Partner: Rose Water Facial Toner. This is our kindest, purest formulation and packed with healing benefits highly unlikely to upset your skin’s delicate microbiome.

10. Water

Staying hydrated is so, so important for your overall health. And while water is yet to be proven to directly hydrate your skin (because your other vital organs need it way more), you’ve all seen what your skin looks like when it’s dehydrated, right? We're talking dull, dull and a little bit duller.

No matter what your thoughts are on the skin benefits of chugging three liters of water a day, maintaining a proper level of hydration is vital for skin health. It won't transform your skin overnight, but it will help increase circulation and flush out toxins to minimize puffiness and enhance your glow.

Find It In: Other than the obvious? Watermelon, cucumber, tomatoes, apples and celery.

Skincare Partner: Hyaluronic Acid Serum, which combines the hydrating powers of botanical hyaluronic acid with vitamins C and E.

Don’t let your skin guard down simply because it’s not tipping 95 degrees in the shade right now. Your skin needs just as much protection in winter as it does in the summer. Maybe even more so.

Cold, wintry air robs your skin of moisture… Bright sunshine breaks down collagen and is the number one cause of premature skin aging… Oh, and did we mention that wind can cause your lips to crack, peel and even bleed? It’s clear that winter is a tricky little customer for your skin to deal with. Unless you know what you’re doing, that is.

Read the tips below and in ten minutes, you totally will!

1. Slap On Your Daily SPF

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again (and again… and again... and, well, you get the picture), sunscreen is important every day of the year. The sun doesn’t pack up its bags and go away as soon as summer’s over. It’s right there in the sky every day, and while its heat might not be quite as intense come winter, the light it emits (and that’s the important thing here) is still very much present.

According to the American Academy of Dermatology, even on cloudy days, 80 percent of the sun’s damaging UV rays manage to work their way through to your skin. And that’s a lot of radiation just waiting to damage your collagen, elastin and DNA.

Fight back with a broad-spectrum daily moisturizer that packs a solid SPF 30 or above.

2. Use A Bedroom Humidifier

Winter air = dry air, which can strip your skin of natural oils, break down your skin's protective barrier and exacerbate dryness and dehydration. This is why humidifiers (which add extra moisture into the air) are such a genius idea for your home. OK, so it might be a little excessive to install one in every room in your house, but if there’s one place your skin will really benefit from one, it’s your bedroom. Set it around the 40-50 percent humidity mark and not only will this help balance and hydrate your skin, you’ll also probably sleep way better as an added bonus.

3. Invest In An Antioxidant Serum

Neutralize the damaging assault from environmental free radicals by applying a topical antioxidant serum every morning after cleansing and before moisturizing. This will help fight damage caused by everything from the sun through to pollution, cigarette smoke and other daily nasties.

Our favorite winter antioxidant has to be vitamin C because it nixes free radicals AND helps give your skin a certain glow that’s rare during the cold, gloomy months. Try Vitamin C Serum for your daily hit of the C-dog. Or, to add an extra boost of hydration – which never goes amiss at this time of year – go for Hyaluronic Acid Serum.

4. Limit Hot Baths

Sure, a daily soak in a hot bath can make you feel like a million dollars in the short term, but hot water is one of your skin’s biggest enemies. How so? It strips away your skin's natural lipids, compromising your barrier function and leading to all manner of skin no-nos like irritation, inflammation, dryness and dehydration.

According to the National Eczema Association, baths should be limited to 10 or 15 minutes and you should never bathe in super hot water. Warm? Fine. Scorchio? Not so much.

5. Cleanse With Care

If there’s one area of your skincare routine that should be scrutinized during winter, it’s cleansing. Poor cleansing (the kind that uses hot water and harsh surfactants) strips away natural oils and upsets the balance of your skin’s naturally low pH. Cue irritation, breakouts, dryness, the works.

The key is to go gentle all the way. Cleanse with lukewarm water and use only kind-to-your-skin formulations that don’t overly dry it out at a surface level. With no harsh surfactants and plenty of skin-loving oils and antioxidants, Vitamin C Brightening Cleanser has your back here.

6. Don’t Crank Up Your Heating Too Much

When you couple cold temps outside with scorching ones inside, you might as well welcome skin issues like redness and irritation with open arms. The reason for this is that sudden contrasts in temperature cause your blood vessels to dilate, making your skin flush. Central heating also sucks water out of the air… and consequently your skin. Bad news all round.

Set your heating no higher than 68 degrees during the day and either switch it off at night or at least turn it down to a comfortable 58 degrees. Honestly, your skin will thank you for it – as will your energy bill!

7. Up Your Moisturizing Game

If there’s ever a time to moisturize more than normal, it’s during the winter months when dry skin is almost a given. If you feel like your regular moisturizer doesn’t quite get the job done as soon as fall turns to winter, try a richer formulation that contains occlusive ingredients like beeswax, cocoa butter and shea butter. Occlusives create a physical barrier on the surface of your skin to protect it from the elements and help prevent moisture loss.

Our Vitamin C Deep Hydration Night Cream is a particular favorite this time of year because it contains organic cocoa butter and beeswax, as well as glycerin and aloe to hydrate. Try applying it immediately after cleansing (while your skin is still damp) to lock in moisture and recharge your skin while you sleep.

8. Eat A Water-Rich Diet

Another great way to help combat winter dryness and dehydration is to make sure you include plenty of water-rich foods in your diet. Watermelon is awesome, as are oranges, strawberries, tomatoes, cucumber, lettuce and yogurt.

Similarly, try to cut down on some of the baddies in your diet which tend to be dehydrating for your poor, winter-worn complexion. Salt, for starters, will suck all the moisture out of your skin. It also increases inflammation and weakens your collagen. So there’s that.

9. Be Gentle As You Towel-Dry

Aggressively rubbing your skin dry with a towel after cleansing? Bad idea. Patting it dry with a gentle dabbing motion? Excellent. This will reduce any risk of irritation and dehydration – neither of which you want, ­especially in the winter when both of these are at their highest.

10. Avoid Chemical-Laced Skincare

Finally, sticking with a gentle skincare plan is definitely the way forward when temperatures are at their lowest. Dry, dehydrated skin means your barrier function isn't working at its best, allowing irritants, toxins and other potential allergens to upset your skin and exacerbate existing conditions like eczema, rosacea, psoriasis and acne.

The good news is that all TruSkin products are formulated without the major skin-upsetting ingredients, including harsh sulfates, parabens, phthalates, soy, PEGs and silicone.

We're good like that, you see. ;)