True Radical Honesty From Our Community

Collagen is a pretty big deal. So you must do everything you can to preserve it.

When it comes to the look, feel and overall health of your skin, collagen is everything. Literally, everything. It makes your skin stronger, smoother, more supple and most importantly, it wards off premature fine lines and wrinkles. But, of course, as skin ages, your levels of this important protein fade dramatically, and that’s when the visible signs of aging are likely to start creeping up on you.

The bad news is that you can’t do anything to stop the sands of time. But the good news – because there’s always some good news in there ­­­– is that there are many other ways to ensure your collagen doesn’t leave town sooner than necessary. Because it’s not just natural aging that screws up your supplies…

First A Quick Refresher: What Is Collagen?

Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body. As far as your skin is concerned, research shows that it makes up a massive 70-80 percent of its entire structure, working hard to maintain strength, firmness and elasticity. As the clock ticks, however, your skin’s level of collagen starts to dramatically drop off at a rate of around 1 percent every year. Granted, that might not sound like a lot, but believe us, it becomes noticeable very quickly – especially if it starts in your mid-twenties, which is a real probability (gasp!).

So, Why Does Collagen Fade As You Get Older?

Biology for one thing; collagen loss is simply part of the natural aging process.

But that’s not all. Your lifestyle habits, diet, stress levels, sleep routine and the environment in which you live also play their part in how quickly (or slowly) your collagen degrades. And that’s where you come in…

5 Ways To Keep Help Preserve Your Collagen

1. Never Forget To Wear Sunscreen

OK, let’s start with the most important thing of all, shall we? Sunscreen. As the solution to most aging skin woes, a good quality daily sunscreen is every dermatologist’s and facialist’s number one choice for safeguarding good quality collagen. Full disclosure, it won’t magically make new collagen appear or even kick existing production up a notch. But what it does is far more important, and that’s to preserve the collagen you already have by reducing damage caused by the biggest collagen killer of all ­– the sun.

Why does the sun get such a bad rap? Because, frankly, it deserves it. UV radiation is the number one cause of external skin aging because it causes an influx of free radicals that weaken collagen fibers, causing them to break down and dwindle at lightning speeds.

Don’t want that to happen to your precious skin? Then do everything you can to stop UV from doing its worst by protecting your skin with a broad-spectrum sunscreen every day. Try SPF30 Mineral Sunscreen with Vitamin C, it’s totally up for the job and is so lightweight and easy to wear, you won’t even notice that extra step in your morning skincare routine.

2. Take A Collagen Supplement

If you want to help feed your body from the inside as well as the outside, consider taking a collagen supplement.

Collagen supplements are powders, pills or drinks that are perfectly safe when ingested as instructed to help promote natural collagen production in the skin. Many of them use animal skin, bones or fish scales though, so if that grosses you out as much as it does us, try our Collagen Boosting Skin Supplement, which says a big fat no to animal-derived collagen. Instead, it’s formulated with vegetarian collagen combined with other skin-loving classics like vitamins C and E, plus biotin, a form of vitamin B known to promote cell growth and repair. Take two capsules every morning for breakfast and see for yourself just how effective they can be...

3. Sign Up To A Collagen-Boosting Diet

One of the most important changes to make to your diet – if you care about supporting and nurturing your collagen, that is – is to shun sugar. Sugar grabs on to collagen (and elastin for that matter) and forms things called advanced glycation end products (AGEs) which break down all those important proteins, making your skin less plump, strong and firm. And that’s when things like sagging skin and wrinkles like to join the party. No. Thank. You. Try to reduce the amount of sugar you consume on a regular basis and your collagen will breathe a literal sigh of relief.

Then there’s all the good stuff you should eat more of to help support collagen production. These include collagen-rich foods like red meat and bone broth plus high-protein foods like fish, poultry, eggs, dairy and beans.

4. Apply Some Powerful Topicals

There are no end of collagen-loving ingredients out there, including vitamin C, glycolic acid and EGCG so rather than go on for hours about every topical skincare ingredient available, we’ll just concentrate on the two front-runners in the quest for quality collagen: peptides and retinol.

Peptides are structurally similar to proteins as they’re both made up of chains of amino acids. And this is good news because their similarity makes them almost unbeatable in their effectiveness at stimulating collagen production. Not only that but they’re very well tolerated by the skin, rarely causing sensitivities or irritation. Bonus points right there. Try our Smoothing Collagen Serum which is packed with vegan collagen peptides.

Then you have the mighty retinol which is total kick-ass – although not without its side effects, especially if it’s not treated with the respect it deserves. More researched than almost any other skincare ingredient available, retinol is proven to not only support collagen production but also to prevent future collagen loss. Yes, it’s that good. We, naturally, love Retinol Facial Serum but if you find it’s too much for your skin, NP, we also have our fabulous Rejuvenating Longevity Serum which contains nature’s gentler alternative to retinol, bakuchiol.

5. Try An In-Office Treatment

If you fancy adding on to a great skincare routine and an awesome diet, there are many professional treatments that can help kick your collagen into high gear. Light therapy, for example, is fantastic, as is microneedling which uses tiny, high speed needles to puncture the skin and create ‘micro’ injuries at the surface. This may sound like a dumb idea, but in actual fact microneedling tricks the skin into believing it needs to repair itself, thus triggering collagen production.

Not so dumb any more, right?

Just remember, these treatments are best left to the professionals so search out board-certified experts near you by asking for recommendations or doing some thorough Googling.

We love Target, you love Target, so we’ve expanded our offerings to bring you even more TruSkin favorites at target.com. 

Internet shopping is awesome. It literally embodies the word ‘convenience.’ Nothing else allows you to act immediately when you’re sitting on the sofa in your pajamas and suddenly remember that you’re running out of your trusted facial serum. Log on, add to cart, pay and you’re done. It’s also not real money, so there’s that. Ha, if only that were true.

But seriously, we love internet shopping and, as a skincare company, might not even exist if it weren’t for the wonderful worldwide web. However, there’s also something to be said for visiting a store and seeing those beauty shelves packed with moisturizers, cleansers, scrubs and eye creams. It just brings a whole different level of touchy-feely shopping satisfaction to the table.

In our humble opinion, one of the best stores in which to pour over the beauty shelves is Target. Packed with some of the greatest and newest products available, we could easily lose ourselves in that place for hours.

This is why we chose Target to sell a bunch of TruSkin products. Up until recently, however, we only sold our top serums in store (best-selling Vitamin C Facial Serum, anyone?) plus some other favorites like Vitamin C Brightening Cleanser and Peptide Eye Gel at target.com. But we decided we should no longer play favorites but should expand the collection to include some of the newer members of our family.

Read on to discover what’s new at Target...

The Energizing Serum: Caffeine Facial Serum

Caffeine Facial Serum is the newest member of the TruSkin family and, wow, is it a good one, giving your skin a much-needed boost whenever it needs one (so… every morning, right?).

The secret lies in its double shot of caffeine which helps to boost collagen, improve blood flow and reduce inflammation, thus prolonging youthful-looking skin and holding off on the visible signs of aging like dark spots, fine lines and friends. We combine caffeine with another skin-energizing ingredient: EGCG which is a type of antioxidant found in green tea. This further boosts the buzz while improving hydration and providing much-needed protection from environmental stressors like UV radiation and pollution. What’s more, this baby is super lightweight and sinks into your skin like a dream, providing an extra layer of goodness without suffocating your skin. We’re already in love.

The Retinol-Alternative Range: Rejuvenating Longevity Serum, Depuffing Longevity Eye Cream and Renewing Longevity Moisturizing Cream

At the tail end of 2023 we launched a complete new range of healthy aging products called the Longevity collection. Brimming with incredible ingredients and with three expertly formulated products for the skin and eyes, Longevity is based around the buzziest thing in skincare right now: bakuchiol.

Bakuchiol is a botanical extract that’s been used in traditional Chinese and Indian medicine for years to treat skin ailments and diseases. Thanks to its popularity in Ayurvedic practices, it started making its way into western skincare around 2007 and quickly showed promise because of its similarities to the gold standard of skincare, retinol. As you know, retinol is one of the most highly regarded ingredients for improving the tone and texture of the skin. However, it’s really potent and doesn’t suit all skin types, often causing facial redness, unwanted dryness and itching. Enter bakuchiol which offers all the same benefits as retinol (albeit with a little more patience) plus way fewer annoying side-effects – if any at all. Game. Changer.

Our Rejuvenating Longevity Serum, Depuffing Longevity Eye Cream and Renewing Longevity Moisturizing Cream harness all of this, along with ingredients like antioxidant-rich coffeeberry and snow algae, hydrating glycerin and lingonberry stem cells.

The Skin-Fortifying Treatment: Peptide Facial Serum

As skincare ingredients go, peptides are tricky to get your head around. How so? Well, they’re similar to proteins, but they’re not proteins. You see, both are made up of chains of amino acids, but while proteins (think collagen and elastin) are huge molecules containing long chains of amino acids, peptides are their baby cousins, containing much shorter chains. This can be a tad confusing but know this: due to their similarity, peptides help boost your skin’s production of those all-important proteins. And the result? Healthier-looking skin that’s softer, stronger and more supple.

If this sounds like something you want for your skin, you have to try our Peptide Facial Serum which is chock full of powerful peptides including three of the most clinically tested: palmitoyl tripeptide-1, palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7 and palmitoyl tripeptide-5. Don’t worry, we won’t test you on the names!

The Sensitive Skin Savior: Niacinamide Facial Serum

If you were under the impression that sensitive skin couldn’t get in on the wonders of active ingredients, you could not be more wrong. In fact, sensitive skin is what our Niacinamide Facial Serum was born for.

A proven antioxidant, niacinamide (aka vitamin B3) boasts all the usual benefits of your favorite free radical-fighters (vitamin C, retinol and ferulic acid), but it also helps to regulate inflammation and improve your barrier function to strengthen and protect sensitive or easily irritated skin. It can also provide mild relief for acne breakouts, eczema or rosacea. It’s the exact type of facial serum sensitive skin has been searching for. You’re welcome.

The Incredible Exfoliant: 6% AHA, BHA + PHA Liquid Exfoliant

Regular exfoliation is crucial as skin ages and cellular turnover naturally slows down. Skip this step in your routine and all those dead skin cells won’t slough away effectively; instead they’ll hang around at the surface of your skin causing roughness, dullness and dryness.

Of course, the obvious way to exfoliate your skin is with a scrub – as long as you make it a skin-friendly one like our Vitamin C Gentle Face Scrub – but even so, scrubs aren’t for everyone.

So, if ‘everyone’ includes you, you’re going to love 6% AHA, BHA + PHA Liquid Exfoliant, a leave-on chemical exfoliant. Instead of using fine grains to exfoliate your skin, its turnover powers come from exfoliating acids like glycolic and salicylic which break down the glue between dead skin cells to help them slough away at a more effective rate. Simply apply it to cleansed, toned skin, before your serum and moisturizer, then let it do its thing. Genius.

Answer: epigallocatechin gallate, of course. No need for any further explanation, right? Just kidding…

If you’re into skincare you’ll be well aware of topical antioxidants and what they do for your skin. Heck, you may even be on first name terms with the likes of vitamin C, vitamin E, resveratrol and ferulic acid. And hats off to you.

But just to recap, antioxidants are some of the most important ingredients you can incorporate into your skincare routine. You see, they’re the absolute nemesis of one of your skin’s biggest enemies: free radicals. Free radicals damage up your skin at the rate of knots and are formed within the skin’s structure when it’s exposed to environmental and lifestyle aggressors like UV radiation, pollution, stress and a cruddy diet. Once they get under your skin they attack all the good stuff like collagen, elastin, even your DNA, ruining its strength, volume, suppleness and really screwing up the tone and texture of your skin.

To put it bluntly, free radicals are not your friend. Antioxidants on the other hand? Love ‘em.

So, what’s all this got to do with the elusive EGCG? Well, EGCG (aka epigallocatechin gallate) is an extremely hard-working, tried and tested antioxidant that works no end of magic on your skin, including a few benefits that others barely touch on. Here’s what you need to know…

What Is EGCG, Exactly?

EGCG is not just any antioxidant, but a very specific type called a catechin. Catechins are natural, plant-derived antioxidants found in many teas, fruits, berries, legumes and cocoa. Studies show, for example, that the leaves of green tea are made up of almost 40 percent catechins, with EGCG being the most abundant of them all. In fact, EGCG is the main reason green tea is so highly regarded for its health benefits.

When it comes to skincare, specifically, EGCG is considered to be an incredibly effective ingredient for warding off the visible signs of premature aging.

How EGCG Benefits Your Skin

1. Protects Skin From UV Damage

Let’s get one thing straight, no topical antioxidant can take the place of an effective, broad-spectrum sunscreen. However, they’re a fantastic addition to your skincare routine and a great way to further shield your skin from UV damage when used alongside your daily SPF. Of course, they don’t safeguard your skin from burning per se, but they work by fighting off DNA damage and helping to scavenge free radicals before they get a chance to mess with vital proteins in your skin. And that’s something all of us should get on board with.

As antioxidants go, EGCG is up there with the best. For starters, it’s the most tried, tested and trusted of all catechins, plus it rarely triggers irritation or sensitivities, so it can be used by most skin types with very little concern.

2. Helps Balance Oil Production

EGCG is an antiandrogen which means it helps block the effects that androgens like testosterone have on your body and skin. Androgens can cause your sebaceous glands to produce more sebum than normal, which makes EGCG a pretty useful ingredient for helping to control and balance sebum – great news for anyone who has crazy-oily skin or who suffers with blocked pores or acne.

Hormonal acne, in particular, can occur when androgens become unbalanced during certain stages of life such as puberty, menstruation, pregnancy or the menopause. These hormonal changes often cause sensitivities in the skin which can result in excessively oily skin, coupled with pesky monthly breakouts.

3. Increases Moisture Retention

Another great reason to incorporate EGCG into your daily routine? It’s awesome for keeping your skin hydrated, supple and well moisturized by regulating and encouraging it to produce hyaluronic acid. As you know, your skin naturally contains hyaluronic acid from birth which helps to keep it soft and supple. However, as you age, your levels of this hydrating powerhouse diminishes, causing dehydration and accelerating the formation of fine lines and wrinkles.

We’re big into topical hyaluronic acid and pack it into many of our serums and moisturizers to help keep your skin’s levels in check. (We recommend trying Hyaluronic Acid Facial Serum for some major daily hydration.) However, working on the inside to encourage your skin’s very own HA synthesis? Another big yes from us.

4. Reduces Inflammation

Studies show that EGCG has anti-inflammatory properties which target and inhibit the molecules and processes involved in inflammation. This is more great news for anyone who sufferers with regular acne breakouts.

Anti-inflammatories are also fantastic for soothing sensitive skin or helping to calm facial redness.

5. Minimizes The Visible Signs Of Aging

Sun damage, free radical overload, inflammation and dehydration are all terribly aging on your skin, making EGCG an incredible addition to any healthy aging skincare regime. Not only does EGCG work on minimizing fine lines, wrinkles and sagging skin, but it can also improve the tone of your skin by helping to reduce the formation of dark spots. That's a big deal.

How To Use EGCG In Your Skincare Routine

We believe to get the most from any active ingredient like EGCG, you’re best off maximizing their worth by using a leave-on formulation like a toner, serum or moisturizer. Wash-off products are great as an added bonus, but leave-ons are truly where all the magic happens.

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The good news is EGCG plays well with most other skincare ingredients. If you truly want it to work better and harder, experts recommend combining it with other antioxidants to provide a broad, all-encompassing barrier against environmental damage. All the usual suspects work incredibly well with EGCG but our favorites are soothing niacinamide and hydrating hyaluronic acid which really amp up its super powers. Try our Caffeine Facial Serum to reap the benefits of all of the above plus caffeine (obvs!) to energize and revitalize tired skin.

One final note: EGCG can be pretty unstable so make sure any product you buy comes in a dark container and is stored at room temperature away from direct sunlight. Fail to do that and your formulation will lose its special powers lightning fast.

Good news: there are tons of ways to make your skin feel smoother and healthier.

Thankfully, you don’t remember the skin you were born with. If you did, you would seriously long for its plump, bouncy, softer-than-clouds feel. Because that’s how skin generally is at birth, before it’s touched by pollution, battered by the sun and generally subjected to the slings and arrows of modern life. Everyday wear and tear, however, is inevitable so it’s no use trying to resurrect your 6-month old skin. It’s simply never going to happen.

All is not lost, however, because what you can do is make the most of the skin you’re in right now by looking after it to the best of your abilities. The motto is, treat it right and it will repay you in kind. Granted, it will never feel as soft and smooth as it did way back when, but give yourself a break, EVERYONE has textured skin to some degree and, heck, you can only do so much, right?

On that note, here are some of the most effective ways to get your smoothest skin ever. And more good news: they’re easier than you might think.

Pay Attention To Your Pores

More often than not, rough texture is down to blocked pores. Oil-producing pores are tiny openings found at the top of your hair follicles and sebaceous glands where they release sebum to help moisturize and soften the skin at a surface level. They’re extremely important for keeping your skin healthy but, like all things are life, they’re not perfect. Some people have sebaceous glands that produce too much sebum, others have those that don’t produce anywhere near enough, causing everything from extreme dryness to super-oily skin that’s prone to acne breakouts.

Whatever your pore persuasion, it’s crucial to keep them cleansed, and clear of debris like makeup, dirt and skincare products. This reduces their likelihood of becoming clogged, thus expanding and creating tiny bumps at the surface of your skin. Common sense, right? Instead of stripping your skin with chemical-rich, harsh products, however, it’s important to cleanse right with gentle formulations and warm, never hot water. Our Soothing Cleansing Milk is fantastic for the job - especially if you have dry or sensitive skin – or you could also try Charcoal Clarifying Cleanser which is fantastic for detoxifying your pores and balancing oilier skin types. Cleanse twice daily, no arguments, and again after working out.

It’s Great To Exfoliate

As skin ages, cell turnover slows down and dead skin cells have a tendency to outstay their welcome. It’s kind of inevitable, so to help keep this process from causing rough texture at the surface (and the dullness that inevitably comes as part of the deal!), it’s wise to exfoliate regularly.

Exfoliation encourages dead cells to slough away quicker, so that all the fresh, younger ones have a chance to reveal themselves to the world. And you can do it in a number of ways. Scrubs are the obvious choice, but be wary of harsh formulations that use over-sized particles that feel too sharp on your skin. Chances are, if they feel scratchy, that’s exactly what they’re doing, creating micro-tears on your skin which can cause irritation and long-term sensitivities. Instead, choose a kind-to-skin scrub like our Vitamin C Gentle Face Scrub which uses ultra-fine Bora Bora white sand to leave you with super soft skin, every time.

Not a scrub fan? Then try a leave-on solution that harnesses exfoliating acids like salicylic or glycolic to break down the glue between dead skin cells, giving them a firm nudge to leave town. Try our awesome 6% AHA, BHA + PHA Liquid Exfoliant after cleansing and before applying serum and moisturizer. It’s the simplest way to even out your skin and smooth up its texture, plus it’s gentle enough for almost all skin types.

Layer With Moisture

Whatever your skin type, moisturizer is essential after every cleanse to support and fortify your skin’s barrier function and allow it to do its job properly – which is to keep good things like moisture in and bad things like irritants out. But, we get it, for some of you moisturizer might not be enough. Dehydration, for example, is a killer on the texture of your skin and that requires more attention than some moisturizers are able to offer.

To really get your smoothness going, we recommend doubling down with a hydrating serum as well as a kick-ass moisturizer like Renewing Longevity Moisturizing Cream. Serums that contain hyaluronic acid in particular, are incredible for helping to keep your skin plump, smooth and dewy because they draw moisture to the surface of your skin. Apply a couple of drops of Hyaluronic Acid Facial Serum after cleansing and before moisturizing every day for a deeper moisturization and, over time, your skin will soon feel way more hydrated and much smoother as a result.

Give Irritants The Cold Shoulder

Word is, something in your skincare routine might actually be the cause of textural changes in your skin like dryness and roughness. Synthetic fragrance, for example, is one of the biggest offenders, and denatured alcohol as well as harsh sulfates like SLS and SLES can all be extremely irritating for certain skin types.

Try to avoid the most common irritants and, while you’re at it, look at your skincare routine as a whole and tame things down if it’s too heavy on active ingredients. Active ingredients like retinol, AHAs, BHAs and vitamin C are fantastic, don’t get us wrong, but too much of a good thing can have disastrous results. Rough, dry, flaky skin being just one of them.

Remember: Sunscreen Is King

UV radiation (which is present all year long) produces skin-damaging free radicals which work hard to break down your collagen and elastin and ruin your skin’s soft, smooth bouncebackability. Not only that, but it’s a killer on your skin’s natural levels of hyaluronic acid, leading to dehydration and, well, you know where we’re going here…

It comes as no surprise, therefore, that daily SPF is non-negotiable. Most experts – us included – recommend a broad-spectrum formulation that contains mineral sunscreens like zinc oxide and offers protection of at least SPF 30. Try our SPF 30 Mineral Sunscreen with Vitamin C which is like the lovechild of your favorite moisturizer and sunscreen, with the added benefits of glow-getting vitamin C and age-defying vegan marine collagen.

The skin around your eyes is prone to dryness and dehydration. It’s thin and fragile; it can’t help it.

Dry, dehydrated skin is no joke. And dry skin around your eyes? Seriously, no joke at all.

Much more prevalent in the winter when the air becomes dry, cold and has a tendency to suck all the moisture from your skin (something to look forward to there, then!), dryness around your eyes is a real pain in the butt. And it can swiftly lead to itching, flaky skin, irritation and soreness, especially if you leave it untreated.

Of course, dry skin (which is a lack of sebum/oil in your skin) is something you’re often born with and, annoyingly, you can’t change your genes. However, there are many ways to improve and take care of dryness around the eyes, especially when it’s coupled with a lack of moisture, aka dehydration.

Read on for five of the best ways to deal with dry, dehydrated skin around your eyes.

1. Avoid The Big Three Dehydrators

There are no prizes for guessing the three biggest offenders when it comes to what you put into your body on a regular basis and how they affect the skin around your eyes. Yes, they’re alcohol, caffeine and tobacco.

Thankfully, the number of adults in the US who smoke cigarettes continues to fall but even so, in 2021 an estimated 28.3 million adults were still at it. And it’s terrible for your skin. Not only does smoking cause unnecessary squinting as you inhale, accelerating the formation of dynamic wrinkles, but cigs are packed with thousands of chemicals which enhance dark bags around your eyes and exacerbate dryness and dehydration.

Caffeine and alcohol also have dehydrating effects, screwing up sebum production, messing with your barrier function and making your skin prone to moisture loss and irritation.

Of course, we all have our vices, but if the skin around your eyes is really suffering because of them, you might be wise to slow down with at least one.

2. Use A Hydrating Eye Cream

Eye creams come in many shapes and sizes and, while many people are sceptical about their worth, eye creams are actually important business. Sure, you can apply regular moisturizer to the skin around your eyes if it works for your needs, but if you want to target specific eye-related concerns like puffiness or dark circles, then your daily moisturizer is not going to cut the mustard.

The skin around your eyes is slightly different to the rest of your face. It’s way thinner for starters which makes it more fragile and prone to irritation and premature aging. It also contains fewer sebaceous glands (they’re the ones that produce sebum, aka oil) so it’s not able to keep itself as moisturized as other areas of your face.

Eye creams focus on this exact type of skin, using soothing ingredients to limit irritation while concentrating on gentle actives to reduce fine lines, eye bags, dryness and dehydration. We have many formulations that treat different eye needs but if it’s the two ds (dryness and dehydration, in case you didn’t get that!) you’re into, or not as the case may be, you have to try our Hyaluronic Eye Cream which uses HA and panthenol to draw in moisture and target tired, dehydrated skin.

3. Wear Sunglasses

We don’t need to tell you for the hundredth time how important SPF 30 Mineral Sunscreen with Vitamin C is for protecting your skin from the damaging effects of UV radiation. Or maybe we do? Because, while you may be vigilant with your daily facial protection, what about the skin around your eyes?

Some sunscreens might not be suitable for the sensitive skin around your eyes but if you go carefully and avoid harsh, chemical formulations in favor of mineral sunscreens that use zinc oxide or titanium dioxide to shield your skin you should be OK. Still wary of getting sunscreen in your eyes (which let’s face it, is no fun)? Then, the very least you can do is to wear some oversized sunglasses whenever you go outside or are in the car – even in winter.

Any excuse to treat yourself to a new pair of shades, right?

4. Make Quality Sleep A Priority

Show of hands if you’ve ever woken up after a cruddy night’s sleep and the skin around your eyes has punished you, big time. Dark circles and puffiness in the eye area are dead giveaways that you’ve missed out on some valuable zzzs, but continue to burn the candle at both ends and your skin will also suffer with long-term dryness and dehydration.

When you don’t get sufficient sleep your barrier function misses out on its valuable regeneration time which makes it perform poorly, allowing moisture to readily escape and irritants to literally get under your skin. Couple this with the stress a lack of sleep puts on your body and the skin, and you really are asking for trouble. Warning: the skin around your eyes, in particular, will suffer more than the rest of your face due to its thinness and vulnerability.

According to The Sleep Foundation, the average adult needs at least seven hours of sleep per night. We know this isn’t always possible – because life – but try to go to bed and get up at the same time each day to get yourself into a rhythm. This is super important for achieving a quality night’s rest. Also, if you live in a dry climate, pop a humidifier in your bedroom to combat low levels of water in the air. This will reduce moisture loss as you sleep. It’s called science.

5. Reassess Your Entire Beauty Routine

Last, but certainly not least, look at your beauty routine to check for anything that could be causing dryness and dehydration around your eyes. Harsh soaps and strong makeup remover that contains bad alcohols are both major culprits, but even things like dirty makeup brushes, out-of-date mascara or cleansing with too-hot water can cause the skin around your eyes to feel dry and itchy.

Don’t forget your shampoo and conditioner, either. These may contain strong cleansing ingredients like sulfates that are getting in your eyes and irritating the skin when you wash your hair in the shower.

Basically, leave no table unturned!

Good news: the most effective things you can do for your skin are also the simplest.

We know we don’t need to reiterate the importance of cleansing and moisturizing your skin every morning and night. Those kind of skincare practices are a given. However, there are plenty of other basic habits you should get into if you want to maintain the best skin of your life. Because taking care of your skin is way easier than you think – but there are still rules.

Read on for ten of our favorites.

1. Use Toner

Toner is often overlooked in the quest for fabulous skin. But here’s the thing. It might not be an absolute ‘essential’ like cleanser, moisturizer and sunscreen, but similar to other skincare greats like serums, a good toner can provide a whole lot of love to your skin.

Typically water-based, think of your toner as like a primer for your skin, gently removing any last traces of grime from your pores, while balancing your pH and providing much-needed hydration. Depending on the ingredients used, certain toners may even help brighten, firm or clarify your skin.

Take Action: Introduce a toner to your morning and evening routine and you’ll notice the benefits almost straight away. Just make sure you choose well, steering clear of harsh alcohols and synthetic fragrances in favor of calming, soothing and balancing botanicals like rose water and aloe vera. Try Rose Water Refreshing Facial Toner.

2. Prioritize Sleep

Great skin isn’t just about great skincare. Your lifestyle is even more important than the products you put on your skin. Sleep, for example, is crucial. Deprive yourself of a good night’s sleep and your skin misses out on valuable regeneration time in which collagen production amps up, cell regeneration accelerates, blood flow increases and antioxidants kick in to neutralize environmental damage.

Take Action: You must have noticed how much better you look after a quality eight hours of sleep time, right? Then do your damnedest to make that a regular occurrence. Your skin will look and feel ten times better. Stat.

3. Avoid Harsh Skincare

If you have sensitive skin, you'll already err on the side of gentle when choosing your skincare products. But, in all honesty, the same rule should apply regardless of your skin type. We know it’s tempting to choose oil-stripping products if you have greasy or acne-prone skin, for example, but honestly, they won’t help. In fact, they’ll probably make matters worse, causing dehydration and irritation in both the short- and long-term.

Take Action: Don’t be too harsh on your skin. Sure, choose products that are tailored to help your individual skin type (dry, oily, normal or combination) but avoid anything that’s packed with strong alcohols and/or unnecessary chemicals. Kindness is next to godliness. Or something like that!

4. Embrace Eye Cream

For some people, eye cream falls into the same ‘do I really need it?’ category as toner. And sure, if you’re young enough to yet be dealing with dark circles, puffiness, dryness and wrinkling around your eyes then fair enough, eye cream won’t be your highest priority. For the rest of us, however, eye cream is vital.

Gentler than regular moisturizer, eye creams are specifically formulated to deal with the thinner, more delicate skin around your eyes. Unlike the rest of your face, this area contains fewer sebaceous glands to keep it moisturized as well as less muscle and fatty tissue for strength and volume. So it really does need looking after.

Take Action: We have three fantastic eye creams to choose from depending on your skin concerns. Depuffing Longevity Eye Cream is incredible for improving eye bags, while Hyaluronic Acid Eye Cream is a must for hydrating and firming the skin around your eyes. But don’t forget Peptide Eye Gel, our fabulously lightweight, cooling gel that works on all the visible signs of aging. Use just a tiny amount of your chosen formulation morning and night.

5. Find A Simple, Consistent Routine

Consistency is everything. It’s as simple as that. However, what might work for your BFF might not work for you, so find your own way in your skincare life. Then stand firm.

Take Action: Sticking to a daily routine that’s simple and effective will go a long way to helping you reach your skincare goals. This may be applying Retinol Facial Serum every night and exfoliating twice a week; or it could be alternating between Vitamin C Facial Serum and Niacinamide Facial Serum. If it works for you, roll with it.

Of course, you can switch the odd product up every now and again to work with the seasons and help target certain changes that may occur in your skin. But don’t mess around too much, and definitely don’t switch out your products every month. This won’t give them time to do what they set out to.

6. Quit Smoking

Cigarettes are packed with thousands of chemicals which are terrible for the skin. According to the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology, the long-term effects of smoking include dryness, patchy skin, bags around the eyes, sagging and deeper-then-normal wrinkles.

“It is common for the skin of a 40-year old heavy smoker to resemble that of a 70-year-old non-smoker,”  experts claim. We’ll just leave you with that for a hot minute.

Take Action: If you don’t smoke, don’t start. And if you do, there are many ways to quit. It might not be easy, and it’ll take time, patience and a lot of willpower. But we believe in you. Head here for help.

7. Wear Sunscreen

We may have said this before (ha, like only a thousand times!) but sunscreen is the most important product you can have in your anti-aging skincare arsenal. In fact, UV radiation is responsible for somewhere between 80 and 90 percent of all visible skin aging, helping to ward off premature lines, discolorations and sagging.

And yes, you do need to protect your skin from UV radiation every day of the year. Because, not only does UVA penetrate right through clouds but it also goes through windows to hit your skin when you least expect it.

Take Action: Go for a broad-spectrum sunscreen that has an SPF of at least 30. This will ensure you’re giving your skin sufficient protection from both UVA and UVB radiation. Apply it generously to any exposed skin (your face, neck and back of the hands as an absolute minimum), and choose a formulation you actually enjoy applying to ensure it seamlessly becomes part of your routine, like cleaning your teeth and brushing your hair. Good news: SPF 30 Mineral Sunscreen with Vitamin C is so lightweight and easy to apply, you'll actually WANT to wear it.

8. Stop Touching Your Face

No matter how often your wash or sanitize your hands, they will always carry germs, allergens and bacteria that can transfer straight to the skin on your face. This can upset your skin’s delicate microbiome, potentially triggering breakouts or worsening existing conditions like eczema and psoriasis.

Take Action: We get it, touching your face is something you rarely realize you’re doing. But whenever you clock it, call yourself out. Hopefully over time you can stop, or at least reduce the amount of face touching you do on a daily basis.

9. Clean Up Your Diet

Whether it be chocolate, ice cream, Fritos or hot dogs, we all have our vices. And treats are fine in moderation, but too many can cause harmful compounds that attack your skin cells and really mess with the tone and texture of your poor complexion.

Take Action: The best diet for your skin is one that’s packed with antioxidant-rich fresh fruit and veggies, plus oily fish, seeds and nuts, all of which are high in omega-3 fatty acids. Don't starve yourself of the good stuff (that rarely works), but don't go overboard and make sure the healthy stuff always outweighs the unhealthy.

10. Exfoliate

As you get older, exfoliation becomes ever more important as your skin’s rate of turnover becomes sluggish and dead skin cells start to outstay their welcome. This can leave your skin looking drab, dreary and extremely dull. Worse yet, it can block up your pores and invite acne breakouts to the party. Prefer brighter, smoother, more wide-awake skin than any of the above? Then you gotta exfoliate.

Take Action: Give your face a gentle exfoliation as often as you think your skin needs it. This could be as frequent as every day, or as little as once a week. It may also take a few weeks to figure out your skin’s sweet spot, but when you get there, trust us, it’ll be worth it.

Also, think about whether you prefer the physical action of a scrub or the simplicity of a leave-on lotion. The good news is we cater for both with our awesome Vitamin C Gentle Face Scrub and 6% AHA, BHA + PHA Liquid Exfoliant.