True Radical Honesty From Our Community

Sweat, sunscreen and excess oil can screw up your clear skin game. But so can stripping it of every last inch of moisture. It’s all about balance.

Summertime brings many fabulous things. Longer days, spritz o’clock and, this year, the Olympics which, we don’t know about you, but we love.

As far as your skin’s concerned, however, summer has its drawbacks. Sure, all that extra humidity is excellent for helping your skin to stay hydrated. And yes, sunshine instantly makes your skin take on a more healthy glow (as long as you’re wearing your SPF 30 Mineral Sunscreen with Vitamin C, of course).

But then there’s all the other stuff that can clog up your pores and make your face look shinier than a freshly awarded Olympic gold medal (obsessed, us?!). Sweat is more prevalent. Ditto, sebum. And all that sunscreen, no matter how lightweight, is an extra layer of product to wash away at the end of the day.

So, how do you ensure you effectively cleanse your skin each night and remove every last scrap of built-up summer grime, without sapping all the life from your skin, leaving it dry, dehydrated and potentially irritated as hell?

Here’s how.

Stay In The Shade

This may seem like a weird one but bear with us because how you spend your day is going to play a major part in how much sweat, oil and grime your face has to deal with at the end of it. What’s the phrase? Prevention is better than cure…

It’s simple, really. Direct sunlight equals more intense heat which makes you sweat more. Not only that, but higher temperatures accelerate your skin’s production of sebum, and when your skin feels sweaty and oily, you’re more likely to touch it more often, transferring dirt, grime and bacteria from your hands to your face.

Stay in the shade, however, and you will stay cooler so therefore sweat less, produce less sebum and hopefully keep your dirty hands away from your face. It’s a win win.

Freshen Up Throughout The Day

A great way to keep your cool throughout the day and help control sebum production so you don’t have so much to contend with later, is to keep a balancing facial spritz at hand.

Our Rose Water Refreshing Facial Toner, for example, is awesome for refreshing and balancing oily and combination skin while hydrating and calming irritation or redness. It also only contains one ingredient, Moroccan rose water, so you don’t have to worry about overloading your skin with unnecessary ingredients if you get over-excited with it! Think of it as a smart, ‘plan ahead’ kind of product to help keep harmony in your skin on particularly hot, sweaty days,

Cleanse Well… But Not Too Well

Cleansing is often brushed aside as something you do without much thought. And that’s a big mistake because cleansing is a crucial step in your routine. How on earth is your skin supposed to function properly if it’s constantly suffocated by layers of grime? Similarly, how’s it supposed to maintain its strength and softness if it’s stripped of essential moisture thanks to poor cleansing practices and harsh ingredients. What was that word again? Oh yeah, balance.

Summer cleansing is all about detoxifying your skin by removing sweat and sunscreen and cutting through excess oils. But it needs to do all of this without upsetting the equilibrium of your skin’s barrier function. Otherwise, your skin will end up feeling tight and dehydrated with the added pain of being oilier than ever thanks to your sebaceous glands going into overdrive to counteract all that dehydration. Eesh!

The good news is there are plenty of fabulous cleansing formulations that will thoroughly remove of all the bad stuff, without stripping it of all the good stuff. Search out ingredients like tea tree oil, which does all of that while purifying and nurturing your skin to simultaneously reduce inflammation and minimize pesky breakouts. Try our Tea Tree Super Cleanser+ if that sounds like something you can get on board with.

Activated coconut charcoal, which you’ll find in our Charcoal Clarifying Cleanser is also fantastic for mopping up summertime debris. And, more good news, none of our cleansers contain sulfates which are notorious for drying out your skin. Bonus.

When cleansing, use lukewarm water rather than water that’s too hold or too cold. Cold water won’t cleanse your skin thoroughly enough whereas scorching hot temperatures will strip away too many oils. Lukewarm is the sweet spot.

Pimp Up Your Cleansing Routine With Toner

Some people swear by toner. Others find it to be a step in their skincare routine they just don’t need. And, honestly, unlike cleanser, moisturizer and sunscreen it’s not an absolute must for the health of your skin. However, choose the right toner and it can offer all manner of benefits to your complexion.

As we just mentioned, after a hot summer’s day you want to remove every bit of sunscreen and who-knows-what-else from the surface of your skin. But, and it’s a BIG but, you don’t want to go cleanser-mad for fear of stripping your skin dry.

A great way to truly freshen up while nurturing your skin is to follow cleanser with toner. Those squeaky-clean-skin-promising toners from the 1980s, however, can take a running jump because they’re just as bad at over-stimulating your sebaceous glands as pore-stripping cleansers. Instead, go gentle, with formulations that pump goodness into your skin as they revive the surface and prepare your skin for th next steps in your routine. Ocean Minerals Super Toner, btw, is a very fine specimen to crush all this – plus it contains awesome ingredients like protective vitamin C, strengthening peptides and energizing ginseng.

Exfoliate Once More Per Week

A little extra exfoliation in the summertime is a great trick for keeping your pores especially clean and clear. Added bonus: it’ll also balance excess sebum and help control summer breakouts.

It’s important to remember, however, that over-exfoliating is a massive no-no because it screws up your barrier function and can make your skin itchy, red and super dehydrated. So don’t do it every day.

To get the balance just right, adding in one extra exfoliation each week. This should be enough to improve cell turnover and keep your skin fresh and glowing, without over-stimulating sebum or irritating your skin.

Depending on your jam, we have two incredible exfoliators for you to try.

First up we have 6% AHA, BHA + PHA Liquid Exfoliant, a leave-on lotion you apply before moisturizing that combines gentle exfoliating acids to work on your skin all day long. If you prefer to actually ‘feel’ your exfoliant do its thing, however, give our new Vitamin C Gentle Face Scrub a go.

Whichever one you choose, your summer skin will be super thankful for it.
 
 

Drinking ten cups of coffee each day might not be great for your skin, but caffeine in your skincare products? Now, that’s what we’re talking about…

Do you have a love-hate relationship with caffeine? Turns out, so does your skin. As a skincare ingredient, caffeine is filled with brightening properties and free radical-fighting promise. But consume too much of it in your daily fix of coffee and caffeine can have much less desirable effects.

Confused? Don’t be. Here’s what you need to know about caffeine and your skin.

Caffeine: The Darker Side

It’s true, we’re a nation of avid coffee drinkers. According to research, around three in four Americans drink coffee every single day. What’s more, over a third of these consume more than three cups on a daily basis.

But as great as this beloved, caffeine-powered beverage of ours is for boosting your energy levels, enhancing your mood, aiding performance and potentially lowering your risk of heart disease and stroke, caffeine has a certain dark side. Especially when it comes to the health of your skin. And, btw, tea is no innocent party here. Granted, teas might not contain quite the same levels of caffeine as brewed coffee, but it’s still there, so bear that in mind if you feel saintly because you prefer tea over coffee.

How Drinking Caffeine Affects Your Skin

1. Caffeine Dehydrates Your Skin

Just like two of our other guilty pleasures, salt and alcohol, caffeine can cause dehydration in your skin. Caffeine is a mild diuretic, you see, which means it increases urine production in your kidneys, causing you to pee more and therefore get rid of vital moisture. As you know, water is crucial to the health of your skin, helping it to stay plump, soft, supple and strong. Without it, your skin can become dull, itchy and sensitive; bags can appear around your eyes, and any fine lines and wrinkles you have will become more pronounced.

Of course, if your chosen brew is more water than coffee this can counteract the diuretic effects of the caffeine, but if you’re an espresso drinker you might want to think about the number of cups you have in a day. Studies show that roughly four cups of regular, brewed coffee is a safe amount for most healthy adults. 

2. Caffeine Interferes With Your Sleep

According to the Sleep Foundation consuming caffeine negatively affects your sleep by blocking adenosine receptors. Adenosine is an important chemical that builds up in the brain while you’re awake to make you feel tired and help promote prolonged, quality sleep when you need it. Blocking the receptors that detect adenosine means your brain, instead, will continue to release chemicals to keep you awake. The result? Cruddy sleep.

Sleep is extremely important for the health of your skin because as your brain goes into rest mode, your skin does the exact opposite. Blood flow increases to nourish it with valuable nutrients; cell turnover accelerates to bring fresh, healthy skin cells to the surface, and collagen production speeds up to keep your skin strong and supple. Lose out on this valuable skin regeneration time and you can say goodbye to fabulous-looking skin and, in turn, welcome all the signs of premature aging you did not want to invite to the party.

3. Caffeine Can Make Breakouts Worse

Of course, caffeine doesn’t cause acne. But it has the potential to make your breakouts worse by heightening stress and causing an overproduction of cortisol which stimulates your sebaceous glands to go into overdrive. The result? Excess sebum which gets blocked in your pores and, well, you know the rest.

Caffeine: The Skincare Great

Of course, drinking caffeine isn’t all bad (it contains tons of antioxidants for starters!) and if you consume it in moderation – and never before bedtime – it can have its real perks.

What’s more, for all its pros and cons in the coffee and tea world, caffeine is extremely buzzy in skincare right now (pun 100% intended).

So, what’s the deal with topical caffeine? Well, for one thing, it has a very small molecular structure which means it’s able to penetrate the top layers of the skin and really dig into where it’s needed most. Major points, right there. It’s also thought to help slow down aging, boost collagen, brighten your skin and reduce redness and puffiness. Here’s how…

How Applying Topical Caffeine Affects Your Skin

1. Caffeine Is A Powerful Antioxidant

Like berries and other botanicals, tea and coffee beans both contain antioxidants to help protect your skin from free radical damage. Free radicals are the result of exposure to light, heat, pollution or other external aggressors and they’re highly reactive, unstable atoms. Due to their instability they snatch electrons from other atoms or molecules like collagen and elastin in an attempt to stabilize themselves, causing all manner of harm in their wake. Whereas collagen and elastin become damaged when they lose electrons, antioxidants are able to donate them freely without losing their own stability. This is why they’re so important for preserving your skin and warding off the signs of premature aging – especially those caused by UV radiation.

Of course, staying out of the sun, wearing a high, broad-spectrum sunscreen and having a healthy, balanced diet are all important ways to protect your skin from the visible effects of free radical damage. But topical antioxidants in your daily routine are also a very smart move. And caffeine is right up there with the likes of vitamin C, retinol and niacinamide. 

2. Caffeine Enhances Circulation

Caffeine is consumed primarily for its energizing benefits, right? Well, when you apply it to your skin it has similar invigorating effects by tightening your blood vessels and stimulating blood flow. It’s called a vasoconstrictor if it happens to come up at your next trivia night!

So how does that benefit the skin? Well, this improves circulation to help make your skin look brighter and firmer. It can work to reduce puffiness and under eye bags, so there’s also that.

Kinda makes sense when you think about it, doesn’t it?

3. Caffeine Has Anti-Inflammatory Powers

Caffeine also contains anti-inflammatory properties which can work to help reduce facial redness and soothe irritated skin. Inflammation occurs when your skin reacts to some kind of unwanted disruption like over-exposure to the sun, an injury, infection, allergen or existing skin condition. Most skin inflammation typically goes away after a few days or weeks – but if you apply topical anti-inflammatories you may be able to speed up this process.

Why do we care so much about caffeine, you may be wondering. Ha, we actually care about most skincare ingredients – whether we use them in our formulations or not – because, when it comes to what goes on your skin, knowledge is everything. But since you asked, caffeine is also the star of our new, aptly named Caffeine Facial Serum!

This incredible, daily serum combines the energizing, brightening effects of caffeine with other skincare greats including niacinamide, EGCG, matcha green tea and ginseng. It’s basically your ticket to even-looking, tighter-looking, brighter-looking, smoother-looking, here’s-looking-at-you fabulous skin. 

Learn all about it, right here!

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

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

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

1. Bakuchiol

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

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

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

2. Ceramides

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

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

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

3. Hyaluronic Acid

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

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

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

4. Niacinamide

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

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

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

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

5. Oat Milk

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

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

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

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

6. Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate

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

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

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

7. Zinc Oxide

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

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

And Before We Leave…

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

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

No matter the culprit of your facial redness, hot weather can be a beast. Here’s how to battle unwanted summertime inflammation with awesome skincare choices.

Facial redness can be caused by a number of different factors, but whatever the reason for your pesky flushing, the underlying issue is inflammation which makes your blood vessels dilate to allow your immune system to deal with the affected areas more swiftly. It’s basically the human body at its best. But it’s annoying at the same time because it forces blood to the surface of your skin. And blood = redness. 

Inflammation can be down to the simplest of things. Too much alcohol or spicy foods, for example, can send some people’s skin into redness overdrive. As can certain overly pokey ingredients in your skincare routine. Then, there are the more tricky underlying issues such as autoimmune diseases or chronic skin woes like rosacea, seborrheic dermatitis, eczema and acne, all of which can cause unwanted flare-ups – including redness, among many other things.

Sunlight and heat can also be a major trigger, irritating the skin and basically fanning the flames of skin inflammation, or skinflammation, if you will.

So, what’s the plan? Well, dealing with inflammation is not the easiest of tasks. But it’s doable, for sure. Read on for five important ways to help prevent facial redness as the mercury rises.

1. Be Kind To Your Barrier Function

A strong, healthy barrier function is crucial when it comes to almost every single issue with your skin – but especially with things like flushing and inflammation. How so? Well, your skin’s barrier is the uppermost layer of your skin which is like a brick wall built from around 20 layers of cells. This intricate layer is super important because it provides your body with its first line of defense against things like pollution, allergens and other irritating environmental stressors that can trigger facial redness with lightning speeds. It basically keeps out the bad guys, while retaining vital moisture to ensure your skin stays soft, supple and healthy.

So, how can you look after it to the absolute max? By keeping a strict eye on what you put on your skin, that’s how. Avoid ingredients like peppermint, synthetic fragrance, parabens, phthalates and strong alcohol and go steady with active ingredients like retinol, glycolic acid and vitamin C. These can be fantastic for the look and feel of your skin, but too much of a good thing can cause irritation.

Of course, you can still enjoy the benefits of active ingredients but if your skin is unhappy, don’t push it. Hone down your application to alternative days or just a couple of times a week. And if it’s still feeling blue (sorry, red!)? Try switching to a kind-to-skin serum like our Niacinamide (B3) Facial Serum. Studies show that niacinamide is extremely effective for treating inflammatory skin by increasing the production of ceramides in its top layers. They're the waxy lipids that help retain moisture, reduce irritation and protect your skin from external nasties, btw.

2. Make Sunscreen Your Most Important Skincare Habit

If you weren’t yet aware (c’mon, where HAVE you been?), safeguarding your skin from the punishing UV rays with an effective, broad-spectrum sunscreen is everything. It protects your collagen from breaking down and aging you up super fast. It also stops melanin from going crazy and making your skin look patchy and uneven. And don’t even get us started on skin cancer.

In terms of facial redness, UV light is a major trigger of inflammation so sunscreen can be a very useful tool for helping to break the cycle – especially if you have rosacea.

Make sure you apply a mineral-rich sunscreen every morning (mineral formulations are less irritating for sensitive skin than chemical ones) and reapply every couple of hours after prolonged sun exposure.

Other key ingredients to look out for include cooling, soothing aloe and cucumber extract – both of which you’ll find in our awesome SPF 30 Mineral Sunscreen with Vitamin C.

3. Go Big On Cooling, Anti-Inflammatory Foods

While spicy foods, caffeine and alcohol are very common food triggers for inflammation there are plenty of excellent foods that have incredible anti-inflammatory benefits. Fresh veggies like squash, cucumber, leafy greens, broccoli and celery, for starters, are definitely your friend. As are oily fish, berries, avocados, olive oil and nuts.

And don’t forget your humble glass of cooling, fresh water which helps to keep your digestive system in good working order, thereby reducing inflammation. Sounds simple when we put it like that, right? That’s because it is.

4. Avoid Over-Exfoliation

One of the worst things you can do if you suffer with ‘hot weather’ facial redness is to exfoliate too vigorously or, worse still, too often. Harsh scrubs, facial mitts and cleansing brushes are just going to be too much for your skin if you use them on a daily basis, especially if you combine them with a nightly retinol routine as well.

Limit your use of exfoliants to days when you know you’re going to be out of the sun and even then, only apply the gentlest of formulations. Try our Vitamin C Gentle Face Scrub or 6% AHA, BHA + PHA Liquid Exfoliant which is a great, non-abrasive option that takes care of business even if you only use it once or twice a week.

5. Try A Cool Compress

If your redness is down to plain old heat (or one too many glasses of wine), one of the quickest and easiest ways to calm it down is to apply a cool compress to your skin. Cold temperatures cause the blood vessels to contract, therefore reducing blood flow to your skin and lessening any redness you may be experiencing.

Grab a clean washcloth, run it under cold water for a few seconds, then wring it out and lay it over your face for a minute or so. It’s amazing how much this simple trick really does work.

Experts agree, however, that coldness can actually make some types of facial redness – rosacea, in particular – worse, so tread carefully. And avoid applying actual ice cubes directly to your skin. Tiktokers may say otherwise, but ice can strip your skin of natural oils and compromise your barrier function.

Minerals have historically taken a backseat in skincare, but they truly deserve a place in your daily routine.

Vitamins and minerals: they’re like PB and J, gin and tonic, Rachel and Ross. But are they? Really? While we often talk about vitamins and minerals in the same breath, it’s frequently the vitamins we concentrate on. Especially in terms of skincare ingredients. Vitamin A, aka retinol, needs no introduction, being the absolute gold standard in skincare, while vitamin C is everything when it comes to providing antioxidant protection and brightening powers. Then you’ve got the classic favorite, vitamin E which has been used and loved for years for its nurturing, soothing qualities. Even vitamin B3 has become a regular in the quest for gorgeous skin – that’s niacinamide, btw.

So, where are all the minerals in this list of skincare greats? Well, up until recently, they’ve been somewhat absent. But thanks to some serious innovations from major skincare brands (us included!), they’re now being utilized across a whole host of formulations. And how!

Read on for everything you need to know about these unassuming but potent ingredients.

What Are Minerals?

Minerals are naturally-occurring elements or compounds that each have a unique chemical composition. Not only are they present everywhere in nature, but they’re also found in foods and are prevalent in the human body where they’re essential for development and everyday functioning. Of course, minerals like magnesium, calcium, silica and potassium are crucial for bone, tissue and organ formation, but they’re also among many minerals that are super important for healthy skin.

What Are The Benefits Of Minerals In Skincare?

There are a ton of minerals that can be used to great advantage within a well-rounded skincare routine, and they each offer different benefits to skin health. By encouraging better communication between the skin cells, they improve efficiency at this vital cellular level which results in stronger, firmer, brighter-looking skin. Think improved moisturization, better elasticity, accelerated healing, the works.

The premise is not unlike taking a multivitamin supplement. These commonly contain minerals as well as vitamins (although why minerals don’t get credit in the name, we’ll never know!) and are a great way to improve your internal health. Similarly, a multi-pronged approach to your skincare routine that is full of well-curated vitamins and minerals is just as beneficial to the health of your skin. It’s pretty simple, when you think about it.

5 Of Our Favorite Minerals In Skincare

So which minerals should you be looking out for? Well, below are five beauties we think deserve pride of place in your skincare routine.

1. Zinc

Zinc is extremely well studied and possibly one of the most important minerals for your skin. For starters, it helps regulate sebum production, encourages collagen production and supports better healing. It also reduces inflammation which makes it fantastic for helping to reduce acne-causing bacteria from the surface of your skin. And that’s great news for anyone who deals with breakouts on a regular basis.

Zinc is also known to help other inflammatory conditions like eczema by strengthening the skin’s barrier function and helping to reduce transepidermal water loss.

And, then, of course, there are its sun protective properties. One of two important mineral sunscreens (along with titanium dioxide), zinc oxide reflects the sun’s damaging UV rays from your skin, creating a protective shield to keep your skin safe from harm. And we don’t need to tell you how important protecting your skin from the sun is, do we? DO WE? Apply SP30 Mineral Sunscreen with Vitamin C every day, people. It could not be more important.

2. Magnesium

As the fourth most common mineral in the human body, magnesium is another useful one for saying ‘no way’ to acne, rosacea or facial redness. It does its stuff by reducing cortisol levels in your skin (the ‘stress’ hormone) and improving cell communication which, in turn, keeps your sebum levels in check and helps reduce irritation. It also works hard to strengthen your barrier function which enhances hydration by keeping all the good stuff in your skin and the bad stuff out.

Our Multi-Vitamin Facial Serum is a fantastic way to up the magnesium levels in your skin as it contains a smart electrolyte blend which includes potassium and calcium as well as magnesium. It also contains zinc. It’s literally a shoo-in for getting your daily fill of minerals and vitamins!

Speaking of potassium…

3. Potassium

Potassium’s main MO is to regulate water content in every cell of your body. It makes total sense, therefore that it’s vital for helping your skin to retain water and thus combat the effects of dehydration.

How can you tell if your skin is dehydrated? Well, dehydrated skin feels tight like dry skin, but it can be oily at the same time. It will also appear duller than normal and any fine lines or wrinkles will look more prominent thanks to the lack of water keeping your skin plump and healthy-looking. Sounds familiar? Then you would be wise to look for skincare that contains potassium as well as other hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid and aloe vera.

4. Calcium

An essential mineral well-known for keeping your teeth and bones strong and firm, calcium is another goodie for your skin. It’s important because it helps your skin turn over efficiently.

As you know, your skin renews itself by producing new cells that move up to the surface, then die and naturally slough away. This process is great for keeping your skin in top-top shape. However, as you age, the whole thing slows down and dead skin cells end up staying on the surface for longer than necessary, contributing to dull skin, poor texture and all manner of aging issues.

Of course, exfoliation is a great way to improve cellular turnover, but applying topical calcium is another helpful way to replenish new cells and reinforce the resilience and firmness of your skin. That’s why it’s another key ingredient in our Multi-Vitamin Facial Serum.

5. Silver

Finally, we have silver, or more specifically, colloidal silver which is a liquid solution containing nano-particles of silver.

Colloidal silver has been used for centuries to aid healing due to its fantastic antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. It’s extremely soothing and often used to deal with breakouts of acne, eczema and rosacea. Experts also believe that it helps to target environmental stress by combating free radical damage, which makes it a smart choice for anyone looking to rejuvenate their skin and hold off on those visible signs of premature aging that we all know and don’t love.

If you fancy adding a little silver to your skincare life, try our incredible Ocean Minerals Super Toner which is packed with colloidal silver as well as more than 90 nutrient-rich marine minerals. And yes, you read that correctly, 90 whole minerals!

Menopausal skin can be anything from slightly tricky to downright terrible. But wayward hormones needn’t get the better off you. You just need to know what to expect and get ahead of the game.

How times have changed. Rewind ten, maybe just five years ago and the ‘m’ word was never spoken about. This important life-changing period of time that happens to every single woman alive, literally brushed under the carpet as if it were some dirty secret. Total madness.

Thankfully, we live in different times and the menopause (there, we said it!) is now a topic we can openly talk about without feeling ashamed or, heaven’s forbid, old. Because it’s an important time and can bring a lot of unsettling uncertainties to any woman going through this perfectly natural stage of life. Hot flashes, weight gain, mood swings, zero energy, they can all go hand in hand with the menopause.

And then there’s your skin which also has its own challenges to contend with.

How The Menopause Affects Your Skin

The menopause can be split into three stages. Perimenopause begins first, usually in a woman’s 40s (although it can start as early as your 30s and as late as your 50s). This period of your life refers to the time in which your body starts to transition out of your reproductive years and into the menopause. Your body’s production of hormones (mainly estrogen and progesterone, but also testosterone to a certain degree) starts to decline, your periods become irregular and a few of the classic side effects may come to fruition. Fun times!

Then you obviously get the menopause which is when your body’s hormones cause you to completely stop menstruating (which can take many years) and all those fabulous (said with a side of irony) side-effects get stronger and more frequent. More fun times. Once menopause is over and you’ve stopped ovulating for a year you’re then said to be in the postmenopause and will be forever more.

As you progress through these different stages, your hormones are all over the place which is never great news for the health of your skin. You see, hormone fluctuations can affect your levels of sebum (cue dryness). Not only that but they upset your collagen production which is already declining as part of the natural aging process (cue wrinkles and sagging skin). Estrogen is also important for helping your skin to retain water so when these levels decrease your skin can’t hydrate itself as efficiently (cue dehydration).

Of course, changes in your skin depend on your skin type but, no matter what, you can inevitably look forward to some kind of ‘unpredictability’ during the menopausal years of your life.

5 Ways To Care For Menopausal Skin

If you’ve started to notice that your skin is misbehaving a little more than it used to, chances are you’re in the stage of your life in which your hormones have become, shall we say, less reliable. Read on for a few effective ways to help keep your skin in check as your hormones are very much not!

1. Be Kind

The most important thing to remember? Don’t panic. Freaking out and overcompensating for dry skin, dehydration, breakouts or wrinkles that were never before is a sure-fire way to irritate your skin. Instead, be gentle with your skin, cleansing, toning and treating it with kindness and respect. Most importantly, avoid ingredients like synthetic fragrances and harsh alcohols that will strip your skin and generate further problems you didn’t sign up for.

A great way to do this? Switch out your regular cleanser for Soothing Cleansing Milk which is perfect for menopausal skin, nurturing and calming your barrier function while bringing vital hydration and even a little exfoliation to the table.

2. Moisturize To The Max

Research shows that the most common skin complaint during the menopause is dry, irritated, and often itchy skin. This is all thanks to lowering levels of estrogen (an important skin hydrator) as well as reduced sebum. Without both of these important moisturizing tools, water is able to escape more easily from the surface of your skin which leads to dryness, dehydration and everything that comes with it.

To help get ahead of this, you’re going to want to introduce a hydrating serum as well as a really good moisturizer into your daily regime. Try the kick-ass combo of our Multi-Vitamin Facial Serum and Renewing Longevity Moisturizing Cream every morning, and Vitamin C Deep Hydration Night Cream before bed.

3. Use Smart Skincare Ingredients To Control Breakouts

Cell turnover becomes super sluggish during this time in your life which gives dead skin cells a free ticket to hang around at the surface of your skin and make your complexion look kind of dull. When it’s combined with wayward hormones it’s also asking for acne breakouts to do a real number on your skin. For most people these are mild and easily managed with healing, anti-inflammatory skincare ingredients like salicylic acid, niacinamide and tea tree oil – well, hello there Tea Tree Face Wash and Tea Tree Super Serum+.

If you feel like yours are more serious and out of control, however, seek help from a dermatologist.

4. Look After Your Collagen

It’s thought that skin loses a massive 30 percent of its natural collagen levels during the first five years of the menopause. Sound like a lot, right? Yeah, that’s because it is. And collagen is extremely important for the strength, firmness and elasticity of your skin so you’ve got to do everything you can to keep it healthy and plentiful.

How to do this? With a healthy diet, good sleep, marginal stress (preferably none at all, but it’s OK, we’re all human) and some smart skincare choices. Namely retinol at night (is there anything retinol isn’t good for?!), alongside our fabulous Collagen range which includes Smoothing Collagen Serum, Firming Collagen Day Lotion and our Collagen Boosting Skin Supplement which contains vegetarian collagen (none of that animal stuff for us, thanks) alongside skin-strengthening vitamins, biotin and acai.

5. Apply SPF Like Your Skin Depends On It

Because, heads up, it actually does. Dark spots are likely to get darker, bigger and more prevalent during your menopausal years as decades of sun exposure combine with wild hormones, causing your melanin to lose control of itself. Your fine lines and wrinkles are equally likely to suffer thanks to a lack of collagen helping to reinforce the strength and plumpness of your skin. Sigh.

Our advice? Don’t leave the house without applying SPF 30 Mineral Sunscreen with Vitamin C to your face and neck. It’s packed with sun-protective zinc oxide as well as aloe vera to hydrate and nourish your skin and a TruSkin favorite, brightening vitamin C. It’s basically a skincare must. Every. Day. Of. The Year.