True Radical Honesty From Our Community

Don’t sweat the small stuff. Love your skin for its absolute brilliance at keeping you alive. Then, and only then, should you think about dealing with any little concerns you may have…

We’ve said this before and we’ll say this again: your skin is awesome. We know it’s hard to remember that when all you see in the mirror are lines, sun damage and/or pesky pimples. But know one thing – others don’t see these so-called flaws like you do. More likely they’re coveting your shiny hair or checking out your cute new pumps.

With this in mind, take a deep breath, smile at yourself in the mirror and congratulate yourself for continuing to do the best you can to maintain healthy, radiant skin. Then you can afford to think about what to do to minimize the stuff you’re not so fond of. After all, nobody’s skin is perfect…

So, what’s your gripe? Hormonal breakouts? Lines around your eyes? Glaringly obvious pores? Then let’s figure out how to deal with those, while trying to remember that a) they’re not the end of the world, b) they don’t define you and c) you are not alone.

Now, let’s spring into action. Because being proactive about your ‘flaws’ (gosh, we hate that word) will immediately make you feel better about them. You see, it’s all about taking control…

Stress #1: Pimples & Blackheads

Freaking out over your breakouts will only make matters worse, as emotional stress causes your body to produce an excess of cortisol – aka the ‘stress hormone.’ Says it all, right? Too much cortisol in your system not only accelerates inflammation, but it screws up the natural pH level of your skin. This forces your sebaceous glands into overdrive, making them produce too much sebum which has nowhere to go but your pores. 

Take Action: First up, make sure you gently cleanse your skin twice daily to remove build-up of dirt, makeup, oils and bacteria. This is extremely important if you’re prone to breakouts and our Charcoal Face Wash is the ideal guy for the job.

Also, introduce a treatment serum into your routine, preferably one that contains anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory ingredients like salicylic acid and tea tree oil. Our Tea Tree Serum is carefully formulated to help unclog pores and soothe acne-prone skin. Plus it only needs to be applied two or three times a week for visible results. Gotta love that.

Stress #2: Fine Lines

Why is it that fine lines seem to suddenly appear out of nowhere? Cheeky little monsters, aren’t they? Usually found around expressive areas on your face such as your eyes, mouth and forehead, fine lines occur when repeated muscle movements like smiling and frowning cause your skin to become weak in those specific areas. In your younger days, skin can easily bounce back, but as time ticks on it becomes thinner, less elastic and hence the creation of lines.

Take Action: Expression lines around your eyes and mouth are all part of life but to minimize their impact, you must look after your skin’s barrier function. This uppermost layer of your skin is super important for protecting you from external toxins and pollution as well as for reducing moisture loss. Without a strong, healthy barrier, skin becomes dry, dehydrated and will look old way before its time.

To care for your barrier function avoid over-cleansing and over-exfoliating with harsh, oil-stripping chemicals. Instead, flood your skin with hydration (hello glycerin and hyaluronic acid), antioxidants and moisturizer, and apply sunscreen every morning.

Stress #3: Hyperpigmentation

Freckles when you’re 7-years-old might be cute, but brown patches on your face that get darker and bigger as you age? Kind of annoying.

Hyperpigmentation is caused by an overproduction of melanin (pigment) in your skin. Melanin production stays fairly uniform throughout your life, but when something throws it off, it causes certain areas of your skin to become darker than the rest, resulting in a patchy, uneven skin tone.

Take Action: Hyperpigmentation comes in many forms and can be caused by anything from hormones and acne, through to poorly healed bites, cuts and scrapes. However, most dark spots are either caused, or at least exacerbated by the sun. This is why protecting your skin from the damaging sun is so, SO important. Of course, you must apply a broad-spectrum SPF30+ sunscreen every morning to stop UV radiation from doing a number on your skin, but antioxidants are also great for fighting sun-induced free radical damage.

Vitamin C is a particular favorite of ours because it not only battles free radicals, but also works hard to brighten your skin. Clever. Apply Vitamin C Facial Serum every morning to cleansed skin – before moisturizer and sunscreen – for the ultimate in UV protection.

Stress #4: Enlarged Pores

Hands up if your pores drive you insane. Boy, do we hear you. The problem, however, is that the size of your pores is predetermined by your genes and you simply cannot shrink them. Because biology. However, sun damage, a poor diet and the natural aging process all contribute to them appearing more prominent because these stressors break down collagen and therefore work against the firmness of your skin. Allowing your pores to become blocked is also a massive no-no as excess baggage will cause them to stretch and appear bigger.

Take Action: Gentle exfoliation with a chemical exfoliator is a great way to keep your pores tight and free from clogging debris. Glycolic and lactic acids are very effective but if you also suffer with oily skin, there’s little better than salicylic acid. Salicylic acid is a beta hydroxy acid (BHA) that cuts through oil to exfoliate deep within your pores. It also reduces redness and inflammation as an added bonus.

Apply Tea Tree Clear Skin Serum twice weekly to get your exfoliating fix of salicylic acid, plus other skin-loving ingredients like vitamin C, niacinamide and hyaluronic acid.

Stress #5: Puffy Eyes & Dark Circles

Thinner, drier and more delicate than the rest of your face, the skin around your eyes takes a real hit from aging – sometimes as early as in your twenties. This is because collagen and elastin starts to degrade around this time: cue fine lines and dark circles. Tissues also start to weaken, allowing fat to shift south and excess fluids to pool under your eyes: cue eye bags the size of a small country.

Take Action: Looking after the skin around your eyes is a delicate operation. Invest in an eye treatment like Peptide Eye Gel, but apply it very gently around your eyes, using only the smallest amount and patting it onto your skin with your ring fingers to reduce pressure and dragging. Aggressively rubbing your eyes damages collagen and weakens your skin which will make lines and dark circles appear so much worse.

Now smile! 

Because we don’t profess to know EVERYTHING about skin, but we like to help out as much as we can.

Incoming: the five most common questions we’ve received over the last year from you, our favorite TruSkin customers. Oh, and more importantly, their answers. Because what would be the point of questions without answers?

1. How Do I Choose The Right Products For My Skin Type?

Knowing your skin type is obviously the first and most important step here. Then and only can you make a considered judgement on which products and ingredients will best suit your skin.

To figure out your skin type, wash it with a gentle cleanser like Vitamin C Brightening Cleanser, then pat it dry with a clean towel and leave it for about an hour. After this hour, study your skin in the mirror and touch it. If it feels and looks pretty similar to how it looked immediately after cleansing, it’s normal. If it looks shiny and feels greasy to the touch it’s oily. Maybe it feels tight and looks patchy and dry in places? Then it’s dry. And if it’s a mixture of all three, it’s combination.

Once you’ve nailed this, it’s much simpler to build your routine. For oily skin, your regime should include products that contain ingredients like tea tree oil, charcoal and salicylic acid which cut through excess oils and help balance your skin. Check out our Charcoal Face Wash and Tea Tree Serum if you haven't already.... Don’t forget, however, oily skin requires moisturization and hydration just as much as other skin types so make sure you get a good fix of lightweight ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin – preferably in gel or lotion formulations. Avoid occlusive ingredients like rich butters and heavy oils as these create a barrier on the surface of your skin and block pores.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, occlusives are ideal if your skin is dry. Shea butter, olive oil, cocoa butter and coconut oil, for example, are perfect for locking in moisture and boosting your lack of natural oils, so make sure any moisturizer you choose is packed with occlusives, as well as humectants like HA, aloe and glycerin. Be careful around potent active ingredients like glycolic acid and retinol as these could cause extra dryness. But that being said, you don’t need to avoid them altogether. Just be wise, listen to your skin and always patch test new products before using them for the first time.

If you have combination skin, your routine should be based around balancing oily areas and moisturizing the dry ones. Again, hyaluronic acid is ideal for hydrating without overloading your skin, so definitely include this in your daily regime. And spot-treat oily areas with tea tree oil.

Of course, if you have normal skin, you can get away with most things (lucky you), but don’t get too cocky and throw caution to the wind or you could become plagued by irritation or breakouts. Be gentle with your skin and always patch test new products.

2. What’s The Correct Order For Applying My Different Skincare Products?

It can be tricky to know in which order to apply your products but you just need to remember one simple thing. After cleansing and toning, your products should always be applied in order of weight, from light to heavy. Thinner products can’t penetrate through the thicker ones, so this rule makes perfect sense when you think about it.

This means that first comes serum, then your eye treatment, followed by moisturizer and finally sunscreen. If you like to use a face oil, this should come between moisturizer and sunscreen.

Easy when you know.

3. Do I Really Need To Use Toner?

Ah, the million dollar question. Well, in all honesty, like most skincare products, whether you use toner or not is all down to choice and what you want to achieve from your routine.

But first, let’s get one thing straight: toners are not what you remember from years gone by. Most skincare manufacturers have realized that stinging formulations and squeaky clean skin are no longer what consumers want, so things like drying alcohols and eye-watering chemicals have been removed. Nowadays, toners are more about treating, hydrating or gently exfoliating your skin in order to prime it for the rest of your routine. Of course, they’re optional, but as are serums and eye creams, so if you want to do the best for your skin, we say go for it.

Our Ocean Minerals Super Toner contains collagen-boosting peptides to strengthen your skin, glycolic acid to encourage cell turnover and a whole bunch of antioxidants to protect your skin from the daily onslaught of environmental damage. Now, why wouldn’t you want to give your skin all that?

4. What Is A Serum Supposed To Do?

Serums are like the super-powered tequila shots to your 'gin and tonic' moisturizer. OK, bad analogy, but you understand what we’re getting at, right? Extremely potent, serums exist to deliver concentrated levels of active ingredients right where your skin needs them. Unlike moisturizers which are thicker and contain larger, heavy molecules, serums are super lightweight and have much smaller molecules which are able to penetrate your skin quicker and deeper.

This means that while they’re not an essential part of your routine (unlike cleanser, moisturizer and sunscreen) they pack a real punch and can make a remarkable difference to the look, feel and health of your skin. If yours is feeling dehydrated, for example, and your moisturizer isn’t cutting the mustard, a hydrating serum is going to be exactly what it needs. Or perhaps your skin is feeling dull and needs a high-powered pick-me-up? Then a serum containing brightening vitamin C can reap a thousand rewards.

Serums might be tiny, but they’re invincible. Check out our range of serums for all skin types and concerns, right here.

5. What Does Vitamin C Do For My Skin?

Speaking of vitamin C, this is the one ingredient that seems to baffle you the most. But, the good news is we know a lot about vitamin C. Like, a helluva lot, so hit us with your questions as we love hearing from you…

In the meantime, what exactly is vitamin C in skincare and what are its benefits? Well, pure vitamin C (also known as ascorbic acid) is an essential nutrient and powerful antioxidant that’s produced synthetically for everything from cleansers and toners to moisturizers and serums. It’s actually one of the most highly studied ingredients in skincare so you know you’re getting the real deal, and it works hard to fight free radical damage to boost collagen production, even your skin tone and basically give you better, more glowy skin.

The only problem is that pure vitamin C is highly volatile and can be a little irritating, especially if you have sensitive skin. This is why we use a gentler, more stable version called sodium ascorbyl phosphate, or SAP to its friends. And yes, that includes you.

SAP is a salt derivative of ascorbic acid which converts to vitamin C once it’s been applied to your skin. This makes it way more tolerable while still being extremely good at its job. The saltiness is also why many of our vitamin C-enriched serums have a slightly cloudy look to them. Just remember, cloudy is good and a sure sign of brighter times ahead. For your skin and your mood.

Because looking good always makes you feel great.

And can we have a high-five for that?

Put aside your serums, essences, oils and elixirs for a hot minute because it’s time to focus on the basics. Why? Because they might be basic but they’re actually the most important part of a kick-ass skincare routine…

The basics of a good skincare routine are simple: your skin needs to be cleansed regularly, moisturized effectively and always protected from the damaging rays of the sun. End of. Yes, eye treatments are awesome for targeted puffiness, crow’s feet, dark circles and everything else that causes you grief in the area around your eyes. And sure, antioxidant serums are the bomb for all number of issues like dryness, dullness, wrinkles and dark spots. But if you’re not down with a fabulous cleansing, moisturizing and sun protecting routine, you can forget the rest.

Feel like you’re overlooking what are undoubtedly the most important elements of your skincare regime? Then it’s probably time to get back to basics. Here’s how…

How To Nail The Basic Steps Of A Top Quality Skincare Routine

The first thing to remember with any regime is that no matter your skin type, condition, concerns or budget, your skin is super fragile and needs to be treated with the utmost of respect. This means avoiding tons of parabens, sulfates, phthalates and the like, while simultaneously taking it easy when it comes to potent, active ingredients like retinol and vitamin C. Sure, active ingredients are awesome for your skin – but only in small doses and only if they don’t cause your skin to freak out. Try to remember that.

Now, let’s get down to the specifics of a classic but effective cleansing, moisturizing and sun protecting routine.

1. Cleansing

People often dismiss cleansing as being unimportant, believing you can just wash your face with soap for a few seconds and job done. Not so. We believe cleansing is one of the most essential parts of your routine. Not only does it remove all the impurities from the surface of your skin including excess oils, dead skin cells, sweat, dirt, makeup and pollution, but creating a clean canvas helps set the rest of your routine up to succeed. If you leave all that grime sitting on your skin it will build up, block your pores and cause irritation, breakouts and premature aging. It will also create a barrier which the rest of your products will find almost impossible to penetrate. And what’s the point in investing in fantastic serums and moisturizers if they can’t do their jobs properly? No point. No point at all.

To nail your cleansing routine, do it every morning and every night (nope, facial wipes don’t count) and choose kind formulations that aren’t chock full of stripping alcohols or nasty sulfates like SLS and SLES. Gentle balancing cleansers are great for oily skin but avoid anything that’s too drying as this will overstimulate your sebaceous glands and exacerbate oiliness. Our amazing Charcoal face wash is a sweet choice for oily, combination or acne-prone skin. For the rest of you, try our awesome Vitamin C Brightening Cleanser.

One of our biggest pieces of advice for pro-style cleansing is not to rush. If you spend just a couple of minutes gently massaging your skin as you cleanse you will instantly boost blood flow and lymphatic drainage which brings oxygen to the skin and helps take toxins away. You don’t need to get too handsy, either, just be gentle and use the pads of your fingers to work your cleanser in circular motions all over.

After you’ve massaged your face and neck for two minutes, rinse well – using lukewarm (never hot) water – then pat your skin dry with a fresh, clean towel. Hot water is a major no-no as it strips your skin. And using dirty communal towels the whole family dries their hands with? Not cool for your beautifully cleansed face.

2. Moisturizing

Moisturizing your skin has to be one of the best parts of your routine. Are we right or are we right? There’s just something about smoothing cream or lotion on your skin that feels so darn good. Moisturizing is also vital for taking care of your skin’s barrier function and keeping your skin soft, supple and healthy. So, there’s that.

The best time to moisturize, if you’re not toning or applying treatment serums, is straight after cleansing while your skin is still slightly damp. This helps lock moisture into your skin for extra hydration. Neat huh? Make sure your hands are super clean – they should be because you’ve just cleansed – then apply a quarter-sized amount over your face and neck, using the palms of your hands to smooth it all over. Put your hands in a prayer position, either side of your nose, then press your hands flat onto your skin and work them up and out towards your hairline. Repeat this two or three times, then repeat over your forehead, finishing at your jawline and finally your neck. This should help you create an even layer all over.

If your skin still feels tight, dry or dehydrated, don’t go ahead and pile on more moisturizer. Instead, your skin is trying to tell you that you either need a heavier formulation or that you might benefit from a treatment serum before you moisturize. The same principle applies if your moisturizer feels too rich or heavy. Don’t scrimp on how much you apply, simply switch it up with a lighter gel or lotion formulation. Vitamin C Brightening Moisturizer and Vitamin C Deep Hydration Night Cream have both been formulated to suit most skin types, but still, it’s all about listening to your skin, people.

3. Protecting Your Skin From The Sun

The last step in any skincare routine, whether you stick with the basics or go full-on K Beauty on us, is to apply sunscreen. The fact is simple: the sun is the number one cause of skin aging. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation people who apply sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or more every day show 24 percent less skin aging than those who don’t. Now, we don’t know about you, but we’ll take 24 percent less aging in a heartbeat, thanks very much.

Our advice when it comes to applying sunscreen is simple. Smooth it generously over any area of your skin that's not covered by clothing, and apply it every day of the year. Cloudy days? Yes. Snowy days? Even more so. UV radiation is present all year round. End of discussion.

Around half a teaspoon is an ideal amount to generously cover your face and neck, according to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD). And if you’re spending all day outside? Then you'll need to reapply it every two hours and immediately after swimming or sweating. Also, when it comes to specific ingredients, the FDA recognizes just two safe and effective ones for protecting your skin against damaging UV radiation: zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. Make sure any formulation you choose contains one or both of these.

Simple? Yes. Effective? 100 percent.

#1: Yes, you absolutely DO need to apply sunscreen on cloudy days.

You all know the importance of generously slapping on sun protection before heading out for a day at a beach/park/backyard bbq. But what about the rest of the year? Must you? So, what’s the correct SPF value? And if you apply an SPF 30 are you doubly protected than if you were to apply SPF 15? 

The facts about sun protection can be fairly mind-boggling. But it's vital you know what's what. Not only is the sun accountable for around 90 percent of skin aging, but according to the Skin Cancer Foundation, skin cancer is the most common cancer all over the world (including right here in the US). A staggering 9,500 people are diagnosed with skin cancer every day and two people die of it every hour of every day. Now, we don’t know about you, but we find those statistics very worrying. 

The good news, however, is that most cases are totally preventable simply by protecting your skin. Of course, we know you’re not silly enough to use tanning beds, so we’re going to scratch that from the equation straight away. But even the most skincare savvy among you might not be aware of the real truth when it comes to looking after your skin in the sun. How so? Because there are way too many myths floating around about what you should and shouldn’t do. Sigh.

Thankfully, there’s a simple solution to that. Dispell these myths with pure, unadulterated facts. And we're so on that…

Myth #1: You Only Need Sunscreen On Super Sunny Days

The Real Truth: While it might sound like an urban myth, a whopping 80 percent of the sun’s rays pass right through clouds, causing just as much damage to your skin on gray, dreary days as they do on sunny ones. Just remember, sun damage is caused by UV radiation from the sun, not heat, so even though it feels cooler on cloudy days, those nasty rays are still very much there, just waiting to do a number on your collagen supplies and cause havoc to the DNA in your skin cells. UVB rays are certainly stronger in the summer (they’re the ones that burn), but UVA rays are the same strength all year round and they’re the long-term damagers that age you up and are the main cause of skin cancer. You have been warned.

Take Action: Apply sunscreen to any unprotected parts of your face and body every day of the year. Your face, in particular, is constantly subject to exposure and it's very susceptible to aging so look after it with sunscreen and antioxidants. Try Vitamin C Facial Serum every morning before moisturizing for a super-powered hit of antioxidants including vitamin C, vitamin E, aloe vera and hyaluronic acid. Then finish with a broad-spectrum sunscreen. No arguments.

Myth #2: SPF 30 Is Twice As Effective As SPF 15

The Real Truth: Put your math skills aside here because standard principles don’t apply when it comes to sun protection factors. It’s kinda confusing, but the main thing to remember is that SPF 15 blocks around 94 percent of UVB radiation, then anything above that is incremental. An SPF 30, for example, blocks around 97 percent, while SPF 50 gives you approximately 98 percent protection. Even an SPF 100 doesn’t offer 100 percent protection, more like 99 percent.

Take Action: The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) advises sticking with something around the SPF 30 mark for day-to-day use, maybe SPF 50 if you’re out in the sun all day. We agree. Also, make no mistake that a higher SPF means you don’t need to frequently reapply. The truth is, ALL sunscreens last for the same period of time. This means that no matter what SPF you’re using, you must always reapply every two hours and immediately after swimming or sweating.

Myth #3: The Sun Can’t Damage Your Skin If You Stay In The Shade

The Real Truth: This is so very wrong. For sure, staying under an umbrella or tree is going to reduce your risk of burning, but while you might be shielding yourself from visible sunlight, those pesky UV rays are still able to reflect off nearby surfaces and hit you where it hurts. Sand, for example, reflects around 25 percent of UV radiation.

Take Action: By all means, sit in the shade (in fact, we advise it), but don’t think you can do this and get away with not wearing sunscreen. You must still regularly and generously apply your SPF. Oh, and try to find solid rather than dappled shade as any holes or gaps will allow a certain amount of radiation to penetrate your skin.

Myth #4: You Don’t Need Sun Protection If You Have Dark Skin

The Real Truth: Sun damage can get to everyone in the end. It’s true, skin cancers like melanoma are less common for darker skin types because dark skin contains a higher level of protective melanin. However, nobody is 100 percent safe from skin cancers because they can attack any skin color. What’s more, they're harder to detect in black or brown skin which means they often go undetected and can become more life-threatening.

Take Action: The same advice applies here: use a broad-spectrum SPF 30 for every day use and SPF 50 for full-on days in the great outdoors. No matter your skin color. Also, be vigilant when it comes to checking for unusual moles or dark spots and get anything you're unsure of checked out immediately.

Myth #5: The Sun Can’t Damage Your Skin When Driving

The Real Truth: Oh, if only this one were true. However, glass does not block UVA radiation. We repeat, glass does not block UVA radiation. You’re pretty safe from burning UVB rays (unless you have the windows open, of course), but the sun’s nasty UVA rays can still penetrate through glass, causing all manner of cellular damage and premature aging like dark spots, fine lines and sagging skin. Tinted windows offer a small about of protection but you can’t legally tint your whole front window anyway, so that’s kind of a moot point.

Take Action: Again, protect, protect, protect with a broad-spectrum sunscreen that’s nothing less than SPF 30. The term ‘broad-spectrum’ means a product will protect your skin from UVA rays, not just UVB, and that’s super important here.
 
 

Because if your routine is all over the place, your skin could easily end up in the exact same boat.

Do you love your skin? And we’re not talking about your so-called imperfections because you’d be kind of weird if you truly loved your dark spots, lines and pimples. No, what we’re actually talking about is your skin as a whole. That massive and super important organ which accounts for around 15 percent of your entire body weight, covers an average of 20 square feet and is your body’s first line of defense against the world and everything it throws at you.

Understanding your skin and coming to terms with the fact that it may not be what it used to be is the first step to loving your complexion. And the second? Working diligently every single day to help protect, treat and maintain what you now have.

We believe that looking after your skin with a consistent regime is the single most important way to help balance your skin, prevent acne, treat dryness, reduce the visible effects of aging and so on and so forth. By sticking to a routine that includes gentle cleansing, targeted treatments, smart moisturizing and, of course, that all-important sun protection, you can rest assured you’re doing everything you can to manage the effects of time. And by doing this you automatically maximize your skin’s full potential. Which is all you can ask for, right?

So, how do you know what’s the correct routine for you? Well, first you need to understand your skin type.

What’s Your Skin Type?

Sure, you may have days when your skin feels oilier than others, but do you honestly have oily skin? And yes, your skin may feel a little irritated sometimes (don’t we all!), but is it genuinely sensitive?

To work out your true skin type, wash your face with a mild cleanser, then pat it dry and leave it completely bare for an hour or so. After this time, study it in the mirror and feel it with clean hands. If it feels tight and a little itchy it’s dry; if it looks shiny and feels greasy – especially around your t-zone – it’s oily; if it’s a bit of both it’s combination and if it looks the same as it did an hour ago – ie: peachy keen – then we hate you (jokes) because you’ve been blessed with the much-coveted normal skin.

Once you know your skin inside out, you can then tailor a smart routine that caters for both your skin type and your current concerns. Trust us, this knowledge is worth its weight in gold.

How To Build An Awesome Skincare Routine

Here’s how to nail the five most important steps…

1. Cleansing

No matter your skin type, gentle is always the way to go when it comes to cleansing your skin. Choose products that are free of irritating ingredients like sulfates, phthalates, silicones and bad alcohols, and make sure you cleanse every morning and night – without fail. Your skin is subject to all manner of toxins, chemicals and pollution throughout the day, not to mention the natural oils and sweat that blend with your makeup and build up on the surface of your skin. All this simply has to go before turning in for the night if you want to keep your skin clean, clear and healthy.

When you cleanse, use lukewarm water only as hot water could cause redness and irritation. Massage your face and neck (don’t forget your neck, people) using the pads of your fingers to boost blood flow and lymphatic drainage, then rinse thoroughly and pat dry with a clean towel. That communal hand towel the whole family uses to dry their hands? Unacceptable for the delicate skin on your face.

2. Toning

After cleansing, don’t forget to spritz your skin with toner. Long gone are the days when toners stripped your skin of every last drop of oil, claiming to be the cat’s whiskers for getting rid of acne spots but often making matters worse. Nowadays, toners are formulated to flood your skin with hydration, antioxidants, minerals, peptides, exfoliating acids, the works.

Even the most sensitive of skin can benefit from toner. Take our Rose Water Refreshing Facial Toner, for example. This 100 percent pure and natural Moroccan rose water gently balances, hydrates, calms and heals the skin, making it ideal for all skin types, but particularly great for irritated skin.

Simply mist it all over your skin immediately after cleansing. So easy, but so effective.

3. Treating

Now’s the time to apply your eye treatment and serum. Serum should come first, straight after toning, and remember, less is more. Apply just one or two drops to your fingers, then smooth or press it all over your face and neck. Take care not to massage it in too much as serums are formulated to penetrate your skin without too much effort on your behalf.

Think about what niggles you about your complexion and choose your serum accordingly. Are you concerned with dehydration? Then something with hyaluronic acid or glycerin should be your first port of call. Perhaps you want to target the visible signs of aging. Then you can’t go wrong with retinol. Or maybe your skin is looking dull and you want to up your radiance game. Say hello to vitamin C. We have a whole team of serums just waiting to help deal with your skin woes. You’re welcome.

After applying your serum, allow it to settle for a few minutes while applying an eye cream or gel to moisturize this notoriously dry area and target issues like dark circles or puffiness. The skin around your eyes is around 10 times thinner than the rest of your face, so avoid applying your regular moisturizer here – it could overload the skin and cause irritation or bags.

Again, a tiny amount of eye treatment is plenty, so dispense just one pump between the pads of your ring fingers, then dab it gently all around your eyes, taking care not to apply too much pressure or drag the skin. Big no-no, right there.

4. Moisturizing

Give your serum and eye treatment another minute to settle before applying the next stage in your awesome routine: moisturizer. This will help avoid pilling –  those annoying balls of product that build up on the surface of your skin.

Your moisturizer should be formulated with a blend of humectants (to hydrate) plus emollients and/or occlusives (to smooth and seal in moisture) and should be targeted to your specific skin type. Look out for oil-free, gel formulations if your skin is super oily, and richer butters or balms if you’re extremely dry.

Lotions and creams are ideal for normal or combination skin types, but if they’ve been formulated cleverly they can be great all-rounders for all. Our Vitamin C Brightening Moisturizer, for example, is an awesome choice for hydrating, moisturizing, brightening and protecting most skin types. Same goes for Vitamin C Deep Hydration Night Cream.

Apply a dime-sized amount all over your face and neck, using the palms of your hands. Start either side of your nose and sweep it out towards the hairline. Repeat this a few times, then work in the same motions over your forehead, chin, jawline and neck.

5. Protecting

Your nighttime regime is now complete. Not so for the morning because there’s one vital component missing here: sun protection. Of course, great serums and moisturizers will be packed with antioxidants to help protect your skin from sun-induced free radical damage, but you must further protect it with a broad-spectrum sunscreen every day of the year: rain or shine.

Unlike the rest of your regime, sun protection is not something you can afford to scrimp on. The Skin Cancer Foundation recommends a good nickel-sized dollop for your face, so don't be tight and apply it evenly and generously.

Now, Stick With It, People

You know your skin type, you’ve pinned down an awesome routine, now all that’s left to do is to stick with it. Of course, the odd lazy evening when you’re too tired to spend 10 minutes on your skin is OK, but try to keep up with a consistent routine as much as you can. And no matter how tired you are, at least cleanse and moisturize your precious skin before bed.

Your skin will thank you for it, we promise.

Consistently recommended by dermatologists, skincare acids can exfoliate, brighten, hydrate and even control pesky breakouts. Here, we take a look at five of the absolute best…

Who knew acids could be so awesome for your skin? Actually we did, which is why we formulated some of the most clinically researched and pretty dang effective skincare acids into your favorite TruSkin products.

So, no matter your skin type, age or concerns, it’s time to climb aboard the acid train. Not sure where to start? Then take a peek at these five absolute gems which promise to work hard to keep your skin looking (and feeling) totally awesome.

1. Citric Acid

Often overshadowed by the glycolics and lactics of this world (more on those in a jiffy), citric acid is a fully paid member of the alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) club. AHAs are chemical exfoliators that work by dissolving the ‘glue’ that binds dead skin cells together on the surface of your skin so they can shed more easily. This helps renew and revitalize your skin, improving the texture and tone of your skin and simultaneously softening the signs of aging.

Extracted from, yes you guessed it, citrus fruits such as lemons, limes, grapefruits and oranges, citric acid has a fairly large molecular structure which makes it way less potent than its AHA cousins. For sure, this makes it less immediately effective, but on the bright side it makes it a great choice for sensitive or problematic skin types looking to improve cell turnover without causing irritation.

Citric acid is also a natural, but gentle astringent which means it’s awesome at balancing excess oils, plus it contains antioxidant properties to help protect your skin from external baddies like pollution and sun damage.

A Great Choice For: Acid virgins, sensitive or oily skin types.

Find It In: Charcoal Clarifying Cleanser.

2. Glycolic Acid

One of the most effective AHAs available in skincare, glycolic acid has the same exfoliating prowess as citric acid – to the power of ten. This is all down to its small molecular structure which allows it to penetrate your skin way quicker and deeper than other AHAs. Its mini-me molecules also work to stimulate collagen production which is always a winner for firmer, younger-looking skin.

Glycolic acid is extracted from sugar cane or fruit and is often used in professional chemical peels due to its exfoliating super powers. Derms highly recommend it for helping to reduce the visible signs of aging like lines, wrinkles, dullness and dark spots, but it also makes a mean anti-acne treatment by helping to keep those pores of yours clean and clear.

A Great Choice For: Anyone looking to improve tone and texture. It’s a potent acid, however, so start low and slow and always patch test any glycolic acid formulation before using it for the first time.

Find It In: Ocean Minerals Super Toner and Hyaluronic Acid Eye Cream.

3. Hyaluronic Acid

You’ll be no stranger to hyaluronic acid (HA) and its benefits to your skin – after all, it's completely stolen the limelight in recent years. And rightly so.

HA is a naturally-occurring humectant that’s found in abundance in your body where it helps keep your eyes and joints lubricated, and your skin hydrated. Humectants are clever little cookies because they work like sponges to attract and retain water from their surroundings. HA has the capacity to soak up around 1,000 times its weight in water. Not good at visualizing such math? Then let’s just say that’s a LOT. In fact, topical HA is hands down one of the best ingredients for boosting hydration in your skin. With age, however, your natural levels of HA decline (of course it does *eyeroll), which is one of the reasons your skin becomes dehydrated and less plump as time rolls by. And why topical HA is so important for younger-looking skin.

A Great Choice For: Dry, dehydrated skin types, or, in fact, any of you looking to up your skin’s moisture levels. So, that’ll be all of you, right?

Find It In: All of our facial serums, plus Hyaluronic Acid Eye Cream and Retinol Moisturizer.

4. Lactic Acid

Back to AHAs and one of the most widely-used acids in skincare, lactic acid. When formulated in skincare, lactic acid is extracted from sour milk. Now, if that sounds a tad weird, think about Cleopatra and her propensity to bathe in milk. If it was good enough for her…

As a chemical exfoliant, lactic acid is another one of the gentle guys. In terms of its molecular structure, it’s smaller than glycolic acid but bigger than citric acid which makes it a great all-rounder for most skin types, offering light peeling and brightening benefits without too much disruption to your skin’s delicate barrier.

As well as its exfoliating effects, lactic acid is known to have anti-bacterial benefits (see-ya, annoying breakouts). It’s also a humectant, so, like hyaluronic acid, helps your skin retain moisture.

A Great Choice For: Dull skin that needs a little pick-me-up. It also works well for brightening dark circles around your eyes.

Find It In: Hyaluronic Acid Eye Cream.

5. Salicylic Acid

Unlike most exfoliating acids, salicylic acid is a beta rather than an alpha hydroxy acid. What’s the difference between AHAs and BHAs? Well, they kind of do the same thing, boosting cell turnover and collagen production, but BHAs are oil-soluble whereas AHAs are water-soluble. This means BHAs like salicylic acid can penetrate deeper through the lipid layers of your skin and into your sebaceous glands where they help loosen sebum and unblock your pores.

Salicylic acid is derived from willow tree bark and not only exfoliates and unblocks your pores, but has anti-bacterial properties so is ideal for reducing redness and inflammation. It also helps heal as well as prevent breakouts. You’ve got to love it for that.

A Great Choice For: Zapping pimples, blackheads, whiteheads and excess oils. Just remember to go steady with it – overusing salicylic acid can irritate and dry out your skin.

Find It In: Vitamin C Super Serum+ and Tea Tree Super Serum+.