True Radical Honesty From Our Community

Spending time on your skin reaps fabulous rewards, but the good news is you can make a hassle-free routine just as beneficial. So, for those of you wanting to look awesome without too much effort, we got you…

Oftentimes, a low-maintenance skincare routine is the best one of all. Sure, a 10-step Korean regime might work for some of you, but are countless masks, scrubs, serums, oils, tinctures, essences and balms entirely necessary? We don’t think so. In fact, overloading your skin can be disastrous – ruining your skin’s protective barrier and causing all kinds of problems with dryness, sensitivities, breakouts and more.

That being said, a quick swipe with a ‘moisturizing’ face wipe before bed is never going to give you great skin, either. Poor cleansing? Not cool. Insufficient moisturizing? Ditto. And don’t even get us started on failing to apply SPF every day…

But if you do fancy cutting a few skincare corners – without compromising the look, feel and health of your skin – you can totally do so. You just need to know a few tricks of the trade.

Double Up Your Cleansing & Exfoliating Game

Cleansing is the absolute foundation of great skin and we will never tell you to be slap dash about the way in which you cleanse. It’s simply not worth it. However, one thing you can do if you’re in a rush is to exfoliate at the same time.

Simply apply your favorite cleanser to damp skin, then grab a clean facial mitt or washcloth and massage this all over your face and neck, using small circular motions. This is a great way to gently remove dead skin cells and boost circulation without irritating your skin. Just one word of warning: don’t use an exfoliating glove – they’re way too rough for the delicate skin on your face.

To Tone Or Not To Tone?

Never sure whether to bother with toner? Well, if you like the thought of firming, refining, balancing, hydrating and reviving your skin, a toner should be an important part of your regime. However, if you can’t be doing with the hassle of applying it with a cotton pad (and hate the thought of what those white fluffy things are doing for the environment), use a spritz toner instead. Both of our Ocean Minerals and Rose Water toners come in handy spray bottles and it takes just seconds to mist them over your face after cleansing. No brainer. Oh, and if you have a toner that doesn’t come in a spray bottle, buy a little reusable spritzer from Amazon and decant yours into that. Simple.

Invest In Products That Do More Than One Thing

You’ve got to love a product that offers your skin more than one benefit. Skincare that’s both time- and cost-effective? Hells yeah! After all, why should you apply six serums when one can do the exact same thing? Plus, by using just one professionally blended formulation, you get the benefit of knowing you’re not blindly cocktailing active, potent ingredients that don’t belong together. And that’s super important for the health of your complexion – especially if you have sensitive skin that flares up at even the mention of retinol, AHAs and friends. 

In our humble opinion, the best products that work overtime and serve more than one purpose are face serums. Light and fast-absorbing, serums are made of smaller molecules than regular lotions or moisturizing creams which means they're not only packed with active ingredients, but they’re able to deliver them right where your skin needs them. Of course, you can choose a serum to target one main concern, but any serum worth its weight should offer more than one benefit.

Take our Tea Tree Super Serum+, for example. Supercharged with a whole bevy of skin-loving ingredients, this serum deep cleans your pores and wallops excess oil, yet won’t dry out your skin like other tea tree oil products. How so? Because it’s also packed with hyaluronic acid and aloe to hydrate, niacinamide to soothe and botanical oils to strengthen and heal your skin. Even better news? You need only apply it two or three times each week, making it a mightily quick fix for your weekly routine.

Our Vitamin C Super Serum+ is another multi-correctional gem of a serum that’s packed with antioxidant properties thanks to vitamin C and retinol which together fight the signs of aging from all angles. It also contains salicylic acid to regulate oil production and boost cell turnover. Great for all skin types, it’s another serum you need only apply two or three times a week, yet it still manages to do so much for your skin.

No, this is not a drill.

Make Your Skin Work Hard While You Sleep

You’ll love this one, girls, because one of the most important things you can do for your skin is the least taxing activity of all: sleep. The National Sleep Foundation recommends between seven and nine hours of sleep every night, so try to hit that sweet spot of eight hours as often as you can.

Also, while you’re catching your zzzs, this is the best time to help your skin renew and regenerate itself. Skin goes into overdrive while you’re sleeping: blood flow increases, cell turnover almost doubles and your natural antioxidant defense system amps up to heal and repair your skin from the daily onslaughts of environmental damage.

To help these functions work like clockwork, make sure your skin is fully cleansed before you hit the hay and apply a serum and/or moisturizer like our Vitamin C Deep Hydration Night Cream. Enriched with vitamin C, aloe, cocoa butter, botanical oils and vitamin B5, this rich moisturizer works hard to restore your barrier function to help heal, hydrate, strengthen and support your skin – while you do absolutely nothing at all.

And frankly, that’s got to be the BEST, most effective lazy girls’ skincare money can buy.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Whether you’re off to college, back at the office or doing the morning school run, life’s about to get busy. But don’t let your skin suffer; just 10 minutes is all it takes to get your skin ready to face the world again…

Summer is almost over and the goose is getting fat. No wait, sorry, wrong season. Thankfully, there are no fir trees and holiday lights to contend with quite yet, but still, with the kids going back to school, college life beginning and offices opening up for business, life is certainly moving up a gear. 

With the start of new beginnings comes the stress of juggling your morning skincare routine. And when time is of the essence, spending 30 minutes looking after yours truly is often the first thing to go. But your skin shouldn’t suffer simply because you have a million other things to do before getting out of the house by 8 am. You just need to hone your morning routine to maximize your time.

And that’s exactly what we plan to do with this 10-minute super-speedy step-by-step skincare routine that’s short on time, but big on benefits. Because even the minimum amount of effort can make the world of difference to your skin… and when you look good, you feel great.

Step 1: The 2-Minute Cleanse

Start strong by spending a good two minutes cleansing your face and neck. You shouldn’t have too much grime to contend with after washing your face before bed, but still, cleansing is a great way to boost blood flow and lymphatic drainage to bring oxygen and nutrients to your skin while flushing away toxins.

Use a radiance boosting cleanser like Vitamin C Brightening Cleanser which contains potent antioxidants and aloe vera to maximize your glow and set your skin up for success. Massage the pads of your fingers over your skin in circular motions, then rinse with lukewarm water and gently pat dry with a clean towel.

Step 2: Tone In 30 Seconds

Don’t be tempted to dismiss toner, just because you can’t be bothered. This is the speediest step of all and toning’s a great way to drench your skin with extra moisture and feed it with nutrients and antioxidants. What’s more our Ocean Minerals and Rose Water toners both come in handy spray bottles, so all it takes is a few spritzes over your face and you’re done. In all honesty, 30 seconds is being generous. You could probably nail this step in 10.

Step 3: Set Aside 2 Minutes For Your Serum

As soon as you’ve toned, apply your favorite treatment serum straight away, while your skin is still damp. This will help lock all the moisture and goodness into your skin – plus that’s an extra 30 seconds saved, right there!

Dispense just two or three drops of serum to the pads of your fingers, then gently pat and press it evenly over your face and neck. You don’t need to spend too much time massaging it in because its small molecular makeup should allow it to absorb into your skin with very little effort.

We have many serums to choose from, depending on your skin type and concerns, but our current go-to for instant get-up-and-go skin is Vitamin C Super Serum+. How so? Because it’s literally chock-full of everything your skin needs to face the day. We’re talking vitamin C to brighten and protect; hyaluronic acid and glycerin to hydrate; niacinamide to strengthen and plump up your skin, plus a list of skin-loving essential oils as long as your arm. It also contains salicylic acid to exfoliate your skin into the bargain – so no need to add that extra step into your morning routine.

Step 4: A Minute On The Eyes

Next, spend just a mere minute dabbing a moisturizing treatment around your eyes. Much better than slapping moisturizer all over the eye area which can be too heavy and cause puffiness, a targeted treatment will hydrate and moisturize the skin around your eyes while attacking things like dark circles and bags at the same time.

Pat or press Hyaluronic Acid Eye Cream all around the eye area, using your ring fingers to reduce unnecessary pressure and remember, a tiny amount goes a long way.

Step 5: Multi-Task For One And A Half

OK, now’s the time to breathe and relax for a couple of minutes to allow your serum and eye cream to fully absorb into your skin. This is super important if you don’t want to end up with pilling – that’s when too many products build up on the surface of your skin and form annoying little flakes or granules.

Take this time to brush your teeth, make some coffee, shout at your kids, pack your bag or whatever else might float your boat.

Step 6: Moisturize In 2 Minutes

After a few minutes resting time, apply moisturizer to feed your skin with oils and nutrients and to help seal in hydration.

We love Vitamin C Brightening Moisturizer as a morning skin pick-me-up. Work a quarter-sized amount between the palms of your hands and fingers, then place your hands in a prayer position on either side of your nose and smooth your hands up and out towards your hairline. Repeat this a few times to ensure an even coverage, then repeat the same action over your forehead, chin and jawline.

Step 7: 60 Seconds For The Finishing Touches

Great skincare means you shouldn’t need much makeup, but good news, you have a whole minute left to use as you please. SPF is vital, of course, so apply this first, then finish with lip balm, gloss, mascara or whatever you need to face the day.

And stop the clock, you’re done!

If your skin is seeing red and you don’t know why, finding the root cause is everything. 

A little facial redness is normal. Rosy cheeks after a few too many red wines? Yeah, we’ve all been there. Slightly flushed skin during your weekly hot yoga class? Check. But if you’re facial redness simply won’t quit, chances are there’s more going on with your skin than you might realize.

Facial redness happens when blood vessels beneath the surface of your skin dilate, causing blood to rush to your skin and the inevitable redness that comes with it. If you have fair skin you’re more likely to be afflicted with redness because your skin is genetically thinner and more fragile than darker skin types. But that being said, anyone can suffer – whatever your skin type or tone.

So, what causes your blood vessels to dilate? Well, the short, slightly vague answer is many, MANY things. But that’s pretty unhelpful, we know, so here are six of the most common causes of facial redness, plus what you can do to help soothe, treat and care for your pesky flare-ups.

Atopic Dermatitis (Eczema)

What It Is: The most common form of eczema and often hereditary, atopic dermatitis (AD) affects around 16.5 million adults in the US. It occurs when your immune system becomes compromised, triggering inflammation in your skin that damages your barrier function.

Symptoms: Along with the obvious redness, atopic dermatitis is typically defined by the amount of itching you will experience. In fact, according to the National Eczema Association, 85 percent of people with AD suffer itching on a daily basis. Dryness and discoloration is also a common symptom.

How To Treat It: A board-certified dermatologist should be your first port of call to truly diagnose and treat atopic dermatitis. They may prescribe an anti-inflammatory or cortisone treatment to help control the redness and reduce any sensitivities. At home, keep your skincare regime simple and free of potential irritants such as synthetic fragrance, sulfates and bad alcohol. Also, try to reduce stress and make sure you eat a healthy diet and get plenty of sleep. The usual, all-round, smart lifestyle choice are super important here.

Acne

What It Is: Acne occurs when your pores becoming blocked with dead skin cells and excess oil. This blockage then breeds bacteria, causing swelling, pimples and inflammation.

Symptoms: Oily skin coupled with red bumps that may be filled with pus are a sure-sign acne is in town. However, what sometimes looks like acne, isn’t, so it’s always best to see a dermatologist for a professional diagnosis.

How To Treat It: Severe acne should always be treated by a derm or doctor, but for mild acne, topical treatments and smart skincare choices can reap great rewards. Ingredients like retinol, salicylic acid and tea tree oil are all proven to help reduce and prevent breakouts. Our Tea Tree Super Serum+ is formulated with all of these, plus hyaluronic acid to hydrate and niacinamide to soothe. What’s more, you only need to apply it two or three times a week to see visible improvements in your skin. Gotta love that.

Contact Dermatitis

What It Is: Certain irritants can cause the skin on your face and neck to flare-up including fragrance, hair dye, jewelry and chemicals or preservatives in skincare products. This is a condition called contact dermatitis and it comes in two forms: irritant contact dermatitis and allergic contact dermatitis.

According to the Mayo Clinic, irritant contact dermatitis is the most common and occurs when your skin is exposed to something it doesn't like which then damages and irritates your skin’s outermost layer. Allergic contact dermatitis, on the other hand, triggers an immune reaction in your skin and can be caused by eating certain foods as well exposing your skin to irritants in personal care products.

Symptoms: Contact dermatitis usually results in redness, itching, dryness, swelling and sometimes burning, bumps or blisters. It can also lead to infection, especially if you scratch the affected area.

How To Treat It: The best way to deal with contact dermatitis is to identify what’s causing your reaction. And word to the wise: don’t even bother trying to do this at home – you’ll just waste time and energy. Instead, check in with an allergist who will perform various patch tests to pinpoint the exact allergen that’s doing a number on your skin. Going forward, avoid this, look after your skin with gentle formulations, moisturize twice daily and you should be laughing.

Over-exfoliation

What It Is: Exfoliating is a great way to boost cell turnover, deeply cleanse your skin and help the rest of your skincare penetrate your skin more effectively. However, too much exfoliating can weaken your skin’s barrier function, stripping away essential ceramides, fatty acids, cholesterol and other nutrients that work hard to keep your skin soft, supple, healthy and hydrated. Without this protective barrier, your skin becomes vulnerable to the outside world and is easily irritated by external aggressors such as pollution, chemicals and toxins. Cue the inevitable facial redness.

Symptoms: How can you tell if you’re over-exfoliating your skin? Well, your skin will become red, dry, tight, itchy and even sting a little when you apply other skincare products. You may also break out. Shock, horror.

How To Treat It: First, stop exfoliating so much. If you like to use a physical scrub or facial mitt, limit these to two or three times a week. Better yet, use a gentle chemical exfoliator that breaks down dead skin cells without you physically having to buff them away. Our Ocean Minerals Super Toner contains glycolic acid which does just that.

Psoriasis

What It Is: Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition that affects over 7.5 million adults in the US. According to the National Psoriasis Foundation its cause is kind of unclear, but it’s all down to a dysfunction of the immune system which causes inflammation and a build-up of skin cells on the surface of the skin. Psoriasis not only affects the skin, but can also impact the joints and other organs and tissues in the body.

Symptoms: Normal skin cells go through a cycle of around a month, in which they form, grow and then shed. However, if you have psoriasis, this process goes into overdrive and happens lightning fast – usually in around three or four days. This results in dead skin cells piling up on the surface of your skin, causing raised scaly patches, itching, burning and severe redness.

How To Treat It: Diagnosing psoriasis isn’t something to be done in the comfort of your home, but it’s easy for your doctor to do so. Therefore, you know the score – get yourself to a doctor or dermatologist quick smart. There are many treatments available for psoriasis, including steroid creams, retinoids and light therapy. Moisturizing your skin is also imperative for reducing flaky patches and dryness, but always patch test new products to check for irritation first.

Rosacea

What It Is: Rosacea is an extremely common, but treatable skin condition that’s flummoxed skin experts for decades. How so? Because its cause has never been fully understood. Rosacea is linked to your vascular system and causes redness and visible blood vessels on the face, usually around your cheeks, chin, nose and forehead. It often comes and goes and is triggered by environmental or lifestyle factors such as diet, alcohol, stress, extreme temperatures, exercise and certain medications.

Symptoms: Redness is the main symptom here, but it’s often coupled with pimple-like bumps that can be itchy and crusty. You may also experience swelling and a burning sensation on the surface of your skin, as well as dry eyes and blurry vision. These symptoms will come and go depending on your triggers.

How To Treat It: There are various options available including light therapy, antibiotics and prescription topical treatments, but as with all redness concerns, it’s vital to see a doctor for a professional diagnosis. You must also protect your skin from the sun as this is a devil for rosacea flare-ups, and think about keeping a diary to help identify your triggers. Your skincare regime should be simple, gentle and minus too many active ingredients like AHAs and retinol. Niacinamide could be an option for you because it has soothing, anti-inflammatory properties, but again, patch test any new product before using it for the first time.

PS: The main takeaway for concerns with any kind of persistent facial redness is to see your doctor or a skin specialist for a diagnosis and plan of action. Trying to figure out what’s causing yours will just stress you out. And this will do nothing but make the issue worse in the long run.

Just when you thought you’d nailed everything from AHAs to GAGs, another skincare acronym joins the beautysphere. Say hello to TEWL, people. And listen carefully, because it’s an important one that's all about the ultimate essence of life: water…

Water is a vital component of your skin. Healthy skin contains around 64 percent water and is the building block of new skin cells and the key nutrient for their survival. In order to maintain truly hydrated skin, your skin needs to be drenched with plenty of water. Not oil (that’s what determines the dryness of your skin), but pure, simple water.

You know the deal when it comes to hydrating your skin. Yes, drinking plenty of water and eating a water-rich diet is vital for your overall health, but very little of this water actually reaches your skin. How so? Because other vital organs need it much, much more. In fact, your skin is way down on the pecking order which is why you need to include humectants in your skincare routine. More on those later…

So, what’s this all got to do with the elusive TEWL? Let’s see, shall we?

What Is TEWL?

TEWL stands for transepidermal water loss which is all about the amount of water that evaporates from your skin’s surface into the air. Research shows the average amount of water lost by the skin every day is around 300-400 ml although this depends on many factors. Your genetic makeup obviously predetermines how well your skin naturally regulates your level of moisture retention, but many other internal and external factors come into play, including things like humidity, skin damage, poor skincare and your hormones.

There’s also one very important factor you have the ability to look after – and equally to destroy. And that’s your skin’s barrier function.

Your skin is made up of three main layers: the deep hypodermis, the dermis which sits in the middle and the top layer which is called the epidermis. Your skin’s barrier function is the uppermost layer of the epidermis and is your skin’s ultimate layer of protection, working like a brick wall to protect you from environmental damage, block out irritants and help retain moisture in your skin, therefore reducing transepidermal water loss. A poor barrier function means moisture is easily lost from your skin’s surface, causing a spike in TEWL and all manner of problems including dehydration, dryness, lines, wrinkles, itchiness and irritation. Skin disorders like psoriasis, rosacea and eczema can also be exacerbated by too much TEWL.

Bad. News.

How To Minimize TEWL

It figures that if you look after your skin’s barrier, your TEWL will look after itself. But is that easier said than done? Actually no. Sure, your barrier function naturally weakens with age (no surprises, there), but there are many ways to care for it which will simultaneously reduce TEWL, balance your moisture levels and keep your skin softer, stronger and healthier.

Here, three important tips for top-of-the-class TEWL…

1. Avoid A Harsh Cleansing Routine

Too much face washing and exfoliating with hot water and harsh products is the ultimate devil for your skin’s barrier function. For starters, it strips your skin of any moisture it naturally has... plus it gives nothing back.

Cleansers containing nasty chemicals like sulfates, for example, can be extremely detrimental to your barrier function. Yes, they work like dogs to lather up and remove oil, dirt and bacteria from the surface of your skin, but they also strip away protective cholesterol, fatty acids, ceramides and other nutrients, allowing moisture to escape way too easily for our liking.

Avoid ingredients like sodium laureth sulfate (SLS) and sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES) which are the worst offenders and instead, choose cleansers that contain gentle, non-drying alternatives like disodium lauryl sulfosuccinate or disodium 2-sulfolaurate. Good news: we use these in our Vitamin C and Charcoal cleansers.

2. Keep Your Skin Hydrated AND Moisturized

Applying water to your face is all well and good, but if you don’t seal it in quickly with a hydrating moisturizer, it’ll evaporate from the surface of your skin in no time.

The most well-rounded moisturizers contain ingredients that offer both hydration and moisturization. What’s the difference? Well, hydration adds water to the skin while moisturization helps your skin keep it there. Yes, it’s that simple. To achieve all of this, look for formulations containing a combination of humectants, emollients and/or occlusives.

Humectants draw water to the skin’s surface either from the air, or from deeper within your skin’s dermis. They work like a sponge and are an essential way to hydrate your skin and maintain a soft, supple surface. Hyaluronic acid is a super effective humectant, but we also love ingredients like glycerin and aloe vera.

Emollients, meanwhile, include things like coconut oil, shea butter, jojoba oil and squalane which work to smooth and repair cracks in your skin to help prevent TEWL. Occlusives like cocoa butter and beeswax are similar, but they’re often richer, heavier and create a physical barrier on the surface of your skin. Occlusives aren’t great for oily or acne-prone skin types, however, as they can clog your pores. Just a little side-note to bear in mind.

Depending on your skin type, choose a moisturizer that contains a blend of humectants and emollients or occlusives. Our Vitamin C Brightening Moisturizer contains aloe, kosher vegetable glycerin, jojoba oil and shea butter which checks those boxes nicely. Always apply it immediately after cleansing or applying serum to further reduce TEWL.

3. Invest In A Humidifier

A humidifier is a great way to force moisture into the air, especially in the winter or if you live in areas of low humidity. But why is this important for your skin? Simple. Dry air automatically compromises your skin’s barrier function by stripping your skin of its natural oils. Without this protection, TEWL increases and skin becomes dry, flaky, cracked and may even start to peel.

Invest in a humidifier for your bedroom (this is where you spend the most of your time, after all) and if it allows you to control the humidity, set it to between 40 and 60 percent. This is the sweet spot for skin hydration.

Ready to get your glow on, peeps – without having to reach for your shimmering bronzer, of course? Excellent timing, we’re on it…

There’s a fine line between glowing skin and shiny skin. The former’s something we all strive for, but the latter’s not so appealing. The difference is that glowing skin is radiant and healthy, whereas shiny skin is often due to an excess of oils (or sweat… or both!). Of course, you can’t change your genetic makeup and suddenly transform your oily skin into a perfectly balanced, flawless complexion. And similarly those of you with dry skin know you can’t magically force your skin to start naturally producing more oil. But what you can do is help what Mother Nature gave you to boost your glow and up your skin's radiance game.

Here’s how…

Glowy Skin Rule #1: You Gotta Exfoliate, End Of

Clean skin is obviously super important here, so make sure you cleanse gently twice a day. Use upwards strokes as you cleanse your face to ensure you get right into the pores and always rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water. You could even try a final splash with cool water to really boost your circulation… if you can bear it.

But clean skin doesn’t stop there. Gentle exfoliation is also vital. For your face, we advise using a chemical exfoliator that contains AHAs or BHAs such as glycolic, lactic or salicylic acid. Unlike scrubs which can sometimes be a little abrasive on your face, chemical exfoliators break down the bonds that hold dead skin cells in place. This helps them gently slough away without you forcing them off. Try Vitamin C Super Serum+ which contains salicylic acid to exfoliate and balance sebum at the same time.

When it comes to your body, a salt scrub is a fabulous way to buff away rough skin and boost your glow. Or try using a loofah or body mitt with your favorite cleanser.

Glowy Skin Rule #2: Don’t Underestimate The Power Of Toner

Never sure whether you really need a toner in your life? Well, if you’re looking to get your glow on, the answer is simple: you do. Today’s new generation of toners aren’t just there to make up the skincare numbers, in fact they’re quite the opposite, working hard to hydrate, feed and balance your skin. And healthy skin is the absolute foundation of radiant skin. 

Looking for the perfect toner for the job? Then try Ocean Minerals Super Toner which contains glycolic acid to accelerate cellular turnover, vitamin C to protect and brighten, plus MSM, a sulfur compound that boosts collagen production and significantly helps improve the tone and texture of your skin. This awesome toner also comes in a handy spray bottle meaning you can spritz it on thirsty skin any time you please.

Glowy Skin Rule #3: Go To The Upside Down

It might be a while since you did a headstand, but if you’re a yoga pro, you’re in luck here. Being upside down for two or three minutes a day is a great way to boost blood flow and oxygen to your face for an instantly more glowing complexion.

Not a headstand kinda girl? Then lay on your back and tip your head back over the side of your bed. Same result, less falling over.

Glowy Skin Rule #4: Concentrate On Dry Skin

Dry skin is a fact of life, but this doesn’t mean you have to resign yourself to it, or worse, leave it untreated, to become even drier and potentially irritated. Dry, flaky patches are often due to an impaired skin barrier, so make sure you look after it by soothing and replenishing your skin from head-to-toe with gentle skincare products (no synthetic fragrance or unnecessary chemical, thanks) and an impeccable moisturizing routine.

Moisturize after every time you cleanse and make sure your chosen formulation includes a combination of humectants, emollients and/or occlusives. Humectants draw water into your skin, emollients smooth cracks and occlusives lock all that moisture in. Our Vitamin C Deep Hydration Night Cream combines glycerin, aloe, botanical oils and cocoa butter which checks all those boxes nicely. It also contains the mighty vitamin C. Speaking of which…

Glowy Skin Rule #5: Embrace Brightening Skincare Ingredients (cough, vitamin C)

When it comes to brightening your complexion, certain skincare ingredients punch way above their weight. Retinol, niacinamide and kojic acid, for example are all fabulous for helping to brighten uneven or dull skin. But the absolute queen of brightening? Vitamin C. It’s everything.

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is a potent antioxidant and works hard to protect your skin from the damaging onslaught of free radicals caused by environmental aggressors like that pesky, but beautiful sun. It also reverses existing damage and inhibits tyrosinase, the enzyme that fuels melanin production. All this combines to help reduce dark spots and mottled skin while amping up your skin’s radiance like nothing else.

Pure vitamin C can be volatile, however, and too potent for sensitive skin types, so we use a gentle, but super effective derivate called Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate (SAP to its friends). You’ll find it in all of our vitamin C products and is the reason some of them have a cloudy look to them – it's the sodium component of our awesome vitamin C doing its finest work, right there.

Glowy Skin Rule #6: Try A Little Dry Body Brushing

If you’ve never tried dry body brushing, the time is now. A fabulous way to encourage cell turnover, dry body brushing stimulates your circulatory and lymphatic systems to effectively remove dead cells, metabolic waste and toxins. After a few weeks, guaranteed you’ll notice your skin is softer and much more radiant. It also prepares your skin for your moisturizer, allowing it to be more readily absorbed and therefore way more effective.

The best time to dry body brush is in the morning, before showering. Work from your ankles, upwards using long strokes or circular motions and be gentle, especially over delicate areas like your tummy and chest. You should also avoid open wounds, rashes, varicose veins, freshly shaven legs and sunburn.

The benefits of applying vitamin C to your skin go on and on. So, if you’re looking for a tried, tested and very much trusted ingredient to amp up your skincare regime, the search is over.

We don’t like to show favoritism, but vitamin C is a real golden child here at TruSkin. Packed into a ton of our awesome skincare products, it's an absolute powerhouse for protecting, brightening and strengthening your skin. But don’t take our word for it – herein, the facts…

1. Topical vitamin C is a fully signed up member of a family of ingredients called antioxidants. Antioxidants are vital for the look, feel and health of your skin because they work hard to fight free radical damage caused by environmental aggressors such as air pollution, smoking and that biggest offender of all, the sun.

Your body has its own natural antioxidant defense system, but as you get older, this becomes weaker, allowing those highly reactive free radicals to do a real number on the good stuff in your skin – namely collagen and elastin. This is why, if you want to keep your skin looking fabulous for as long as possible, you need to boost your levels of antioxidants, through awesome skincare ingredients like vitamin C.

2. It's not just vitamin C's antioxidant properties that are essential for preventing collagen and elastin breakdown, however. Its highly acidic nature also works hard to boost collagen and elastin production to help keep your skin plump, firm and supple. Take that, premature aging.

3. So, exactly how does this visibly benefit your skin? Gosh, where to start...

As you know, collagen and elastin are vital components of your skin, providing structure, strength and suppleness. When these proteins become compromised, your skin pays the price in many ways. Lines and wrinkles start to form and you may begin to notice areas of sagging, especially in the lower parts of your face where gravity is not your friend. Of course, your natural levels of collagen and elastin start to degrade as you hit your mid-twenties anyway and there’s nothing you can do about this natural aging process, but what you can do is fight against all the other damage at work.

Enter topical vitamin C. By fighting free radical damage it reduces the breakdown of collagen and elastin, making it one of the best anti-aging ingredients out there for helping you keep your youthful good looks for as long as possible.

4. Lines, wrinkles and saggy skin aren't the only things to be scared because vitamin C also helps improve dark spots and discoloration.

Vitamin C contains properties that help inhibit tyrosinase, an enzyme that generates melanin synthesis. Melanin is a complex polymer that’s produced by special cells called melanocytes and it's responsible for the color of your skin, hair and eyes. Everybody has the same number of melanocytes, but depending on your genes, yours will work at a different rate to the next person. If they produce a ton of melanin your hair, skin and eyes will be darker, whereas if they produce very little, they’ll be much lighter.

When you expose your skin to sunlight, melanin production goes into overdrive, making your skin tan. It can also become erratic, resulting in patches of dark skin, otherwise known as sun spots. And this is where topical C comes to the rescue. By regulating melanin production, vitamin C has the ability to gradually fade patchy, dark areas and even out your skin tone. Say hello to brighter, glowy skin. Yes!

5. Experts agree that vitamin C and sunscreen are a veritable power couple. Not only does vitamin C boost the efficacy of your sunscreen by offering your skin further protection from UV damage, but sunscreen helps prevent your vitamin C from oxidizing on your skin. Apply a vitamin C without sunscreen and it will just burn away, rendering it, well, pretty useless.

This is why sunscreen is vital. And sunscreen plus vitamin C? Even better.

6. Vitamin C comes in many guises on your skincare labels. Ascorbic acid is the purest form of vitamin C – but this can be pretty potent, especially if you have sensitive skin. Other forms to look out for include sodium ascorbate, ascorbyl palmitate, calcium ascorbate, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate and the mighty sodium ascorbyl phosphate. 

7. Sodium ascorbyl phosphate is our vitamin C of choice. So, why do we believe in this form in particular?

Much gentler than its big, bad ascorbic acid cousin, sodium ascorbyl phosphate is a salt derivative of pure vitamin C and converts into ascorbic acid once it’s been applied to your skin. This process makes it much more tolerable and way less irritating for most skin types. But it still does a great job, of course. The saltiness is also why many of our vitamin C-enriched serums have a slightly cloudy look to them. Think about how water looks when you dissolve salt in it. It's cloudy, right? 

8. Sodium ascorbyl phosphate is also much more stable when it comes into contact with light, air and water than pure vitamin C. It should always be packaged in an opaque or dark colored bottle, but still, this is great news because it means it doesn’t lose its potency after you’ve had it open for a few weeks.

9. So, what’s the best way to incorporate vitamin C into your routine? Well, you’ll find it in many of our skincare formulations including Vitamin C Brightening Cleanser, Moisturizer and Night Cream, but if you’re looking to pack the most powerful C-punch, serums are the way to go.

Serums like our awesome Vitamin C Super Serum+ are extremely effective at delivering active ingredients into the skin because they have a small molecular size (much smaller than moisturizers). This means they’re able to penetrate the skin deeper and quicker.

Just remember, always do a patch test to check for sensitivities before using any new product for the first time.

10. If you want to majorly up the antioxidant ante, look for serums that contain both vitamin C and vitamin E. Why? Because, like gin and tonic, these ingredients work perfectly well on their own, but they’re even better together. In fact, studies show the effectiveness of these antioxidants is almost doubled when they’re applied as a team. Furthermore, vitamin E helps stabilize vitamin C, ensuring you get the most bang for your buck.

Try our customer-favorite Vitamin C Facial Serum which is formulated with sodium ascorbyl phosphate (the cloudy C star), vitamin E and hyaluronic acid to help hydrate and protect your skin all-in-one bottle.