We’re not against ageing. We think that a beautiful soul will shine through at any age, and that as we age, our lives paint their marks upon our skin. We do believe, though, that skin needs support at every age - that’s the core idea behind our Age Smarter 360 concept - and that skin can have different needs throughout our lifetimes. It can be pretty unnerving to change, having gone through life settled into one skincare routine, but we’ve put together an easy to follow ritual that supports your skin as you age.
While more mature skin does tend to be on the drier side, thanks to the thinning of the epidermis and the reduction in the number of sebum-producing glands, there’s no reason to stop cleansing skin! In fact, pollutants are one of the key factors in the appearance of our skin as we age, and can dry out the skin and cause fine lines to be more prominent. It’s therefore very important that you continue to cleanse your skin, especially if you live or work in a city, and choose ingredients that will nourish and protect your skin. Our gorgeously pampering Gentle Cleansing Melt’s star ingredient is Baobab Oil which, alongside vanilla, is rich in antioxidants. These fight the effects of free radicals from pollution whilst removing the irritants from your skin, ready for a new day or a peaceful night, as well as creating a great base for other products. Baobab Oil is chock full of itamins A and C, as well as calcium and protein, all of which combine to improve skin’s elasticity, boost the production of new skin cells, and promote healing. As we age, the production of skin cells slows, so we’re often left with a layer of ageing or dead cells on the surface which leave skin looking dull. At the same time, loss of elastin leaves your visage lacking that bouncy finish of youth. By incorporating Baobab Oil into your routine, skin will appear plumper, reducing the appearance of fine lines, and new, glowing skin cells can make their way to the surface. Plus, our Gentle Cleansing Melt is perfect for both first and second cleanses, and will remove any traces of makeup and SPF from your face.
Now that your skin is clean and prepped to absorb the nourishing ingredients you put on it, our advice is to follow up with a serum. Our Superfood 360 Natural Face Serum is one of our top picks, and works hard to target the issues that surface as we age. This doesn’t just mean that wrinkles begin to appear: texture and luminosity are affected too! This super serum can be used at any age, and boasts a whole host of fantastically potent ingredients to support your skin. Sacha Inchi has been used for millennia - it’s said that this food helped the Incas to live to over 100 years of age! - and the peptides we use here are clinically proven to reduce the volume of wrinkles and firm the skin. Meanwhile, Peruvian Maca - another ancient ingredient - stimulates cellular turnover, boosting your skin’s glow and leaving you radiant. Lastly, Cacay Oil is packed with bio-retinol and linoleic acid, both of which support and renew the skin barrier, locking in moisture and preventing skin from unnecessary dryness.
That newly-strengthened skin barrier then needs some moisture to keep in: enter your moisturiser! Serums are designed to sink quickly into the skin, so you should only need to wait a couple of seconds before you’re ready to layer on a cream. We’re always reaching for our Multi Peptide 360 Moisture Cream, which again is designed with ageing skin in mind. It’s particularly great for dry skin, so you can always swap it out for a lighter alternative if you feel your skin is still leaning towards being oily. This beautifully rich cream delivers a dose of superfoods and other high-tech green ingredients to your skin, intensely hydrating while protecting. Sacha Inchi peptides and Cacay Oil both feature again, as well as a slew of other beneficial ingredients. Coconut Peptides smooth out wrinkles whilst moisturising and increasing skin’s flexibility, while Cupuacu Butter is packed with phytosterols, which help support collagen and skin’s elasticity. Combined, these two leave you with supple, nourished skin, and they maintain the skin barrier to further trap any moisture. This is where the last star ingredient comes in: Prickly Pear contains a high content of water-binding compounds, so is a fantastic hydrator. It also calms skin, reducing any redness and irritation, and firms skin further - who needs needles? The antioxidants in the Moisture Cream mean that skin is protected for the day, and can recover at night, making it an excellent choice for morning and evening!
As with any skin type, we firmly advise following all this up with a good SPF in the daytime. Even in England, where cloudy days haunt us, the sun can wreak havoc on our skin - especially if we’re trying to combat signs of ageing! Our light weight Climate Veil SPF 20 is a great everyday choice, and leaves skin looking perfected as well as protected.
Creating a great skincare ritual isn’t so hard when you break it down. The basic steps - cleanse, treat, and moisturise - remain the same whatever your skincare goals. As ever, you can play around with this routine to produce one tailored to your skincare concerns, but this is a good place to start if you’re feeling lost. Feel free to add in a mask or an eye cream if you feel that they could help - our Hyaluronic Eye Complex is a lot less scary than it sounds, and fantastic for hydrating the under-eye area. Skincare is pretty unique, and while the basic formulae remain the same, everyone is different! Just remember to support your skin at every age, rather than fight it, and you can’t go too far wrong.