Tips for Building a Starter Skincare Routine

Tip #1: Get Expert Advice

Take our online skin assessment or fire up our live chat and get personalised skincare advice from our panel of skin experts. You are also always welcome to load up a makeup-free photo so we can make a more accurate assessment.

Tip #2: Choose Your Cleanser and Sunscreen

Your two most important products in a skincare routine – these are your standard baseline products that generally are formulated for your type of skin ie. Normal or combination, Oily, Dry or Sensitive. Look for formulations appropriate for your skin type.

Dry Skin: Looks for a creamy cleanser and a hydrating sunscreen

Oily Skin: Look for a foaming cleanser and mattifying/dry-touch sunscreen

Normal or Combination Skin: Foaming Cleanser and a fluid sunscreen

Sensitive Skin: Gentle Cleanser and a physical sunscreen

Tip #3: Choose a Targeted Corrective

The question to ask here is what is your most pressing skin concern that you would like to see improved?  Generally speaking, a targeted corrective is formulated into a gel or serum base which can be used either in or morning or evening (or both) under a moisturiser. The lightweight consistency of a serum allows for better absorption into the skin, thus providing a more significant result. Signs of early or mature ageing, pigmentation, redness, rosacea or acne would be examples of concerns needing a corrective. Over time, this might change.

Pigmentation: mesoestetic melan tran3x concentrate with Tranexamic Acid

Early Ageing, Fine Lines: Lamelle RA 3.0 with a well-tolerated form of Retinoic Acid 3%

Mature, Sun Damaged skin: NeoStrata® Skin Active Potent Retinol Complex with 2.5% encapsulated pure retinol

Dry & Sensitive skin: SkinCeuticals Phyto Corrective with Hyaluronic Acid and specialized anti-inflammatory botanical extracts

Acne-prone skin: PCA Skin Acne Gel with Azelaic Acid, Salicylic Acid and Licorice extract

Dullness, loss of radiance: La Roche-Posay Pure Vitamin C10 with L-Ascorbic (Vitamin C), Hyaluronic Acid and, Neurosensine

You can also browse our full range of targeted treatments, filtering according to your skin type.

Tip #4: Pick a Hero AM/PM Moisturiser

The ideal moisturiser should be a staple in your routine. The fallback product that you can use at any time, anywhere, with or without your corrective. It should hydrate and fortify your skin barrier.

Pigmentation: SkinCeuticals Metacell Renewal B3 with Niacinamide and Peptides

Early Ageing, Fine Lines: MartiDerm GF Vital Age Cream (Normal/Combination Skin) with Growth Factors and a Moisturising Complex of Amino Acids and Urea

Mature Ageing skin: SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore with Ceramides, Fatty Acids, and Cholesterol in skin-identical ratios

Dry & Sensitive skin: Lamelle Serra Restore Cream with Ceramide-P and Oat Beta Glucan

Acne-prone skin: PCA Skin Clearskin with Niacinamide, Retinyl Palmitate, Bisabolol and Borage Seed Oil

Dullness, loss of radiance: Huxley Glow Awakening Cream with Sahara Prickley Pear Seed Oil, Glutathione (a natural antioxidant found in the skin), Niacinamide

The above are broad suggestions. You can also browse our full range of moisturisers, filtering according to your skin type.

Tip #5: To begin with, keep it Simple!

Once you’ve found your core products, you can add to your routine with toners, exfoliators, additional serums, etc. The biggest mistake beginners to active ingredients can make is overcomplicating their initial purchase to include too many products.