How To Get Your Best Skin Yet
It wasn’t just sourdough that boomed during COVID lockdowns: interest in ‘clean’ beauty rose exponentially. Here are five of the best local brands offering simple yet effective skincare.
Niche Australian-owned brands, often started by women, are leading the way in natural skincare formulated to address specific needs, all with their point of difference. At our age it’s important to commit to a skincare routine and stick to it.
What does that comprise? A non-stripping cleanser, a moisturiser that delivers effective hydration, a gentle exfoliator, daily SPF 50+ and (at least) a weekly problem-solving mask. Oh, and throw in some LED light therapy to boost lagging collagen.
I’ve used all five of these results-driven local brands, and love each for their individual qualities.
Hydroskin | The 3 Steps Set, $195 hydroskincare.com.au
Perfect for taking the guess work out of your daily skincare routine. This mist, serum and moisturiser trio of products is used together both morning and night to deeply hydrate.
How it’s different It takes a unique “wet-layering” approach to maximise results. You spritz with the vitamin B3 and B5- infused mist first and while your face is still damp with this skin-loving moisture, you add another two moisture-driven layers on top.
Hero product Vitamin C Moisturiser. You’ve probably heard about the skin-brightening abilities of vitamin C but the irony is that if you choose the wrong moisturiser, it can actually make your skin feel drier long-term. This one is so creamy and lush is not only lightens age spots over time but hydrates dry skin. Always wear SPF50+ on top.
Ipsum | Best Skin Cleansing Oil Balm $34 ipsumskin.com
Our unique native botanical ingredients are coveted worldwide – hello, Kakadu plum – but why buy overseas brands featuring what we grow right here? Ipsum is a certified organic, sustainably sourced oil-based face and body care line, developed and made in Byron Bay.
How it’s different With more than 25 years’ experience in the beauty world, UK-born Sydneysider Janet Hayward wanted her skincare brand to harness the power of native plant oils. Before long, this luxe range was being praised by Vogue and Kim Kardashian.
Hero product Best Skin Cleansing Oil Balm. I haven’t found another that cleans and refreshes dry skin so well. It leaves skin feeling soft and nourished.
Conserving Beauty | Sea Your Glow Mask, $50 conservingbeauty.com
Yes, it’s a skin-beautifying clay mask with a huge eco message: water is a finite resource so why are we using so much of it in the beauty world?
How is it different Creator, Natassia Nicolao, champions the global push for water conservation. Products are made without water, which is often the first – read, main – ingredient employed by the beauty industry. This means concentrated ingredients and no dilution. Oh, and just by signing up to the newsletter, a mangrove tree, known for its water-improving qualities, will be planted in your honour.
Hero product Sea Your Glow Mask. Normally clay masks are best for oily (read: younger) skin, but this one is different. With 13 ethically sourced ingredients, including jojoba oil, cocoa seed butter and vitamin E, it works brilliantly on all-aged skin, which makes it a rare find. It delivers better and softer looking skin after 30 minutes.
Synergie Skin | Recover Balm, $65 synergieskin.com
In 2005, biological scientist and cosmetic chemist Terri Vinson saw a gap in the market for highly active, ethical products that were free from potentially toxic ingredients, so she created her own cosmeceutical range (that is, with ingredients formulated to have a clinical effect).
How is it different This range of skincare and mineral make-up products is “clean” and free of questionable additions yet science-based for efficacy. You can read more in Vinson’s book, Skinformation: A Clean Science Guide to Beautiful Skin.
Hero product Recover Balm. A multi-purpose salve that can be used all over, even as a repair mask for flaking facial skin which will be in demand for the forthcoming ski season and the return of those long-haul flights. It works wonders on chapped lips, too.
[QED] Skincare | Wrinkle Rewind Day Cream: Ultra-Rich, $92 qedskincare.com
Reactive, sensitive skin – think eczema or psoriasis – is tricky to navigate which is why pharmacist Shoshana Eisner developed a luxe plant-based range to suit her clients as well as her own skin.
How is it different Scent is often a trigger for sensitivity so [QED] Skincare offers the option of choosing your product either unscented or scented. You choose what you like from a library of 12 scents.
Hero product Wrinkle Rewind Day Cream: Ultra-Rich. This instantly cocoons your face in softness while repairing a skin barrier damaged by environmental elements. My favourite, enhanced with scent No. 7.