When it comes to skin goals, radiance gets most of the airtime and for good reason – who doesn’t want their skin to look glowy, luminous, and shining with good health right?! But we believe it’s time we nudged its lower-profile sibling into the spotlight as the gateway to radiance. And here’s why…
FACT: we (all) want radiant skin, every single day. So no surprise to hear that glow is the number-one skin goal that pops up in our DMs and our inbox from women of all ages and stages. Glowing skin is a good goal to focus on, no doubt about it, but if we’re talking about maximum-impact radiance that doesn’t just disappear two days after you’ve exfoliated, then it’s time you got familiar with the gateway goal of clarity.
Let's be clear
Clarity is essentially clear, even skin which is in its best state to reflect that all-important radiance at maximum wattage. It also translates to a smooth, even skin texture that’s free of lumps and bumps. Cleansing is always the first step in any skincare routine so no surprises that we’re calling it out as the place to start for your clarity routine. Our go-to recommendation for each and every skin, no matter how sensitive you might be, is our Gentle Cleanser. Any skin can comfortably use it and it doesn’t just remove makeup (including eye makeup and lipstick) but it carefully cleanses and calms (with soothing Aloe Vera and Cucumber Seed Oil) , prepping your skin for what’s to follow. Diligent, twice-daily cleansing can help to improve and prevent breakouts of all shapes and sizes.
Of course, we’re big fans of more active, AHA-based cleansers — shout out to L-Lactic Cleanser and Glycolic Cleanser 12% — for skins who can tolerate them but when layering multiple actives like Alpha Hydroxy Acids and Vitamin A as part of a complete skincare routine, we’ll always recommend a gentler start for your cleansing step.
Check out our range of cleansers here.
Physical VS Chemical Exfoliation
Exfoliation is an essential step for optimum skin health. Not only does it deliver a deep clean and buff away dead skin cells and decongest clogged pores but it’s another MVP when it comes to clarity. Regular exfoliation (once or twice weekly) will polish and refine the surface layers of your skin which can easily block clarity and radiance. Exfoliation also helps to encourage a more efficient cellular renewal process, pushing up those fresh new cells to the skin’s surface for all to admire.
When it comes to the types of exfoliation you can choose from, we’re honestly fans of both physical and chemical formulas; when used correctly, they can work in sync on the varying layers of the skin to create visible change. In fact, we’ve incorporated both into our Glycolic Scrub 14% to do the job gently but efficiently. As the physical element, we’ve incorporated ocean-friendly and biodegradable Jojoba and Silica beads which work as an exfoliating scrub that doesn’t abrade the skin (a common complaint about many face scrubs yet gently and evenly buff away surface layer debris to help banish dull, expired skin cells. And for the chemical element, we’ve heroed the optimum concentration of Glycolic Acid to go deeper to dislodge stubborn cells and also speed up cellular turnover without overly aggravating your skin.
Check out our range of exfoliants here.
Correct & Perfect
If there’s one ingredient that is the Queen of correction and ultimate skin perfection, it’s Vitamin A (also known as Retinol). So, what does Retinol do? At a deeper level, it helps to boost Collagen production and help strengthen your skin while at the more visible surface layers, it works to improve tone and soften texture, fade pigment and scarring, and reboot radiance. If you’re looking for an effective starter Retinol cream, then our Retinol Serum is a great choice to slowly work into your routine and build as your skin acclimates to this stimulating form of Vitamin A. We use an encapsulated form Retinol which means it’s about as pure and stable as the famously volatile Vitamin A gets with less chance of skin irritation . Not only is this an ideal option for breakout or acne-prone skin but also for skins prone to hyperpigmentation and uneven skin tone and rough, dry skin texture.
SKINTEL: Our latest take on Retinol is our new skinstitut EXPERT Reveal Retinol Oil. Ideal for skins wanting to target the premature signs of ageing and to help improve acne scarring, it’s a transformative night treatment in an innovative oil formula that’s clinically proven to improve firmness and elasticity and resurface your skin. It’s a great step-up for skin that’s been using Retinol Serum for some time.
Check out our range of correctors here.
