“What happens to our skin during summer? Quite a lot and none of it good,” says Pedro Catalá. As we return to regular life after the sun-filled holidays, don’t forget to transition your beauty regime also. The sunny season can take its toll on our skin more than you might think. Get the most out of your autumn skincare routine and help your complexion recover from the ravages of summer.
Although summer holidays imply rest, the truth is we sleep less. Think hot balmy nights, large evening meals, the odd tipple or two and staying up till the wee hours at your favourite beach bar.
The consequences? Lack of sleep causes higher cortisol levels (the stress hormone). This results in loss of skin elasticity, dark circles and puffy eyes. If we don’t sleep enough at night, our skin can’t repair itself and it accumulates toxins, fluids and enlarged capillaries. Not the look we were aiming for.
Overhaul your complexion with your autumn skincare routine
One of the most common post-summer goals is to correct uneven skin tone. As we are no longer exposed to so much sun, melanin deposits start to fade but in an uneven way. “You may have one cheek more tanned than the other, for example. Or your forehead is paler than your nose and chin,” says Pedro.
An effective way to remedy this is with The London Mask. Hand-blended and containing pure-grade kaolin, this face mask leaves skin soothed and hydrated. Its light, non-aggressive exfoliation helps to gently remove dead skin cells, revealing an instant radiant glow and more balanced skin tone.
Task number two for your autumn skincare routine: Reduce sunspots. Hyperpigmentation is a not so great sign that we have inflicted damage on our skin. But all is not lost if you have Ideal Brightening Corrective Serum on hand. When applied twice a day, this botanical remedy works to inhibit melanin production and reduce the intensity of dark spots.
Don’t forget to strengthen your capillaries, especially around the eyes after an intense summer. Consider including in your autumn skincare routine Rapid Eye Treatment, one of Twelve Beauty’s best sellers. This light but effective beauty remedy contains a unique combination of natural peptides and organic antioxidants. This mix helps fortify skin capillaries, making them less vulnerable to external stressors.
Twelve Beauty Tip: If you suffer from redness or rosacea, apply this eye treatment to the affected area. You’ll be surprised by its calming effect.
Strengthening your barrier function, the key to bringing skin back to life
Barrier function, a staple buzzword in the beauty industry which refers to the outmost layer of our skin. It controls body temperature, humidity and protects us from ultraviolet rays. Furthermore, not only does it act as a shield against external stressors, but it also prevents us from losing valuable water.
Along with barrier function, there is another intrinsically related phenomenon whose term is becoming increasingly fashionable: Transepidermal water loss or TEWL for short.
If our barrier function is compromised, then TEWL increases. Hence why it’s important to reinforce our skin’s protective barrier, keeping its hydrolipidic film intact and its ceramide content optimal. “The hydrolipidic film, the outermost layer of the epidermis, is a mixture of fatty components (around 95%) and water-soluble molecules (5%),” says Pedro.
So, the stronger the barrier (hydrolipidic film + ceramides), the more difficult it is for water to evaporate. However, there’s another less talked about skin component that we need to consider if we want a healthy skin barrier: Filaggrin, an essential protein synthesized by dead skin cells.
One of the primary actives known to strengthen filaggrin deposits is the unsaponifiable fraction of sunflower oil, present in Essential Bio-Technological Moisturiser. This precious part of sunflower oil is immensely hydrating as it provides skin with much-needed lipids. It also works wonders as skin cell cement, stimulating collagen, elastin and filaggrin synthesis, all of which are vital proteins of our epidermis.
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