Cleanse, tone, moisturise. Skincare routines, while they may have a few more sacred steps these days, are instilled in our minds, but when was the last time you spared a thought for your bodycare regime? AHAs, BHAs, hyaluronic acid and vitamin C all have a place in it and more brands are formulating products to suit.
“The head and neck make up just nine per cent of the skin’s surface area,” says consultant dermatologist and CeraVe ambassador Dr Alexis Granite. “The rest is over the body and looking after this skin is vital to preventing dryness and rough bumps, for which neglect is the main cause.” Time to pimp your bodycare with these high-tech products.
Prep time
First, prep your base layer. I can’t count the number of times I’ve vowed to start daily dry body brushing, but this is the year I plan to start. Why? “Dry body brushing stimulates our lymphatic system and helps it release toxins,” explains lymphatic drainage expert Flavia Morellato. Aim for long, repetitive strokes (rather than circular) directed towards the heart, she instructs. Try using the Moo & Yoo Sisal Dry Body Brush (£14.95, mooandyoo.com). “We recommend it at least three times per week as equivalent to a regular cardio exercise for improving blood circulation.”
Clean up
Upgrade your shower gel. CeraVe’s Hydrating Foaming Oil Cleanser (£12.50, boots.com) helps tackle dry or damaged skin with moisturising powerhouses such as ceramides and glycerin. “It provides a great canvas on which to apply leave-on products,” says Dr Granite. Verso’s Body Oil Cleanser (£55, feelunique.com), meanwhile, softens skin with sunflower oil while exfoliating with salicylic acid.
Scrub a dub dub
When it comes to physical exfoliation, look to oil-based scrubs — they’re less arduous to apply and feel more luxurious. Superdrug’s Vitamin E Sugar Oil Body Scrub (superdrug.com, £4.99), packed with natural exfoliants like sea salt and walnut shell to gently polish the skin, is a steal. Frank Body’s Rosehip Body Scrub & Cleanser (£16.95,frankbody.com), meanwhile, combines healing rosehip oil and natural sugar crystals to buff away dead skin cells.
Activate your bodycare
Step things up with an active exfoliant. You know all about AHAs and BHAs (which chemically exfoliate the skin by sloughing off dead skin cells) for your face, well it’s time to apply the same principles to the rest of your skin. LA-based aesthetician Kate Somerville has followed up her best-selling ExfoliKate treatment with a Resurfacing Body Scrub (£48, katesomerville.co.uk), marking her first foray into the world of bodycare. It’s a clinical-grade body scrub, with a three-part exfoliation method. Scandi skincare brand Verso launched its first range for the body this year too. The Body Peel (£55, libertylondon.com) unclogs pores with AHA glycolic acid, BHA salicylic acid and bark extract.
Thought retinol was just for your face? Wrong! A growing number of products now contain the derivative of vitamin A (which helps speed up cell turnover). Paula’s Choice Retinol Body Treatment (£33, cultbeauty.co.uk) uses retinol to address fine lines and sun damage, while shea butter and evening primrose soothe. Bea Skin Care’s Retinol Complex Body Lotion (£52, bea-skincare.com) combines retinol and AHA glycolic to protect skin against sun damage and free radicals, and stimulate collagen production. As when using vitamin A on your face, just be sure you’re using suffucient amounts of SPF when exposing skin to the sun.
Super serums
Hyaluronic acid, which helps to lock in moisture, is not just for the face. I’m hooked on Superdrug’s Me+ Hyaluronic Acid Body Gel Cream (£7.99), while on the luxury end of the spectrum, Susanne Kaufmann’s new Hyaluron Body Gel (£60) is formulated with three molecular weights of hyaluronic acid to hydrate on multiple levels. Nor is vitamin C, Sanctuary Spa’s Vitamin C Glow Boost Body Serum is a bargain that will help to brighten dull skin, with antioxidants like turmeric oil and niacinamide to help protect against environmental aggressors (£6.67, boots.com).
Oil up
Trade your trusty moisturiser for a body oil — it’ll lock in moisture like nothing else, even better when combined with an oil-based body wash. The Body Serum from Swedish brand Björk and Berries (£45, gb.bjorkandberries.com) is an oil/serum hybrid that just sinks into the skin and is rich in natural active oils, omegas 3, 6 and 9 and vitamin E. For something that feels completely non-greasy, Glossier’s Body Hero Dry-Touch Oil Mist (£24, glossier.co.uk ) is enriched with three antioxidant oils — sunflower seed, grapeseed, and oat — to deeply nourish.
