I veer between feeling impressed and slightly troubled by how much younger people, i.e, teens and twentysomethings, know about skincare.
I'm hardly one to judge, given my youthful skincare routine of scratchy scrubs and environmental hate crime cleansing wipes. But there is a justifiable growing concern around peachy-complexioned youths destroying their skin barrier with harsh products they're decades away from needing.
Meanwhile, the people with mature skin who can benefit most from acids and retinol feel a bit left behind by the TikTok trend-dominated industry. Enter, Boost Lab.
Why this affordable Aussie serum brand is my beauty pick of the week
This clever brand was founded by Sydney-based Lisa Schweighoffer, whose years of industry experience (including Trilogy of Kate Middleton's rosehip oil fame) helped her spot a gap for uncomplicated products that speak to the needs of grown-up skin.
I caught up with Lisa during a trip to London, where she recounted realising that her daughter, a social media native, knew so much about ingredients, she was practically her own dermatologist.
But, conversely, the forty and fiftysomething friends in her WhatsApp groups felt a bit lost - overwhelmed by technical jargon when shopping online, but oversold to at expensive beauty counters.
Wouldn't it make more sense, she thought, to create a range of products clearly named after what they are designed to do, rather than chemicals and percentages? And, wouldn't it be great if everything in the range was serum-based, seeing as that's the most effective way to get ingredients into your skin? As it turns out, the answer was yes on both counts.
I'm honing in on this particular serum as it's a brilliant all-round hydrator that would work well on anyone's skin type, including sensitive. It has a slippery feel and manages to avoid that overly sticky texture of many hyaluronic acid serums. If you apply this after cleansing, then before your best face moisturiser it'll sink in quickly, plump up dehydration lines, and make your face feel supple and moisture-filled all day - something that's especially welcome during cold winter months.
I've been using Hydro Boost every morning and night since I met Lisa (which, memorably happened to be on Halloween, so you can do the maths on the timeline), so it's safe to say I'm sold.
But it would be remiss of me to claim this is definitely the one perfect Boost Lab serum for you - the point of this range is that there's something to suit every need, from brightening to repair.
Even better, this is an affordable range with everything coming in under £25. So if you're a fan, you can mix and match to your heart's content. The Eidelweiss Neck Firming Serum has a cult following that's borderline feverish, so is worth a shot if that's an area of concern. Sounds good? Great! Let's chat next Sunday.
