Skin Care

This is the everyday skin care shelf — the cosmetic side rather than the medicated one. Cleansers, toners, moisturisers, serums, masks, brightening products, Korean skin care and the routines built out of them, for all skin types.

Looking for medicated creams, scar care or dermatological treatment? Those are in the Skin Care section under Medicine.

The Routine That Actually Works

Three products, in this order, is a complete routine and it outperforms a shelf of ten:

• A gentle cleanser, morning and night. If your skin feels tight and squeaky afterwards, the cleanser is too harsh — that feeling is a stripped barrier, not cleanliness.

• A moisturiser suited to your skin type, applied while the skin is still slightly damp. Oily skin needs this too; stripping oil is what makes skin produce more of it.

• Sunscreen every morning. This is the one with the most evidence behind it, and the one most people skip.

Everything else — serums, actives, masks, essences — is an addition to those three, not a replacement for them.

Knowing Your Skin Type

• Oily: shine returns within a couple of hours of washing. Wants gel and fluid textures, and lighter sunscreen.

• Dry: feels tight, may flake. Wants cream textures and richer moisturisers.

• Combination: oily forehead and nose, normal or dry cheeks — the most common type here. It is fine to use different products on different areas.

• Sensitive: reddens or stings easily. Wants fragrance-free, few ingredients, and one change at a time.

• Skin type changes with the season. What suits your face in December is often too heavy in May.

Introducing an Active Safely

• One at a time, two to four weeks apart. Vitamin C, retinol, AHAs and BHAs started together is the most common cause of a face that stings at everything.

• Start at a low strength and low frequency — twice a week, building up.

• Patch test on the inner forearm for 24 hours first.

• Sunscreen is not optional with any active. Most of them increase sun sensitivity.

Genuine Products

Much of this catalogue is imported, and imported shelves are where fakes and repacks appear. Whoever you buy from, these are worth checking:

• The seal. An intact shrink wrap or safety ring is what tells you a product has not been opened.

• The batch number and expiry printed on the pack itself, not on a sticker over it. A sticker covering the original printing is the commonest sign of a repack.

• A price far below everyone else’s is information — sometimes a genuine clearance, often a fake or something close to expiry.

If what arrives does not match its listing, tell us. We would rather take a return than leave a wrong description standing.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long before I see a result?

Skin renews itself over roughly a month, so six to eight weeks is a fair trial and three months for pigmentation. Nothing meaningful happens in a week — and a product that appears to work in two days is usually just hydration.

Do I need a ten-step routine?

No. Cleanser, moisturiser and sunscreen is a complete routine. The long routines are enjoyable if you enjoy them, but they are not the reason anyone’s skin looks good.

Will a cream make my skin fairer?

No cream changes how much melanin your skin makes. What good products genuinely do is fade uneven patches over weeks and hydrate so skin reflects light better. Daily sunscreen does more for an even tone than anything sold for it.

How do I know the product is genuine?

Check the seal, the batch number and the expiry printed on the pack itself rather than on a sticker over it. Everything we sell is sourced to arrive sealed and within date, and if what you receive does not match the listing we will put it right.

How much shelf life will it have?

We stock to arrive well within date and do not knowingly ship anything close to expiry. If you need a specific minimum for a particular order, ask before placing it and we will check the batch.