Favourite September Skincare Picks for this Autumn

Now that the seemingly endless heatwaves of the summer appear to be over, and we’re rapidly moving into autumn and colder, rainier weather, routines tend to change. This often includes daily skincare routines.

One of this summer’s trends certainly was concentrating on repairing and restoring your skin barrier and this is a trend that is very likely (and very beneficial) to carry over into autumn. Skin is the largest organ in the body and makes up 1/7 of your total body weight. The skin barrier is what keeps your skin looking (and feeling) healthy.

The skin barrier protects your body from external stressors, like pollution and UV radiation, retains water to keep your body and skin hydrated, and transports vital nutrients to your skin. These joint factors handle maintaining homeostasis, aka keeping your body’s systems balanced.

So, taking good care of your skin barrier is very important not just for aesthetic reasons. With weather getting colder and damper, and places ramping up the heating it’s easy for the skin barrier to quickly become irritated and dry.

Cleansing is very important, especially at the end of the day, washing away all the dirt and pollutants that collect on your face during the day. A nice and gentle cleanser should do its job without stripping away any of the skins natural oils and moisture. The ‘Fresh Soy Face Cleanser’ is a great choice, proven to maintain the skins pH and increasing moisture while still deeply cleansing the pores.

Following up with a soothing toner might seem indulgent but is a vital step in insuring that your skin is ready to soak up any further products and moisturisers you use and even removes dead skin cells. If you’re worried about a toner being too stripping, looking for one from a K-Beauty brand might help, as they‘re usually formulated to be extra hydrating.

A toner, which works wonders for all skin types is the ‘Cosrx Propolis Synergy toner’. It’s 72% Black Bee Propolis extract which is nourishing, plumping and reduces redness. Really, any product containing propolis is beneficial to the skin as it is antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, and an antioxidant.

Going in with an essence after helps hydrate without being too heavy. The Cosrx ‘Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence’, is a lovely lightweight option and helps soothe damaged skin, fade dark sport, reduce irritation and is anti-ageing. While snail mucin might sound rather gross at the start, it doesn’t actually feel like snail slime and sinks into the skin without being tacky or leaving any stickiness. And very importantly, no snails are harmed in the production of this ingredient. Nearing the end of the routine, a hydrating serum is perfect for keeping your skin nice and supple throughout the day, no matter what the weather is.

Continuing on with the K-Beauty, the ‘dear, klairs Rich Moist Soothing Serum’ is a hydrating, water based serum, specially made for sensitive skin. This serum lowers the surface temperature while providing deep moisturization to calm and cool the skin.

Now to add the final bit of moisture and hydration a good moisturiser cream or gel goes a long way. It locks in all the hydration and other benefits from the products you’ve just applied and keeps your skin calm throughout the day. A very calming one is the ‘La Roche-Posay Toleriane’ creams. There are different ones depending on what consistency you desire and what time of day it is but they’re all very gentle but intensely moisturising.

Last, but not least and arguably the most important step of a day-time routine is SPF. The sun might have disappeared behind some clouds, and it might seem unnecessary, but SPF is still as important as it was during summer. In addition to protecting your skin against painful sunburns, sunscreen is instrumental in helping to reduce your risk of skin cancer. It’s also one of the most effective weapons in your anti-aging skincare arsenal, as studies show approximately 80 percent of skin aging results from UV radiation.