What The F**k Is Arbutin?

Arbutin is an ingredient on the up and up thanks to its many skincare benefits. It is a compound extracted from bearberry plants, as well as certain fruits like pears and cranberries.

The Skincare Benefits of CBD

CBD (also referred to as cannabidiol) is a naturally-occurring chemical compound found in cannabis plants. It's one of the two primary active ingredients of cannabis, the other one being THC (the chemical that gets you high!). In recent years it has become a popular skincare ingredient due to its many skincare benefits.

What The F*** Is Mandelic Acid?

Mandelic acid is an exfoliating ingredient that you need to know about. 

Derived from bitter almonds, mandelic acid is a super gentle AHA (alpha hydroxy acid) that actively treats the skin without causing redness and irritation. 

What The F**k Is Ectoin?

Ectoin is a naturally occurring compound derived from single-cell bacteria that can be found in the unforgiving environments of deserts, salt pans, and hot springs. It is one of the newest buzzwords in beauty due to its many skincare benefits, so I thought I'd give you the lowdown...

A Guide To Acids | Part 1

Acids make for popular skincare ingredients but not all acids are created equal. Different acids provide different skincare benefits, so, to ensure you're up to date, I've shared a rundown of the most popular ones in the beauty business...

The Skincare Benefits of Avocado Oil

Avocado oil is an edible oil pressed from the fruit of an avocado (persea americana). And for those unsure of what an avocado is - it's that green fruit that likely dominates your IG feed. People really, really like it.

Avocado oil is a nutrient-packed, clinically-proven skin moisturiser and conditioner. It is packed with vitamins A, B1, B2, and D - plus the powerhouse antioxidants vitamin E and chlorophyll, which help mitigate skin damage and unwanted ageing. These antioxidants work together to collect and neutralise free radicals (AKA highly reactive molecules or unstable compounds that can destroy skin cells and DNA, leading to skin damage and unwanted ageing).

What The F*** Is Retinol?!

Retinol is a derivative of vitamin A and is considered to be one of the key ingredients in the fight against ageing.

What The F**k Is Azelaic Acid?

Azelaic acid is a dicarboxylic acid that comes from grains such as barley, wheat, and rye.

It is an antibacterial and antioxidant-rich ingredient that benefits the skin in a number of ways. According to Dr Derrick Phillips, acclaimed dermatologist, azelaic acid is "a very versatile ingredient. It unblocks and sterilises pores, making it an ideal treatment for patients with acne." Dr Phillips uses the ingredient to treat both acne and rosacea, "I use 15% or 20% azelaic acid to treat patients with mild to moderate pimples, yellow heads, and whitehead and blackheads." he explains.

Your Top SPF Questions, Answered

Wearing a good SPF is one of the best things we can do to ensure our skin stays as healthy, as youthful, and as safe as possible, all year round. However you'd be surprised to learn there is still a little confusion over SPF. So, to answer some of your most common SPF questions, I spoke with Rowan Hall Farrise, Skincare Expert at QMS Medicosmetics...

Magic Mushrooms

The Mushroom Kingdom is huge and enigmatic, even from the point of the view of modern science.

Mushrooms can be highly toxic for one species and enormously beneficial for another, many of them containing powerful antioxidants protecting them from harm. They can absorb and sometimes neutralise toxins, and they are often highly nutritional.

Vegan Beauty That Actually Works

Veganism has become big business in the last five years and the beauty industry, like many others, has been quick to embrace it.

The beauty shelves are now saturated with brands that are either vegan or boast vegan products. However, much like fries are (unintentionally) vegan but unhealthy, not all vegan beauty products are kind or beneficial to skin. Products celebrated for their vegan credentials can be loaded with questionable ingredients or bulking agents that provide little benefit to the skin. Even worse, some vegan beauty products are actually tested on animals!

Skin Concerns | Age Spots

Age spots (often referred to as liver spots) are flat brown spots that begin to appear on the skin as you age. They can also be black or grey in colour and appear on the sun-exposed areas of the body, including the face, shoulders, back of hands, and upper chest.

The Lowdown | Rosacea

Rosacea is a skin condition that many women and men suffer from but know little about. Thanks to iS Clinical, the US cosmeceutical skincare brand celebrated for its highly effective products, I've been able to share a wealth of information on this common skin complaint. We're giving the lowdown on everything from what rosacea is, to what its triggers and treatments are...

An In-Flight Skincare Manual For Mask Wearers

A good in-flight skincare routine is key for keeping skin fresh, hydrated, and healthy during and after a long-haul flight. However, as face coverings are now mandatory on-board all aircrafts, even the best in-flight skincare routine has been compromised. This is because wearing a face mask for long periods of time can lead to inflammation, redness, irritation, and breakouts...

What The F*** Is Niacinamide?

Niacinamide is a form of vitamin B3, which is found in different kinds of foods, such as milk, eggs, fish, beans, green vegetables, meat and cereal grains.

Shaving Face

Women shave their legs, under arms, top lip and even their hoo-ha, so why don't we shave our faces? And, for those of us who do, why are we so f**king secretive?! There are so many benefits to picking up the razor, so let's stop saving face about shaving face....

Tackling Tech Neck

If you regularly find yourself staring down at your phone, endlessly scrolling your Insta feed, you could soon become a victim of tech neck.

The first-world beauty problem known as tech neck occurs when a repetitive motion, such as consistently looking down at your phone or laptop screen, creates persistent folding of the skin. And with the average woman checking her phone at least 85 times a day, it’s no wonder the creases keep increasing...

What The f**k Are Peptides?

In super simple terms, peptides are small chains of amino acids - the building blocks of the proteins within your skin. Peptides are present in every living cell and they play a crucial role in the physiological and biochemical functions of life.

Understanding...Moles

Moles are very common, so common that you'll struggle finding a single person on this earth that doesn't have one. Most moles are harmless, however some can be life threatening. Some people regard moles as a sign of beauty, while others see them as a sign of ugliness. Moles clearly mean different things to different people, so it's about time we starting talking about them...

What are moles?

Moles are simply a collection of cells that are skin coloured or brown. Most moles begin to form on the body in early childhood and by adulthood it's normal to have up to 40 moles. Moles can appear anywhere on the body, they can be raised or flat and they can be positioned alone or clustered together.

When it comes to moles on the face, the most common type are benign intradermal naevi. As Dr Perry, Medical Director of Cosmedics Skin Clinics, explains, "These are skin coloured or lightly brown moles that stick out of the skin often in areas around the chin and mouth but also on the cheeks and forehead".

Understanding...Parabens

Often, just mentioning the word ‘parabens’ is enough to freak a beauty gal out. So you’re probably wondering, “WTF are parabens and why all the fuss?!”.

Well, parabens are chemicals widely used as preservatives - they are the most common preservatives used in cosmetic and pharmaceutical products. Using preservatives in cosmetic products is very common and very beneficial as they prevent the growth of bacteria and other germs, helping the products to last longer.

The reason 'parabens’ is such a big buzz word in the cosmetics world is due to the implied link between the use of parabens and breast cancer.

This implication comes from the fact that parabens contain tiny levels of estrogenic activity, activity that can be attributed to certain breast tumours. However the estrogenic effect of parabens is incredibly weaker than that of natural estrogens like estradiol. Even when parabens are included in cosmetic products, the concentration of parabens is always extremely low. More importantly, although past research has suggested a link between parabens and breast cancer, direct evidence of this correlation has yet to be shown.

I personally think parabens are given a bad rap. However, if you’d rather err on the side of caution, I’d recommend using paraben-free beauty products. There are a number of great beauty brands out there that do not include parabens in any of their products, Jurlique is a personal favourite!