As a Beauty Editor, I've spent years trialling all the latest skincare launches - from serums infused with 24k gold dust (yes, really!) to essences that promise a glow after just one splash. There was a time when I felt like I needed a spreadsheet to keep track of all the different steps - cleanser, toner, essence, serum, eye cream, mist, moisturiser, oil, SPF... The list goes on. My bathroom shelf was overwhelmed with all the different products promising miracles. But when I hit my forties, my hormones went haywire and so did my skin - it was breaking out like I was a teenager again, and a lot of products were causing reactions. So I decided to strip back my routine to see what really made a difference.
I quickly realised that as I was ageing, my face didn’t need more, it needed less, and I set out to simplify my routine with the help of consultant dermatologist, Dr. Justine Kluk. "I like to divide my skincare into necessaries, treatments and nice-to-haves," she advised me while reiterating that the less-is-more approach is often best. Once I started to look at my skincare through Dr. Kluk’s '3-bucket' lens - necessaries, treatments and nice-to-haves - my flare-ups disappeared and my glow returned.
My skincare routine at 49
Bucket 1: The Essentials
This is your non-negotiable trio: a gentle cleanser, a nourishing moisturiser and SPF. That's it. These are the products that form the basis of a healthy skincare routine - they clean, hydrate and protect skin. As Dr. Kluk told me, "If you've got those three, you're already doing 80% of what matters."
© GettyBucket 2: The Treatments
This is where your hard-working 'actives' live. "In a healthy skin-ageing routine, your retinol is your evening treatment, and your antioxidant - usually vitamin C - goes on in the morning," she explained. The key, Dr. Kluk added, is to start slow and build tolerance: "With actives, success is measured in months and years, not in days and weeks." Dr. Kluk's emphasis on patience is an important one to note: we must not expect overnight miracles but start focusing on consistency instead.
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Bucket 3: The Nice-To-Haves
Everything else - your toners, essences, eye and neck creams - fall into this category. Lovely if you enjoy them, but far from essential. "Just because something exists doesn't mean that you have to use it," noted Dr. Kluk. "And what I definitely do not advocate for is using two toners and three serums every day - it’s just too much." For me, a simpler routine takes less than five minutes and consists of just a splash of water, antioxidant serum and SPF in the morning, and a balm cleanser, retinol and sometimes an oil at night. Plus, my shelves aren’t overflowing with the most expensive products either.
"Your routine doesn’t need to be expensive," Dr. Kluk reassured me. "Yes, there are some products which just feel lovely, but you can always find reasonably priced skincare." So it turns out that the best skincare advice for midlife isn’t about adding, it’s about editing. And oftentimes the glow comes from giving your skin - and yourself - a little breathing space.
