Jennifer Rock, Irish entrepreneur and author, founder and CEO of The Skin Nerd, Nerd Network, Skingredients and the Cleanse Off Mitt, shares her 12 favourite skincare products and the staples in her skincare routine.
I’d be lying if I didn’t say that the Skingredients Key Four, above, forms the basis of my daily skincare routine! The Key Four is filled with vitamins, fats, and fruit, veg and botanical extracts for healthy skin. It’s like a balanced dinner plate – we all know that most of us need the same things on our dinner plate throughout our life for optimum health, specific amounts of protein, vitamins and fats, for example. The Key Four mirrors this with what we believe are the key ingredients in topical skincare, all packed into four products I use daily:
Skingredients PreProbiotic Cleanse Hydrating Cleanser, €29, is a cleanser, eye make-up remover and doubles up as a mask too! The creamy, dreamy cleansing formula not only removes all traces of dirt, makeup and SPF but it gives back to the skin with a blend of prebiotics, probiotics and polyhydroxy acid that boosts the skin’s natural moisturising factor for hydrated skin.
Skingredients Skin Veg Hyaluronic Acid Hydrating Serum, €55 is like a smoothie for the skin! Enriched with fruit, veg and botanical extracts alongside hyaluronic acid, Skin Veg literally puts the bounce back into dehydrated, lacklustre skin with an instant dewy finish. It also contains peptides for anti-ageing benefits too!
Vitamin A is another essential in my routine and Skingredients Skin Protein Anti-Ageing Retinoid Serum, €55 is my absolute favourite! Most know vitamin A as retinol, but we opted to use a different form of vitamin A, the fat-form, retinyl palmitate, in this serum. Retinyl palmitate is more tolerable to the skin, including sensitive skin, and works in a “low and slow” manner for similar results with less likelihood of irritation. I like to mix a pump of this with Skin Veg and apply from the nipples up for plumper, youthful-looking skin.
Wearing a daily broad-spectrum SPF like Skingredients Skin Shield Moisturising + Priming SPF 50 PA+++, €57 come rain, shine, or duvet day is my number one skincare tip. The damage to skin from UV rays is the leading cause of skin ageing (think fine lines, wrinkles, and dark spots) and increases your risk of developing skin cancer. I’m a strong believer that every single person on the planet should be applying ½ teaspoon of SPF to their faces, neck, and ears in the morning and Skin Shield makes this process a joy! Not only is this a high factor, broad-spectrum formula that protects you from indoor and outdoor pollution, but it imparts a dewy peach tint that doubles as a skin-perfecting primer! I often skip foundation altogether when wearing this to bask in the peachy glow!
IMAGE Skincare Iluma Intense Brightening Serum, €58.50 is always in my kit and never fails to leave my skin with a lit-from-within glow. Containing Bearberry leaf extract, it’s like a plaster for pigment, helping to lessen the appearance of dark spots to even out the skin tone.
Stress is inevitable but Environ Focus Care Youth+ Sérience Night Serum, €88, helps me to deal with the side effects on my skin. This is one of the most potent but hard-working products within my routine and is formulated with a Malachite Neuropeptide Complex to stress-proof the skin, improve radiance and smooth expression lines. It also helps to protect the skin against oxidative stress – a key cause of accelerated ageing.
My skin is prone to blemishes and congestion, meaning that Skingredients Sally Cleanse 2% Salicylic Acid Cleanser, €33, is always by my side. Not only is salicylic acid one of the most sought-after ingredients in skincare, but it is also a must for anyone with spot-prone skin, deep diving into pores to dissolve the sebum and dead skin cells, which helps to tackle spots, blackheads and any bumps. Sally Cleanse contains 2% salicylic acid – the highest amount permitted for use in the EU in cosmetic products – for twice weekly exfoliation at nighttime. When used as a mask, it’s a game-changer for zapping spots in their tracks – I cannot be without it!
Keeping the under-eye area hydrated is a priority, which is why I love the peptide-enriched Environ Youth Essentia Eye Gel, €75. It’s not cheap but it’s a more than worthy investment, combining essential vitamins, antioxidants and powerful peptides with new Optim-Hyal™ – an active complex which works to stimulate the synthesis of natural HA (Hyaluronic acid) within the skin, restoring optimal levels of moisture in cells.
Anyone who truly knows me knows that I love a spritz and my personal favourite is Yon-Ka Spritz Lotion PS, €35. Packed full of soothing and hydrating botanicals to boost skin’s hydration levels throughout the day, I keep one in my bag, at the office and in my car for impromptu touch-ups!
Skin health starts from within, and AYA Magnesium Citrate, €12.95, helps me to sleep and regenerate at night! Catching all the zzz’s is the best way to skin health.
Night-time is the ideal time for reparative products and so I like to apply ASAP Skincare Liquid Platinum, €55, 2-3 times a week to support my skin barrier and stimulate collagen production. Liquid Platinum is an overnight regeneration treatment that dissolves dead skin cells to brighten and refine the complexion whilst you sleep. It’s great for reducing the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and pigmentation.
Retinol is a game-changing ingredient but can cause irritation to the skin, so I look to entry-level serums such as Skin Rocks Retinoid 1, €80, to repair photodamage, enhance skin clarity and promote an even and radiant skin tone. I like to mix this with Skingredients Skin Protein Anti-Ageing Retinoid Serum for an even more potent blend of restorative properties!
Photography by Skingredients. We may earn a commission if you buy something from any affiliate links on our site.
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