7 new year’s resolutions for happier skin

A recent conversation with our Founder got us thinking about new year’s resolutions. While it’s easy to dismiss them as merely setting oneself up for failure, Sarah made a great point: “I think the intention is always good to set yourself on a path of self improvement – but it has to be small and manageable. Never underestimate that the small things can make a big difference.”

Inspired by her thoughtful approach, we’ve put together the seven small and simple, healthy habits to add to your routine this year. Not just to see and feel powerful results but to commit to carving out (deserved) time for your self-care and skin confidence.

Master cleansing and the rest will follow

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, cleansing is the most important thing you can do for your skin. So many skin issues can be solved, or hugely improved by proper cleansing every single day with gentle, detergent- and alcohol-free cleansers suited to your skin’s needs.

Got reactive, ultra-sensitive skin? Middlemist Seven™️ is our gentle cream cleanser which protects the skin’s delicate oil and PH balance and alongside its muslin cloth is a spa-like dream to use.

If you wear make-up and sunscreen daily, we recommend double cleansing first with Light Work™ Cleansing Oil which acts like a magnet for the oil in your make-up and lifts it off the skin. Then cleansing it all away with Middlemist Seven™️.

And finally blemish-prone skin will love our targeted, natural PHA-powered clarifying face, PHAZE™️. It foams without stripping away your skin’s natural oils – and contains actives that stay behind to keep skin soft and hydrated.

Set yourself up for a good night’s sleep

Our skin is massively impacted by our sleep. That’s because our skin repairs from all the daily damage it's exposed to while we sleep. Without quality sleep, our skin doesn't recover and becomes weakened over time. Tiredness also causes us to slip into bad habits – Pai customers told us that 23% of them skipped sunscreen and 12% skipped cleansing after a bad night’s sleep.

This year, think about sleep and your skin in two stages. First, improving your shut-eye by establishing a relaxing, screen-free, wind down routine each evening, and avoiding caffeine or alcohol too near bedtime.

Secondly, by maintaining a consistent skincare routine – using active ingredients that will help replace the nutrients we lose when we’re sleep deprived. And supporting your skin overnight with products designed to replenish and rejuvenate, such as our hero night cream for sensitive skin or our bestselling Rosehip Oil. You’ll find all our expert tips on sleep and your skin right here.

Get ingredient acquainted

You don’t need to have a chemistry degree to get clued up on cosmetic ingredients. But if your skin is reactive and prone to flare-ups, knowing your triggers is key to avoiding them in the future. We recommend avoiding known irritants like MI, Propylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Formaldehyde and Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate as well as high levels of essential oils, especially if you experience contact dermatitis. Research those you’re not familiar with so you can make informed buying decisions – and don’t be duped by phoney kitemarks.

When shopping for natural skincare, look out for Soil Association, COSMOS Natural and COSMOS Organic logos on any product’s outer packaging – these will tell you that it guarantees the highest ingredient quality, sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources.

If you suspect something is irritating your skin and want more help identifying what that might be and which products to avoid or use going forward – you can book a free consultation with our sensitive skin experts here.

Don’t forget your body

While we tend to focus heavily on keeping our faces calm, blemish-free, glowing and youthful – the skin on our bodies is largely overlooked. It isn’t always possible to treat the skin on our bodies to a full routine every day, but try to carve out five minutes after every shower to body brush and moisturise.

Sarah shares, “I often neglect it when life gets busy but I always feel happiest when my skin body-over is feeling pumped, plumped and hydrated. It also helps to keep my urticaria in check. Especially when I apply body cream cool from the fridge and slather it with abandon.”

Embrace exfoliation

We know that removing dead skin cells is crucial not only to banish dullness and clogged pores, but most importantly to allow your products to penetrate and perform better. Apply high quality, organic active ingredients onto dead skin and they’ll likely sit on top – wasting your precious time and money.

The problem is, one in two of us with sensitive skin avoid exfoliation for fear of irritation. Let’s just be super clear here – our exfoliator is different. Clinically proven for sensitive skin (as is everything we make), Virtuous Circle™️ Eco-Bead Exfoliator doesn’t scrape or damage the skin with sharp and uneven sugar or salt pieces.

It uses perfectly spherical Jojoba beads that roll over skin and gently buff away dead cells and buildup, without scratching the delicate surface. And it has a luxurious gel texture that turns into a soft milk with water. It’s the perfect pick-me-up for skin, all year round.

Listen to your skin

Each season, month or even phase of our cycle can impact how our skin feels. Rather than fighting against it, try to listen to what your skin is telling you and respond with the specific ingredients it's crying out for.

For example – if the cold snap has left your skin dry, chapped and generally feeling quite weathered – that’s a call to mend the skin’s barrier so it can once again hold water in and keep irritants out. Look for soothing formulas with barrier support like our bestselling moisturiser The Anthemis™️.

Tuning in to what your skin needs shouldn’t mean expensive or drastic changes to your beauty routine either. Our boosters collection was created to solve this exact problem. Individually bottled active ingredients, they’re designed to drop into your existing skincare each day to supercharge it with the specific benefits your skin is craving.

Resist skincare hauls

That might sound like counterintuitive advice from a beauty brand, but we really believe it. Sensitive skin loves routine; particularly one that's simple and consistent.

That means where possible sticking with only the products your skin knows and loves – using them to the very last drop – and avoiding trending ingredients and viral skincare buys that will likely end up unfinished and sentenced to landfill. For your skin’s calm – and for the planet – less is most definitely more.

Want personalised advice on which products are right for you, or the best routine to follow? Our sensitive skin experts are always on hand to help.

You can book a virtual skin consultation with them at a time that suits you – even better it's completely free and there’s no obligation to buy products afterwards.