Beauty Knowhow: Meet your new skincare saviours

Snaffle them now before they sell out!   

I’ve had an exclusive first look at two Boots No7 skincare launches and I can all but guarantee that these will garner waiting lists as long as your arm – so if they speak to you and you spy them on the shelf, grab them. While wrinkles remain a top concern, Dr Mike Bell, skincare scientific adviser for Boots, says, ‘By the time people are in their late 40s and 50s, and have been through the menopause, they’ve lived with wrinkles for a certain amount of time, and it’s the sagging around the jawline and the neck that becomes the problem.’

Enter No7 Laboratories Firming Booster Serum, which is four times more concentrated than the brand’s already clinically proven offering. It starts delivering firming results in one week and lifting benefits in two. With ingredients including hibiscus (to boost collagen production), low- and high-molecular weight hyaluronic acid (to aid skin’s moisture at a deep and surface level) and Matrixyl 3000 Plus (to give a protein framework for elasticity/firmness), testers saw results within a week but cumulative benefits meant that after eight weeks some had friends asking whether they’d had fillers.

No7 Laboratories Dark Spot Corrector Booster Serum

Also a big welcome to No7 Laboratories Dark Spot Corrector Booster Serum, which has six times more ‘lightening complex’ than its current offerings. It works to reduce the overproduction of melanin.

Trial results show testers were willing to forgo their next planned laser treatment for these pesky melatonin issues, which is impressive stuff. Of course, continued use is required to maintain the effects.

Although it hasn’t been tested specifically to help with melasma (larger brown patches on skin thought to be more driven by hormonal factors), this may be worth a try. Though this is not a claim Boots could – or would – make.

Both cost £38 and are available in-store and at boots.com from Wednesday.  

The hottest debate of all

Does steam and heat really open pores? We asked renowned facialist Sarah Chapman for the lowdown. ‘While pore size is determined by genetics, a build-up of oil can block and enlarge them. Heat and steam help to open pores by increasing micro-circulation, loosening blockages and allowing cleansers to penetrate the skin.’

So here are our favourite heat-giving skincare launches…