7 products you need for perfect autumn skin – and the one ingredient you must avoid

A psychotherapist once told me during a session in which I whinged about facing challenges time and again that despite having invested a hell of a lot of energy in trying to swerve stress, it would always crop up in one form or another. In their view, being human means a lamentable side effect of repeatedly encountering hurdles, and no amount of introspection can act as a get out of jail free card for me on that one. They posited instead that the sign of being in good fettle mentally lay in course-correcting more quickly when things go awry.

The same is true when it comes to skin; as someone who’s accrued scores of knowledge on it over the years thanks to endless hours in the company of experts, you may think my skin is forever clear and calm, but no, it is very keen on getting spotty and furious and no wisdom has ever changed that. That is not to suggest for one minute that those experts don’t know their stuff, just that skin will wobble, and for most of us getting it back on track is speedily is the thing rather than expecting unblemished perfection.

This is a timely reminder because autumn is gathering around us, and with it comes central heating, cold and windy weather, more burdensome fabrics and less sunlight and before you know it those things may well start showing up on your skin in the form of dry patches, more spots, and things generally looking less plump and hydrated (some of which it must be said is the result of the absence of sweat adding its ‘glow’), though really all sorts of things can happen when the weather and our habits change.

The experts tell me that while summer is a time to double down on hydration and protection, autumn’s dwindling sunlight means less of an assault from the weather making it a good opportunity to introduce actives like retinol, which facialist and founder of her eponymous brand Teresa Tarmey says is a perfect skin pick-me-up at around this time of year.

Pam Marshall, Clinical Aesthetician and co-founder of Mortar & Milk , recommends approaching from the inside and outside, sandwiching skin to keep it as hydrated as possible, while still keeping the essential pillars of daily SPF and showering away pollution and sweat regularly in place.

Below you’ll find seven stellar autumn skin heroes, but note that none of them are centred around hyaluronic acid, which Marshall warns against: “a hyaluronic acid will draw moisture from your skin and send it towards the radiator or air con, so effectively it will deplete your skin rather than nourish it.”

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QMS Medicosmetics Deep Gentle Cleanser

Oh you’ll already know that cleansing is non-negotiable if you want your skin to behave well, but do bear in mind that if your cleanser strips your skin, you’re sort of scuppering your efforts. A cream is a really good bet, meaning you can massage it in properly, remove with a flannel (Marshall adds “never, ever splash off cleanser. Ever.”) and proceed to the next steps of skincare. This is the one I use most often because it doesn’t dry out skin and it removes make-up really well.

Buy now £50.00

E45 Face Night Cream

Think of your night moisturiser as the duvet you tuck your skin to bed with, blanketing the serum underneath. It must make the surface of your skin feel lovely and hydrated and shouldn’t irritate it or break it out. That’s it, pretty much; it’s there’s to prop up your barrier, a way to look after that very outer layer.

This by E45 is one of my all-time favourites, making skin soft while, remarkably, given how acne-prone I am, keeping spots at bay.

Buy now £14.99, Superdrug

Bare Biology Rise & Shine Omega 3 + Vitamin D3

If your cells aren’t in good shape, you can put the absolute best product on your skin and it still won’t be enough. Omegas are essential to the membranes of cells, and play a role in how well they function. The body can’t produce them, so your diet is the only shot you have at getting enough – and I always recommend supplementing given that few of us eat enough quality foods high in essential fatty acids.

These contain the precise right kinds of omegas and the addition of vitamin D means that you can tick that off your list (in the UK, the sun isn’t strong enough to synthesise vitamin D from September onwards so it’s another one that you’ll have to supplement).

Buy now £32.95, Bare Biology

Medik8 Crystal Retinal 3

Widely regarded as one of the most reliable retinols on the market, introducing this encapsulated (meaning it’ll get where it needs to) retinol can help to boost collagen, meaning skin that behaves and looks more youthfully.

Remember to tip toe in if you’re not used to retinols, using them every other or every third night and then building up, if you can. You should still be using SPF daily, anyway, but it’s non-negotiable if you’ve got retinols in your routine.

Buy now £49.00, Cult Beauty

Elete Electrolytes

Frustratingly, drinking lots of water isn’t necessarily the answer to hydrating from within. Yes, you absolutely need to drink a good amount of water for plenty of reasons from maintaining fluids and flushing out toxins, but the addition of electrolytes means better uptake, with studies showing that not only do they mean greater absorption of water but also that they help your body to regulate chemical reactions.

Elete’s are brilliant – all you do is add the drops to your water to supercharge it with trace elements like magnesium, potassium, chloride, and sodium, alongside 72 minerals and, thankfully, zero sugar.

Buy now £32.45, Amazon

Trinny London BFF SPF

I know I keep banging on about SPF, but really it is the absolute best thing you could do for your skin year round, so please do it. This one handily has a little pearlescence running through it to add a very, very subtle bit of sheen to skin to take the edge off the hint of grey that tends to accompany this time of year while the pigments in the mix dial down redness.

Buy now £39.00, Trinny London

Mortar & Milk PHA Barrier Repair Serum

I use this serum every single day; it is that good. Packed with PHAs, which keep skin hydrated and healthy while gently exfoliating, this is the perfect thing to introduce now if your skin feels tight and parched – a feeling that’ll only worsen as the temperature dips and heatings switch on. It’s worth mentioning that the founder of Mortar and Milk, Pam Marshall, is something of an expert on inflamed skin and has formulated this to not only cosset and soothe dehydrated skins, but also to not aggravate skin, so is excellent on those with acne, rosacea, or eczema.

Buy now £85.00, Mortar and Milk