The 13 Best Skincare Products That Will Transform Your Beauty Regime

If you love the plumping, hydrating, soothing effects of Westman Atelier’s Skin Activator (it’s packed with an A-list of ingredients, including peptides, algae, niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, probiotics, ceramides and L-arginine), this new rollerball format levels up the results even more. Use the cooling, stainless-steel ball tip as a lifting and de-puffing device, gliding it upwards and outwards from the center of your face, concentrating on areas of tension (between the brows and/or along the jaw line) to boost circulation even more. I love the tighter, firmer, luminizing effects, which I see instantly, and keep it in the refrigerator for even more cooling goodness when my skin is feeling especially lackluster.

As far as beauty buzzwords go, ‘exosomes’ is still going strong. They are the tiny sacks found between our cells that contain everything you need for good skin (read: proteins, lipids, growth factors and DNA). As well as boosting cell-to-cell communication, according to Dr. Barbara Sturm, they are essential for reducing inflammation, and can deliver incredible anti-aging benefits, too. The brand’s Exoso-Metic Face Serum (there’s also an Eye Serum in the range) pairs lab-synthesized growth factors, which encourage skin’s renewal and repair processes, with powerhouse actives vitamins C and E, and botanical extracts, to amplify the skin-firming, smoothing and brightening results.

This Body Cleanser from Augustinus Bader is a silky-soft testament to the fact that a cleanser can be so much more than just a cleanser. It contains the same Trigger Factor Complex (TFC8®) that is used in all the brand’s products to repair and strengthen skin, while whisking dirt and pollution from pores at the same time. But what makes this gel-cleanser so good is how it leaves skin smooth and soft, thanks to a hefty hydrating mix of ceramides, coconut oil and rice protein (while eucalyptus adds a refreshing hit of aromatherapy benefits, too). Plus, you’ll find your oils, lotions and creams just seem to glide on more easily after a shower or bath – so it’s a definite win-win in my book.

Now nearly as iconic as Charlotte Tilbury’s bestselling Magic Cream Moisturizer, this gel version delivers plump, dewy, radiant skin like the original, but in a lighter, airier texture. This doesn’t mean it’s not as hydrating – it packs a moisturizing punch thanks to vitamins C, E, niacinamide, peptides and aquaporin-boosting technology that trains your skin’s barrier to better hold on to moisture. It’s especially good if you’re prone to dehydration, but also if your skin finds the original formula a bit too rich. The key is to really massage it in so your skin literally ‘drinks’ it up – I had nearly-instant radiance, while it also upped my skin’s hydration levels for the longer term.

What sets this high-powered hydrator from Shani Darden apart from other moisturizing serums is how long the results last. You’ll really see a smoother, more radiant, bouncy-looking skin surface, and it’s all down to snow mushroom (proven to hydrate both instantly and over the long-term) and red algae (a heavy-hitter for keeping the skin barrier intact so that moisture can’t escape). Use it both morning and night and as a hydrating buffer after applying active ingredients (retinol, AHAs and vitamin C) to prevent any redness or irritation from cropping up. It’s truly a must-use and slots easily into any skincare routine.

With every A-list makeup artist and dermatologist (and the celebrities they treat) giving the at-home Lyma Laser skin tool such positive reviews, it was inevitable that the brand’s foray into skincare would be just as good. Housed in chic, refillable copper vessels, this coveted serum-and-cream power couple is packed with high doses of active ingredients that are said to combat eight mechanisms of skin-aging at a cellular level. Most notably, both are formulated to be used in tandem, and as the only products in your post-cleanse regimen. Applied night and day, and consistently for two weeks, I found this duo to be a real skin reset, as it works across redness, wrinkles, dehydration, pigmentation and skin clarity overall.

The typical issue with retinol serums is the redness, peeling and sensitivities that often come with the powerful skin-rejuvenating effects. Auteur’s version sidesteps this problem by buffering its high-active vitamin A (as encapsulated retinol), bakuchiol (a plant-based retinol alternative) and combination of brightening, polishing AHAs (glycolic and lactic) with soothing and hydrating ceramides, squalane and hyaluronic acid, as well as a protective green-tea extract. Use it every other night on bare skin, or under the brand’s Hyaluron Activator Serum for even more cushioning benefits. Either way, the refining, brightening and plumping effects I’ve seen (without any irritation) are incredibly impressive.

While Gezeiten takes a streamlined, straightforward approach to skincare, with only five key products in its range, the hero Face Cream for Night is anything but simple. Formulated to work at a cellular level, overnight, when skin’s ‘repair’ mode is ramped up, this nourishing moisturizer is full of multi-tasking ingredients (vitamins A, C and E, and hyaluronic acid), as well as a unique complex of biotech ingredients, sea kelp and algae extracts and a mineral-rich suboceanic water concentrate. It’s a great treatment for skin that’s in need of calming, hydrating, plumping care, as it works to bring your skin microbiome back into balance (often the cause of tired, red, dehydrated skin when out of sorts), and to rebuild lost collagen and elastin over time.

Hydrating essences make skin dewier and plumper, and layer seamlessly over cleansed skin and under your favorite serum. Noble Panacea’s iteration not only drives a hit of moisture-replenishing hyaluronic acid (it uses four types) and red algae into skin (thanks to the brand’s high-tech OMSV delivery system), but it also contains copper peptides to build lost collagen, and elastin and ginseng extract to balance skin post-cleanse. Ideally, it should be used after the brand’s Cleansing Balm & Exfoliating Refiner – I love to tap it into the skin in an upward motion, so it’s fully absorbed before going in with a serum. And, as with all Noble Panacea products, it comes in a convenient, travel-friendly sachet – so you don’t have to interrupt your skincare routine when traveling, either.

If you’re looking for an alternative to filler, this repairing serum from Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare is the best you’ll get for plumping, filling and smoothing lines and wrinkles from the inside out. It features a special technology that shrinks the size of the water molecules that carry four different weights of hyaluronic acid (to penetrate all levels of the skin), together with volumizing peptides, smoothing ectoin and redness-reducing niacinamide. It’s designed to work fast, plus it absorbs quickly, so you can apply a cream and SPF over the top without any pilling.

Just like U Beauty’s beloved original Resurfacing Compound, the body iteration is a one-stop, does-it-all multitasker – refining pores, smoothing skin, exfoliating, hydrating, tightening, and offering good antioxidant protection, too. Tweaked slightly to cater to the thicker skin below the neck (so that it can effectively soften rough elbows, knees and heels, and those hard-to-target bumps on the backs of the arms), the formula still uses the brand’s signature Siren Capsule technology to make sure the AHAs, peptides, enzymes and salicylic acid within it get exactly where they’re needed – and fast. The end result is a more even tone all over – and, even better, the smoothest skin I’ve felt in years.

La Prairie is known for delivering results you can see for the long term, which is why the brand is big on updating its iconic products with the latest advancements. Now, the cult White Caviar range’s Illuminating Pearl Infusion Serum comes supercharged with a new skin-brightening ingredient, and a new-gen delivery system, to get it exactly where the skin needs it most: deep into the dermis to prevent brown spots from forming. The result is a more even skin tone overall – it targets redness, yellowing and grayness at the same time – while helping to firm and tighten skin, too. Use this serum consistently for two weeks for a truly noticeable glow-up.

Taking the same lit-from-within sheen you get from the Rose Gold Radiance Face Booster Serum down to your limbs, this gorgeously silky (never sticky) body oil from 111Skin really glosses over redness and any uneven patches of skin with hydrating goodness. What’s more, it’s packed with antioxidants, damask-rose extract, a highly active form of vitamin E, anti-inflammatory rosemary extract and boldella – a type of algae that strengthens skin cells, and the delicate skin barrier, too. It’s especially good for deep-treating dry skin and for adding a hit of subtle radiance to the tops of shoulders, or down the fronts of shins when baring limbs.

Shop the beauty edit

The only beauty tools that will really transform your skin

Dr. Barbara Sturm’s 5 lifestyle hacks for healthy, glowing skin