Curél LAUNCHES IN BOOTS | AD

Ok this is a good one. More a public service announcement if you will. Curél, the number one brand for sensitive skin in Japan, has just launched in the UK and you will want to know more. Especially if your skin is on the sensitive, reddened, drier side. Currently consisting of 7 products (including the trial set), this is a range built entirely around ceramide technology and restoring a good barrier function on the skin.

Ceramides are essentially natural lipids and play a major part in keeping your skin’s surface lubricated, intact and therefore a proper ‘barrier’ to outside aggressors such as pollution. In a healthy skin, they are found in high concentrations in the uppermost layers, but in a compromised skin, they break down, leaving your skin exposed to both excessive dryness, inflammation and infection. It’s a bit like leaving the door open. And although we all obviously have them, certain skin conditions have been shown to genetically have lower levels of them (i.e. eczema). Using products like drying alkaline soaps and washing your face with water that is too hot will also strip them. Hence my ‘don’t wash your face in the shower’. Curél use ceramides like a skeleton through their range, providing support at every stage, taking care to never cause any further harm, i.e. by drying out the skin. The entire ethos of the range is to support, protect and promote your own natural ceramides. The range contains two cleansers – being from Japan they are obviously fans of double cleansing, one lotion, an eye cream and two moisturisers.

The Makeup Cleansing Gel is your first cleanse, PM, and removes eye makeup as well as shifting SPF. In their system you follow with the Foaming Facial Wash, a name that to be honest, doesn’t translate well over here because it would lead you to think that it was a drying, stripping gel that you splash off. It isn’t. It’s a rich, pump-activated foam that contains none of the traditional surfactants (like SLS/SLES) that you would expect to find in thus type of cleanser. This is your second cleanse PM, or great for a quick cleanse in the morning. For an AM cleanse I would use half the amount recommended. A little goes a long way.

As part of the Double Moisturising stage, you then apply the Moisture Facial Lotion Enrich – essentially an essence stage, but again, more hydrating than your average water-based lotion/toner/essence used at this stage. This is pumped into the hand and then pressed onto the face. I would not waste any of this on a cotton pad. Couple of pumps into your palm, catch it with the other hand, and get it on the skin.

The eyes have it! Not gonna lie, the Moisture Eye Zone Essence is my favourite product. This instantaneously smooths out all the lines. All of’em. This should be enjoyed like carbs and rock music. Before, during and after all activities. Meaning: I put it on in the morning, I reapply when I get to the office (I don’t ‘need’ to at all, I just love the effect on my skin. I’m a glasses wearer and am obsessed with eye creams) and I always do a little before I do my makeup for filming. ALSO: it’s a 20ml. I’ve said before that I don’t understand the industry-wide standard of only supplying eye creams in 15ml. Don’t tell me how much eye cream I need people. ;)

Your final moisturiser depends on your skin type: combination/dehydrated will prefer the Moisture Facial Milk (again, the name could be misleading in the UK, this is not a cleanser – it’s your lighter moisturiser), while older/drier/dull skins will want the Intensive Moisture Facial Cream. Both can be applied immediately after the Lotion. Curél advise that you let the Lotion dry before applying your moisturiser, but personally I do not wait ‘for it to settle’. Places to go, people to see. Crack on.

Essentially, Curél might be a good choice for you if you feel like your skin is any of the following:

Obviously dry, dehydrated or you have a skin condition that makes it that way permanently (eczema, psoriasis etc)
You are susceptible to things like perioral dermatitis/atopic dermatitis
Dry to the touch, even after applying your normal skincare
Sore
Tight
Dull
Makeup doesn’t sit well
Makeup disappears or goes patchy
You have no ‘glow’ no matter what products you use

This is a really simple yet efficacious routine that is also suitable for most budgets. All products are priced between £12.50 and £22.50. Curel is available from Boots: www.boots.com/curel