Stop Guessing: Skincare Ingredients Explained

11 Dec

Skincare Ingredients Demystified: What Actually Works for real people in Bristol

There’s always a moment that pushes people into a treatment room.
For lots of people, it’s because standing in the Boots aisle staring at the endless products can be overwhelming.

Staring at shelves stacked with “super-hydration complexes” and “age-reversing triple peptides” and something called a “skin longevity elixir”, you start thinking:

“Do I really need 10 creams, 3 serums and 2 acids… or am I being played?”

Because you want healthy skin, but don’t want a full-time job managing it.
You want glow, but don’t want to guess.
You wanted someone to just tell you what actually matters.

So if that’s you, if you’ve bought the serums, tried the trends, binged the TikToks, but still feel like your skin doesn’t look how you want, this is for you.

I’m going to demystify the ingredients that actually work (the ones I see deliver results every week here in Bristol), the ones that don’t, and how to use them without nuking your skin barrier in the process.

The Must-Have Ingredients for Hydration

(The ones worth your money, not the marketing fluff)

People try hydrating their skin with four different moisturisers, but they’re missing the one ingredient that actually moves the needle: hyaluronic acid.

Now, this isn’t the miracle TikTok tells you it is.
You can’t slap it on dry skin and expect a glow.
So instead of explaining how it works, let me show you:

One of my clients had “I’ve tried everything” dehydration.
Three moisturisers. Face mists. A “hydrating toner” that did nothing.
Her skin still felt tight by lunchtime.

So we dropped all of this, stripped it back and swapped all of it for this routine:

A gentle hydrating cleanser
A moisturiser with hyaluronic acid and ceramides
SPF (always)

Two weeks later she messaged: “My skin still feels soft by 3pm?!”

Because when you give your skin water & a way to hold it, it transforms.

So if hydration is your struggle, here are the ingredients that actually matter:

✔ Hyaluronic acid — pulls moisture in
✔ Glycerin — underrated but brilliant
✔ Ceramides — lock hydration in and strengthens the skin barrier
✔ Urea (5%) — game-changing for rough or dehydrated skin

If your skincare isn’t working, it’s rarely because you need more steps.
It’s because you’re missing one of these.

However, hyaluronic acid as a dedicated serum can be tricky.

It can often pull water out of the skin causing more issues and can cause irritation in a concentrated form.

I tend to recommend a moisturiser with hyaluronic acid in instead, it’s pretty much in every skincare product anyway, and adding a serum with it too can just cause havoc. Too much of a good thing and all that. Think simple but effective.

Anti-Ageing Ingredients That Actually Show Results

(Not the ones promising “younger by morning”)

Most “anti-ageing” products sound impressive… but they don’t actually do anything for collagen.

So let me make this painfully simple:

SPF is your best friend. The most important of all.
Retinoids work. They stimulate collagen and cell turnover. The skincare gold standard.
Niacinamide supports. Barrier supporting, evens skin tone & reduces inflammation.
Vitamin C brightens & protects. A great antioxidant.

Everything else is… mostly vibes.

One of my Bristol clients came to me stressed because she’d been told she needed an 8-step anti-ageing routine.
She was spending nearly £200 a month and wasn’t seeing results.

So we stripped it back:

A gentle non-foaming cleanser (always)
Vitamin C (morning)
Niacinamide (evening)
Retinoids (evenings- twice a week to start)
A solid SPF (every day)

Four weeks later she said:
“My skin looks more even and it’s calmer. Why did no one tell me it was this easy?”

Because complexity sells.
But simplicity works.

So if you care about glow, texture and long-term collagen, prioritise:

SPF- Broad spectrum, not just SPF, is undoubtedly you’re biggest protector against the signs of ageing.
Retinoids — the gold standard. Start gently with a low percentage and just one or two evenings to start.
Vitamin C (I recommend THD ascorbate, it’s less likely to irritate and doesn’t oxidise).
Niacinamide — repairs & strengthens. (Start with a 2-5% concentration.)

You don’t need everything.
You just need the right things used consistently.

Ingredients to Skip (Marketing Fluff You Don’t Need)

There are ingredients that sound luxurious… but do absolutely nothing for your skin.

Here are the top ones I tell clients to stop wasting money on:

Collagen creams
Topical collagen doesn’t penetrate. It just sits there.

“24k gold” anything
Pretty for photos. Useless for your barrier.

Expensive botanical blends
Often fragranced, often irritating.

Trendy acids you don’t need
PHA, BHA, AHA… unless you know your skin type, it’s easy to overdo it.

If a product says “brightening, lifting, illuminating, smoothing, radiance-boosting” all in one breath…It’s usually marketing fluff with a high price tag.

How to Combine Ingredients Safely

(So you don’t accidentally fry your skin barrier)

Most people don’t struggle because ingredients don’t work. They struggle because they’re mixing things that shouldn’t be mixed.

Use actives smartly, not all at once.

Let me give you an example.

A new client came in with burning cheeks. She thought she had “sensitive skin,” but it was actually barrier damage from using:

Retinol
Vitamin C
AHA toner
Niacinamide
A peel pad

…in the same routine.

So we simplified:

Morning

Hydrating cleanser
Vitamin C
Moisturiser with hyaluronic acid and ceramides
SPF

Evening

Hydrating, gentle cleanser
Retinoid (twice a week for a few weeks, then three times, then four)
Niacinamide on non- retinoid days
Moisturiser with hyaluronic acid and ceramides

Her redness calmed.
Her texture softened.
Her skin finally felt manageable.

The lesson?

Skincare isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing the right things together.

To stay safe:

Don’t mix retinol & AHAs/BHAs in the same routine
Do use hyaluronic acid with retinol
Don’t layer strong vitamin C with exfoliating acids
Do use ceramides with everything

If you’re ever unsure, stick to: one active at night and alwayssssss broad specturm SPF in the morning.

Final Thoughts:

You Don’t Need More Products — You Need the Right Ones

If you’re overwhelmed, it’s not your fault.
Skincare marketing is designed to confuse you. To make you feel like the problem is you.
But the problem isn’t you. It’s the noise.

So here’s your permission to ignore the trends.
And here’s your reminder that your routine can be simple, calming and tailored to how your skin works, not what the internet says.

If you want help choosing ingredients that actually work for you, I’ve got two things that will make your life easier:

Get Your Essential Ingredients Cheat Sheet

A simple one-page guide to the only ingredients that actually matter.
Perfect for saving on your phone the next time you’re wandering around Cabot Circus or Cribbs Causeway feeling overwhelmed.

Download here.