Agnes & Me Face Serum

A retinol alternative

Back in the 1990s in Sydney, myself and my friends all used retinol because it was so the thing. We had no idea: we went to the GP for a prescription as there were no over-the-counter products then, and unbelievably they prescribed it. We applied the retinol and then went out in the Australian sun. We were Irish nurses, and we all knew there was problem with retinol reacting badly with UV light because it said so on the box in big, bold letters. But we were young, daft and infallible and I cringe at the thought of it now.

Retinol is available everywhere now (without prescription) and is hugely popular, but it is a synthetic chemical, not natural, and comes with all sorts of side issues, notably that sun-sensitivity problem which means you have to be plastered in sunscreen all the time. I know that very few people today use sun screen correctly, or often enough, so I do wonder about people who continue to use retinol without really good sun protection.

So, imagine how excited I was to find Bakuchiol, an ingredient that worked as effectively as retinol (it has been clinically-tested) but without the terrible side effects of irritable, red, flaky, skin. We skincare makers tell you that red, flaky and irritable skin is what we're trying to fix so why on earth would you use something that caused those problems

What is Bakuchiol?

Bakuchiol is the natural alternative to retinol that produces great looking skin without the adverse side effects.  It has a proven ability to reduce wrinkles, boost collagen and reduce pigmentation. 

Retinol has been the hot thing in skincare for some time with but it comes waving all sorts of red flags.

Retinol is an artificial version of Vitamin A and while it does good work, in my opinion, the cost is often not worth it. It can make things worse for many, causing redness, irritation, dryness and peeling skin and those with sensitive cannot use it. Retinol also makes your skin photosensitive so you are at much greater risk of damage from the sun. You must wear a potent SPF all the time, properly and very few people do this.

Bakuchiol is a natural alternative to retinol with no adverse side effects. 

Best suited to

This  face serum is suitable for all skin types, even those with sensitive skin who cannot tolerate the side effects of retinol. 

How to use it?

Think of a serum as your treatment product: it delivers a high concentration of active ingredients directly to your skin to work on specific concerns. Therefore apply it directly onto clean skin — it goes on first. Next apply a few drops of face oil (if you use one)  and face cream last, and of course if it's day-time then apply your SPF. You may find that you no longer need a face oil with using the serum — see how your skin feels and this could change though the year

If you apply the rule I have talked about in the past — the thickest and heaviest product goes last to lock everything in and to decrease water loss and with Agnes & Me that is our face cream.

Use this serum twice a day for best results, applying 2-3 drops on your skin morning and night. 

Give it time, when it's finished see if your skin liked it and if it has made a difference. Based on the data from the clinical studies, on average, the skin will begin to show visible signs of improvement after 12 weeks of use and in our experience that is about the same time as most people take to use 30mls.

100% natural + 100% Vegan