Best Beauty Buys is The Singapore Women’s Weekly’s annual round up of the best and most effective products currently on the shelves. This year, we spotlight the skincare and makeup needs of busy mums who juggle children and demanding jobs who want to look and feel good doing it. The products were road-tested by a group of such multi-tasking women, and these are their picks.
Most of us know that powerful skincare active ingredients such as retinol, alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs) and vitamin C can occasionally leave your skin feeling sensitised and irritated, especially when you’ve been overly zealous with the application. Some of these tell-tale signs include flushing, stinging and dryness. But if you’re not looking to skimp on reaping the benefits of these actives, then look towards our round up of the best repairing serums. These serums have been formulated to be gentle on the skin barrier while delivering the touted targeted results peptides, niacinamide and more.
Dr. Jart+’s serum contains a centella asiatica complex to calm sensitive skin, reduce redness and soothe irritation. The Cicapair line is also powered with Jartbiome to balance the microbiome and the Cicabond blend of proteins and minerals to strengthen the skin barrier.
Caudalie employs a cocktail of resveratrol, hyaluronic acid and vegan collagen to fend off oxidative stress while firming and toning skin at the same time. Olive squalane and vegetal glycerine further improve skin hydration.
Niacinamide, or vitamin B3, is the main ingredient driving the Orbis serum to alleviate the appearance of wrinkles, dark spots, dullness and skin texture by stimulating collagen production and targeting melanin-related pathways.
Sachi Skin uses a combination of three superfruits and 12 peptides, antioxidants, brighteners and reparative ingredients to create this serum to target hyperpigmentation with the least amount of irritation. It doesn’t contain AHA/BHA, retinol or hydroquinone.
Sacred lotus flower water and oily extracts and high mallow extract are the key drivers in Kenzoki’s serum that protect against oxidative stress as it targets fine lines and wrinkles.
Local beauty label Two L(i)ps uses the water-soluble form of vitamin C, ascorbyl glucoside, to deliver brightening effects without any sensitivity. Hydrolysed collagen and hyaluronic acid then help to plump skin and improve elasticity.
Three forms of vitamin A – pure retinol, retinyl palmitate and retinoic acid tocopheryl – are encapsulated to deeply penetrate the skin without causing any retinol-related irritation. To further nourish the skin, QuSome added peptide, squalane and shea butter.
Another local label, Handmade Heroes taps on the bakuchiol, which is said to be the plant version of retinol, and squalane lane to target acne and signs of ageing including fine lines and wrinkles.