It has to be the biggest beauty mystery facing millennials – when is the right time to start an anti-ageing routine? Go in too early and you risk overloading the skin with too-rich products, or blasting already unbalanced skin with ingredients that are far too harsh for any complexion straight out of high school.

On the flipside if you wait too long, those lines already creeping their way across your forehead will have travelled too far to be reversed and they’ll have invited friends along for the ride.  “Many of my clients in their 20’s are concerned with ageing, which makes sense as the skin starts to age from the young age of 21,” explains skin therapist, Jocelyn Petroni, who says the biggest concern facing women under 30 is sun damage and dehydration. “Usually when we first become concerned with ageing and see our skin looking older it’s because we see dehydration lines. Treating dehydration instantly makes us look younger and more youthful.”

As one of Australia’s leading skin experts, we asked Petroni for the four must-have products every girl in her twenties should have in her bathroom cabinet.

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Credit: Instagram @rosiehw

1 Essential Oils

Used alone or dropped into a light moisturiser, oils boost hydration levels like nothing else without causing breakouts. “Essential oils like iris and rose derivatives are nourishing and increase skin cell regeneration,” says Petroni who recommends rose derivatives and iris oil to her younger clients. “There are great oils for all skin types at any age, and are a beautiful natural ingredient for anyone concerned with premature ageing.”

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SODASHI, CALMING SERUM, $106.50. SHOP NOW
Clarins, Blue Orchid Face Treatment Oil – Dehydrated Skin, $55. SHOP NOW
Sunday Riley, Artemis Lipid Serum, $112. SHOP NOW
Antipodes, Divine Face Oil Organic Avocado Oil & Rosehip, $28.99. SHOP NOW

2 Vitamin A and Fruit Acids

While ingredients such as Retinol (a derivative of vitamin A) and fruit acids are traditional anti-ageing powerhouses, they work to balance and treat breakouts in younger skin too, just be sure to use in moderation.  

“Skin cells are formed deep in the skin and they dry out as they rise to the surface, shedding at an uneven rate all over the face and body” explains Petroni. “Vitamin A simply evens this desquamation process so skin cells are growing and shedding evenly, flushing out fine lines, pigment and congestion. Similarly, fruit acids, such as salicylic acid dissolve away surface dead skin to reveal smoother texture for an anti-ageing benefit, while also dissolving hard sebum blocked in the pores, clearing congestion.

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Dermalogica, Overnight Retinol repair, $135. SHOP NOW
Ultraceuticals, Even Skintone Serum Concentrate, $124. SHOP NOW
DR DENNIS GROSS SKINCARE, FERULIC + RETINOL WRINKLE RECOVERY PEEL, $132. SHOP NOW
KATE SOMERVILLE, DermalQuench Liquid Lift + Retinol, $147. SHOP NOW

3 Eye Cream

Kim Kardashian gets it, start patting on an eye cream sooner rather than later to stop crows feet in their tracks. “By your late 20’s dehydration lines are starting to set in around the eye area, so an eye cream is essential,” says Petroni.  

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Clinique, Pep Start Eye Cream, $40. SHOP NOW
Essano, Rosehip Visible Lift Eye Crème. SHOP NOW
Giorgio Armani, Prima Lip & Eye Perfector, $85. SHOP NOW
La Mer, The Lifting Eye Serum, $330. SHOP NOW

4 Sunscreen

We don’t to tell you, you alreadyknow the damaging effect that sun has on the skin and that it’s the number one cause for premature ageing. So yeah, sunscreen, every day. Even if it’s raining. even if you’re inside, and it’s raining. “Sunscreen is the best anti ageing product on the planet!” says Petroni. “Short term sun exposure causes dehydration and long term sun exposure caused premature ageing, age spots and wrinkles.”

Layer it on after your moisturiser and wait a few minutes for it to absorb before applying make-up. Even better, double up with an SPF-loaded face mist to reapply throughout the day. 

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Ultraceuticals, SunActive SPF 50+ Mineral Face & Body Lotion, $59. SHOP NOW
La Roche-Posay, Anthelios XL SPF 50+ Ultra Light, $27.99. SHOP NOW
Supergoop! Defense Refresh Setting Mist SPF 50, $42. SHOP NOW

 

Cover Image: Instagram @stylizen
Title Image: Instagram @officialjdunn