BETTER SKIN IN MINUTES

THE DETAILS: Having put a great deal of research into the question of just how the various different types of fatty skin lipids behaved in ageing skin, Skinceuticals’ scientists made a crucial discovery — that while dry skin in younger people is mostly caused by a lack of ceramides, in ageing skin, it’s largely to do with a shortage of cholesterol.

So, rather than make a skinreplenishing cream with equal parts of ceramides, cholesterol and fatty acids, they doubled the amount of cholesterol, which was a challenge for the formulators, and this product is the result. THE VERDICT: This is just lovely. It looks like a normal night cream, with the sort of texture that could stand in peaks, but it sinks into my skin without a hint of oiliness. Prodding my skin over the next couple of hours, it feels firm, pliable and well-nourished.

I believe that it really does, as the scientific studies on the product show, improve skin texture by 40% within minutes and boosts skin hydration by up to 39% within 24 hours. But it is eyewateringly expensive with it.