Micellar Milk For Dry And Irritated Skin

Humid weather, long periods of maskwearing and overzealous oil-zapping call for an extra gentle makeup remover that purifies, soothes and hydrates.

You’ve heard of micellar water – tiny balls of oil suspended in water that draw out dirt and makeup without drying out skin. Now, there’s micellar milk, which works the same way, but is even better for dry and sensitive skin. It’s more hydrating and comforting on skin, and is enhanced with strengthening and reparative ingredients.

Vichy’s Mineral Micellar Milk, for instance, contains white tea polyphenols for antioxidant protection. Dior’s Hydra Life Micellar Milk uses nourishing rice milk in place of water, while Drunk Elephant’s new E-Rase Milki Micellar Water packs in vitamin E, ceramides and plant oils to soothe and moisturise.

With many women now opting for light to no makeup, a micellar milk ensures an effective cleanse. Use it for daily removal of sunscreen and light makeup, and keep richer cleansing oils, balms and milk for heavier-duty stuff. You can also use it in place of cleanser in the morning. 1. Jowae Soothing Cleansing Milk, $24 2. Lierac Double Cleansing Micellar Milk, $38

very time it gets a new iteration, it just gets better. We’re talking about Estee Lauder’s cult Advanced Night Serum. Every reformulation since its 1982 launch has featured a scientific breakthrough. In fact, its legion of fans have almost come to expect it.

But it’s not the sciency stuff that draws followers old and new to the cult of ANR. It’s that every version gives even better results.

Fans will tell you that Advanced Night Repair is like an extended warranty for their skin, from reducing the appearance of lines to looking radiant and rested, to smoother, suppler skin.

It’s why the serum is so sought after: 22 bottles sold a minute; 11.7 million in sales in 2019.

This 2020 version, its fifth, is

Ecalled Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Multi-Recovery Complex (from $130 for 30ml). And its big breakthrough is Estee Lauder’s discovery of a youthgenerating molecule after seven years of research.

The inspiration behind the reformulation is based on epigenetics – the impact of your environment on your genes. Only 25 per cent of how your skin ages is determined by your genes. The other 75 per cent is influenced by your environment, including UV exposure, pollution, diet and sleep. So how your skin looks and ages is within your control.

The brand first touched on this concept in its 2013 Advanced Night Repair. But the discovery of a specific molecule essential to skin repair is an industry first. The youth-generating molecule

belongs to a group of micro signalling molecules. Dr Nadine Pernodet, vice-president of Skin Biology & Bioactives (Global Research & Development) at Estee Lauder Companies, says these are located throughout the body and they “sense and respond to the environment”.

The Estee Lauder R&D team studied 80 different types before discovering this one. Dr Pernodet says it encourages skin’s natural renewal of fresh, new cells and boosts collagen production, and is crucial in determining how youthful your skin looks.

“We discovered that the level of (the youth-generating molecule) is naturally high in young cells, but declines as the skin ages,” she adds. “Its level can also be affected by environmental aggressors, which impact the skin’s natural ability to counter the skin cell damage that causes premature ageing.”

The new ANR boosts the levels of youth-generating molecule so skin cells can respond to damage faster, which results in faster repair. The formula uses the brand’s exclusive Chronolux Power Signal Technology that contains a new botanical extract, adansonia digitata seed extract from the African baobab tree, along with a yeast ferment and tripeptide. Together, they optimise skin’s natural repair mechanisms and increase collagen production to tackle a variety of skin issues, like fine lines, wrinkles, dryness, skin roughness and sagging.

So how fast can you see results? Dr Pernodet’s team found that lines and wrinkles appeared reduced 25 per cent faster, in three weeks, compared to its predecessor.

And in a clinical study of 36 Asian women, aged 39 to 65 years, they found that one dropper of serum revealed plump and radiant skin, and after one bottle, the appearance of pores was reduced. Testers also reported more bouncy skin.

Though this is a night repair serum, you can also use it in the morning, as the serum helps skin repair itself at precisely the right time, “maximising its natural night and day rhythm of repair and protection”. For optimal results, you should use a whole dropper-ful each time, applying it to your entire face and neck.