Temperature control
Meet the new skincare heroes that are making waves by tweaking the thermostat
Supercharge your regimen with products that cool or warm on contact.
Keen to dial up the efficacy of your skincare regimen? Try giving room-temperature lotions and potions a miss. Danish celebrity facialist Ole Henriksen has been inspired by his roots for his latest creation, the self-warming and cooling Pore-balance Facial Sauna Scrub. “In Scandinavia, saunas are used in the cold, when you’re less likely to get fresh food and leafy greens in that part of the world,” he says. “The heat works well when the immune system is confronted with stress. It’s perfect for sore muscles, to detox the whole system and just to relax.”
The clever scrub, which warms on contact then cools and calms, gives your face a deep clean, with fine particles of Icelandic volcanic sand buffing you back to baby skin. “The heat opens the pores, which is detoxing and allows for better passage of the active ingredients into the skin. Then, the cooling constricts the skin as well as firms,” says Henriksen, who follows up his personal regimen by popping an ice cube inside a handkerchief and massaging it all over his face for an even firmer finish.
Prefer to just keep the temperature up? Farmacy’s Honey Potion Renewing Antioxidant Hydration Mask uses gentle heat and a tonne of super-moisturisers to power up the glow of skin, morphing from a gooey honey to a rich cream as you massage it in. And for instantly smoother (and warmer) tootsies on a winter’s night, slather on Susanne Kaufmann’s Foot Cream Warming, which uses marigold extract to boost circulation and counteract cold feet (it also comes in a cool formula – perfect for summer).
For those purely about the cool factor, Aveda’s new Cooling Balancing Oil Concentrate can be used as a massage blend for weary muscles, a refreshing scent on the wrists or to cool a foot bath after a long day in heels. If that’s not potent enough, Endota Spa’s Clove & Mint Recovery Balm is a more sophisticated – and natural – version of a medicated muscle rub, and it gives instant relief to tired shoulders, whether they’ve been playing the field, or hunched over a laptop. Think of them as perfect for a little chill (Netflix optional).