WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH... Skincare subscriptions?

Cosmopolitan’s beauty director INGEBORG VAN LOTRINGEN on the joys of joining the club

Netflix and Spotify, move over – the skincare industry is muscling in on the act. Can this work?! Yes! Dermatica.co.uk makes prescription skincare accessible to all – no more begging a bemused GP for a rare dermatologist referral. There’s an online consultation and photo analysis, upon which dermprescribed clinical-grade treatments (hydroquinone, Retin-A – stuff you can’t get in the shops) at bespoke strengths are sent to you in small batches and reviewed every month, so you stick to the programme. It’s clever and affordable, from only 19.99* per month.

Anything else? Join a facial club. Consistency and commitment are key if you want your skin regime to work, so Skinsmiths’ nine London clinics let you sign up like you would with a PT: £65 a month gets you 15 basic hydrating or deepcleansing facials across the year plus consultations, “product homework kits” and a 10% discount on further proprietary skincare. For an added monthly fee, you can throw in “High Intensity Treatments” (see what they did there?) such as IPL, microneedling and fractional CO2 laser. There are separate injectables and laser hair removal “memberships” as well. Any drawbacks? I like how facial clubs, like beauty subscription boxes, let you discover and dabble in treatments at a good price, but please don’t let it get you sucked into having stuff done to your face that you don’t need. Think skin health, people – there’s no need to remodel your features (yes, I’m talking fillers and frozen foreheads) while you are in the prime of your life!