It’s 11.11pm and I’ve got three squirts of goo in my hand
that are the colour (peachy orange) of a pensioner’s
dentures. As I apply this concoction lightly to my skin in
tiny circular motions, between thoughts of grocery lists
and children’s birthday presents, I think to myself, slightly
irritated: “Shawn Mendes does this every night?”Shower, shave
...RETINOL?
It’s the wonder skincare ingredient
that women swear by – but is
the average bloke ready for retinol?
Priya Elan joins the A-list gang of
men who won’t get ready without it
Welcome to the skincare essential that’s taking the
male beauty industry by storm: retinol. I first heard
about it during lockdown when Mendes, Pharrell Williams
and the singer Frank Ocean waxed lyrical about it: the
magic, X-factor skincare ingredient that could supposedly
make your face look Instagram-filter fresh. Surely it was
too good to be true.
Made from vitamin A, retinol works under your
epidermis (first layer of skin) to boost, among other things,
the production of collagen to help give a “plumping”
effect. “Vitamin A is known as the gold standard for anti-
ageing,” says Daniel Isaacs, director of research at the
skincare brand Medik8 (the one I’m experimenting with).
“It’s able to stimulate cellular turnover in the skin,
pushing fresh skin cells to the surface for a smoother,
youthful-looking complexion.” He adds that it’s especially Getty Images36 • The Sunday Times Style