So, she’s not technically royalty…but in the skincare community, she literally is! We love her! 

If you have not yet heard of Caroline Hirons, I’m honoured to introduce you – this woman IS skincare. Sadly this is not an interview with her (I wish… maybe one day!) more a fangirl appreciation. 

She is an incredible woman; a blogging superstar, an aesthetician, a consultant to brands, mum of four, author and more! She has real offline credibility, which is not always easy to find. Starting from the shop floor, she has worked her way up passionately to deserving ‘Queen’ status. She has an honest down to earth, sensible approach to beauty—none of the fuss, none of the bullS**t. 

I have followed her youtube and online presence for years. She has a sensible, science-based approach to skincare. It’s hard to pinpoint the things I have picked up from her, but I have done my best, here they are: 

Double Cleansing 

I don’t know if she coined the term, but has unmistakably mentioned it a lot over the years. Caroline is exceptionally passionate about not using makeup wipes and instead of cleaning your face properly with a flannel (British term for facecloth). In the words of the great lady herself as ‘wipes don’t clean your skin they merely just move the dirt around’. 

That leads us to double-cleansing. The first cleanse is to remove and break down your makeup; the second is to clean the skin. In terms of product, you can just use your cleaner twice, but most prefer some kind of oil/balm cleanser first and then a light gel or cream cleanser for the second. 

Here is Caroline’s cheat sheet on double cleansing 

Introduction to Retinol 

I learnt about the wonders of retinol from Caroline; back then, you could only really get the little tubes of prescription retinol. I started using retinol in my early/mid 20’s. Probably unnecessarily early but with frequently coming to Hong Kong, I was able to pick it up from the local pharmacies no prescription needed. Now it seems every brand has retinol containing products;  the options are vast and readily available.

With the development of more retinol products, Caroline’s (and other experts) thoughts on how to use it have also developed. Before, it was work up to high strength, every night usage, and get past the skin flaking off stage. Now we all have a slower and steadier approach to retinol: lessen the irritation with lower percentages, and then can use it for a more extended period. 

The Retinol Cheat Sheet here