Skin in the game

Summer is a time when our skin needs that extra pampering. In addition to using a strong SPF to shield you from cancer-causing UV rays and regularly cleansing, toning and moisturising, you could add these latest skincare trends to your routine. Melissa Nazareth scours the ‘beauty-verse’ for the most popular hacks this season – from home-use LED facemasks to salmon DNA facials, AI-driven regimens and more.

Skin Food

Over-the-counter formulations rich in bioactive ingredients like exosomes, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide and plant adaptogens are popular this season. They are believed to offer diverse benefits like skin cell regeneration, collagen production and improved texture.

Korean Derma

Korean skincare has visibly revolutionised the global beauty industry in the last few years and continues to be a staple among users globally.

After snail mucin, salmon DNA facials are the new trend. According to online reports, PDRN or polydeoxyribonucleotide, an active ingredient in the treatment, could help in skin regeneration and collagen production, and can be administered as a topical serum or injected into the skin.

Spa Treatments

Massages and facials are here to stay this season, with spas across the kingdom offering treatments focused on tackling summer skin peeves.

Dehydration, sunburn, oily skin, breakouts and hyperpigmentation are common in Bahrain, according to Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay senior spa director Nikolay Dimitrov, who recommends The Spa’s award-winning Biologique Recherche VIP O2 Facial to hydrate and revitalise dull skin, or the Anne Semonin Cryo Time Freeze Facial to calm sunburned skin. Biologique Recherche’s Sebum Rebalancing Facial helps oil production, which is great for oily skin and breakouts.

The Ritz-Carlton, Bahrain offers signature treatments like the Vitality Ritual with glacier-derived ingredients and volcano powder, and the Nourished Glow and Renew and Revitalise Ritual for deep hydration, exfoliation, and renewal.

Put your mask on 

While LED technology has been used in skincare for many years, at-home LED masks have recently been gaining popularity, with content creators on TikTok waxing eloquent about the benefits of the tool.

They claim that the non-invasive, easy-to-use product would help in collagen production, lending your skin a glow, and reduce inflammation and acne, as well as boost overall blood circulation.

Being a low-level laser therapy, it is ‘safe and unlikely to cause damage’, according to dermatologists worldwide.

Tech-savvy Skincare

Gen Z and millennials are looking to technology, specifically artificial intelligence (AI), for a lot more than its conventional uses; mental health and skincare, among others. In response, the beauty industry has developed AI-powered apps that allow the user to upload face photos and get a skin analysis, as well as customised skincare routines and advanced solutions; virtual skincare try-ons and age-progression simulations. Many brands offer chat bot services that assist with recommendations in real time. 

Skinimalism

Less is more – while a 10-step skincare routine was the rage some months ago, this summer, content creators are de-influencing the masses, advocating a minimalistic routine. Multifunctional products are gaining traction as are preventive, holistic skincare regimens that offer long-term benefits, rather knee-jerk solutions that address problems when they arise.