This Pharmacy Night Routine Gets My Big Tick of Approval

A perfect storm has been brewing in the beauty world these past few years, and it’s led to the widespread availability of affordable active skincare. Yep, it’s true. You no longer have to spend thousands to afford cutting-edge skincare and get the resulting amazing skin.

Why now? It’s a combination of consumers being more knowledgeable about ingredients and demanding more from brands, coupled with their strength of voice on social media as well as the economic instability of these times. Beauty brands are listening and we get to benefit. It’s now completely feasible to find effective doctor’s office-strength skincare at your local pharmacy.

Case in point: one of my favourite prettily-priced ranges MooGoo (see me wax lyrical about their hair care here and eczema creams here) now have a whiz-bang face care range that can rival many American dermatologist’s offerings. The textures and fragrances even stand up to high-end boutique brands.

Let’s start with two new serums. I was recently sent the Hyaluronic Acid Serum to try. This light weight serum also features skincare superstar Niacinamide at a whopping 10% units of weight to volume. These two ingredients are a wonder duo for hydration and pigmentation. Hyaluronic acid draws moisture to the skin leaving it plump, juicy and gleaming, while Niacinamide balances excess oils, reduces redness, pigment and blemishes and protects the skin’s vital barrier function.

The second serum worth writing home about is Bakuchiol Serum. Bakuchiol is creating tidal waves in the skincare industry as it’s the first natural alternative for Retinol that actually seems to work.A double blind study found that it creates similar healthy responses on the skin, which can reverse appearance of photodamage, stimulate collagen, and iron out fine lines.

It’s recently been cropping up in a variety of high-end skincare lines but this is one of the first local and affordable products I’ve seen that features it. The magical skincare Bakuchiol genie is combined with readily-absorbed Jojoba Oil, Natural Vitamin E and Shea Butter, resulting in a dreamy, creamy lotion that absorbs quickly.

I follow this with the Gentle Exfoliating Micro Powder. It’s one of my, and my mum’s, favourite MooGoo products. She got me onto this during one of our skincare chats (see the IGTV here). The super gentle powder is an exfoliant and clarifying mask in one. Simply shake the powder into damp hands and buff it into the skin. The rice bran powder creates a physical sloughing process while a plant-derived Salicylic Acid dissolves dead skin cells. It also contains Bentonite Clay to further draw out any impurities and soothing Marshmallow Root Extract – it’s so gentle that it’s even safe for upset or intolerant skin.

There are a host of other great skincare staples in the MooGoo face range worth checking out. The Oil Cleansing Method is a beautiful thick oil that you massage in to remove makeup and sunscreen. It actually contains drawing oils, which attract any dirt and oils in your skin. Once you emulsify with water you wash it all away, so it actually leaves the complexion deeply cleansed but still hydrated. I love doing a long juicy massage with it, inhaling the aroma of geranium as I go.

Lastly, the Night Restoration Cream is a decadent plumping moisturiser packed with skin-loving oils and lactic acid to smooth skin while you sleep. It’s also got a decent dose of Hyaluronic Acid so you can double down on the hydration and Green Tea Extract to fight free radicals while you rest.

Once the sole domain of cosmeceutical brands these high strength formulations are perfect for calming angry, irritated, dehydrated or problematic skin while reversing signs of aging. And the best bit is they’re all under $35! I’m so happy to see finally (!) this democratisation of skincare. It’s proof that you can have incredible skin minus the eye-watering price tag. And that is definitely worth celebrating with a shopping trip to the pharmacy.