Kate Somerville says this is the 'most transformative ingredient you can use' on menopausal skin
Kate Somerville says this is the 'most transformative ingredient you can use' on menopausal skin
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The brand founder shares the unsung heroes in the skincare world. The Kate Somerville brand launched 20 years ago and offers formulaic solutions for various skin concerns, including sensitive skin and signs of ageing. But having now hit menopause, Somerville has turned her attention to how the symptoms can cause a “massive change” to the skin in that it “typically gets dryer and we see a loss of elasticity”.
![[Somerville cleanses once daily and opts for her goat milk moisturising face wash]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/28/18/18/kate-somerville-menopausal-skincare-goat-milk-moisturizing-cleanser-indybest.png)
In order to combat these developments, Somerville says that there are three things she recommends to her clients. First of all, “I always recommend some kind of liquid exfoliator and I love lactic acid”, she says before advising you to “stay away from glycolic acid, just because they can be irritating.” This irritation applies particularly to menopausal skin owing to the thinning you may experience.
![[Somerville's go-to make-up products, as someone with eczema-prone and menopausal skin]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/28/19/40/kate-somerville-menopausal-make-up-indybest.png)
The most transformative ingredient you can use is vitamin A. As for “the most transformative ingredient you can use”, Somerville recommends turning to vitamin A, be it retinol, retinal or – on the stronger end – retinoic acid. She puts vitamin A’s excellence down to its ability to “treat all signs of ageing” from dark spots and hyperpigmentation to elasticity. How does this work? It “speeds up the metabolism of the skin cell, so you're getting that damage [e.g. dark spots] to disappear faster,” she explains.
