With so many skincare products on the market, it can be difficult to determine what you really need for our skin. I created the Edible Beauty Core Four  set as the essential foundation to any natural skincare regime. These four products provide your skin with the basics to keep it vibrant, smooth and protected day and night. The Core Four is all about streamlining your beauty regime and making it easy to begin and maintain a toxin-free skincare routine without compromising on results. 

Our additional “&” products are formulas which are designed to address specific skin type and concerns such as dehydration, acne and excessive oil, redness, and signs of ageing. Below, I delve a little further into why you need a four-step skincare regime and detail how you can use them together with our additional “&” products. 

Why four skincare steps are essential 

The Core Four should be at the heart of every beauty routine to optimise and maximise the efficacy of any active botanical actives applied subsequently. Any less than this and you could be potentially missing out on getting the most out of your skincare boosters and serums. I’ve established that it requires these four steps used in their numbered order to optimally nourish, hydrate and protect your skin.  

The Core Four are designed to work synergistically with your skincare routine, as the sequence ensures that the skin is being effectively purified, toned, refined and protected for radiant and flawless results every time. (For more information on the importance of "edible" skincare read our blog here.) 

Read on to find out more about the four steps.

What are the four steps? 

Step One 

Cleanse & Hydrate:

Using a gentle, non-foaming cleanser is the most important start of every morning and evening skincare ritual. Starting with a clean face allows the skincare products you apply afterwards to work even better. I’m often asked whether it is necessary to cleanse twice a day, and I advise that cleansing in the morning is equally important as doing so before bed.  It ensures that your pores remain clean by removing all of the pollution, debris, oil and impurities that accumulate both during the day and while you sleep. 

Our No.1 Belle Frais Cleansing Milk is gentle enough to treat all skin types, whether you have sensitive, red, dry, oily or combination skin. The milky, creamy formula effectively purifies the skin, leaving it feeling soft and hydrated without stripping it of its natural oils. It is free of nasties, fragrances, synthetic AHAs and harsh essential oils, and it maintains the acid mantle and lipid barrier of the skin ensuring that it doesn’t ever feel dry, irritated or hypersensitive. The added organic coconut and camellia seed oil leave a light protective film on the skin to keep it hydrated, while the soapwort and salicylic acid cleanse and purify to the deeper layers, unclogging pores and reducing the incidence of breakouts. Added cucumber and zizyphus calm and soothe the skin, reducing any redness and inflammation. 

Step Two 

Tone & Balance:

 Using a toner after cleansing is an often-forgotten step but an essential one.  The purpose of a toner is to rebalance the pH of the skin, remove any residual makeup and bacteria, as well as to ensure the subsequent products you apply are being properly absorbed. Toners also provide the opportunity to add a layer of hydration and replenish your skin with a quick shot of hydrating ingredients immediately after cleansing. Using a toner regularly can work to diminish any redness and dry patches you may be experiencing, as well as minimising the appearance of pores. The Edible Beauty No.2 Citrus Rhapsody Toner Mist contains hydrating desert lime, fig extracts and calendula to balance oil production and remove lingering bacteria. White tea and bilberry provide antioxidant protection. This mist is designed to be used for all skin types, containing a combination of oil balancing and hydrating botanicals. If you are suffering from combination skin or oily skin, this product can be used by applying it directly to a cotton pad and then lightly dabbing it across any oil-prone areas of your face. 

Step Three 

Plump & Protect:

Serums are formulated to help soften the visible signs of ageing for radiant, firm and youthful skin. They contain antioxidants and other anti-ageing ingredients designed to help to defend your skin from internal damage and environmental assault, including from the sun and pollution. Our No.3 Exotic Goddess Ageless Serum contains a synergy of “super-star” antioxidants as well as hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid attracts 1000 times its weight in water so this serum helps to plump and hydrate the skin, replenishing it of its natural moisture. Vitamin C rich botanicals including Kakadu plum (the world’s highest plant-based source of vitamin C), edelweiss and acerola cherry enhance collagen production and work to brighten the skin and reduce pigmentation. White tea refines fine lines and enhances skin resilience to UV exposure. Gallic acid (a natural anti-inflammatory) found in the Kakadu plum extract helps to reduce redness, inflammation and irritation. Ensure you are using your serum and lotion on your décolletage as well as your face. 

Step Four 

Hydrate & Protect:

A moisturiser is the final step in any skin routine, as it locks and seals in water and vital ingredients from your previous skin steps long enough to get them working towards your skin goals. A lotion must always come after a serum, as it essentially builds a barrier on the surface of your skin, locking in everything that came before it and repelling anything you apply after it. An effective moisturiser or lotion should contain nourishing ingredients that instantly hydrate, while providing antioxidant support to refine fine lines. Used both morning and night, your moisturiser can help to enhance and smooth the appearance of your skin, leaving it feeling plump, firm and replenished. Our No.4 Vanilla Silk Hydrating Lotion is a lightweight lotion designed to penetrate deeply into the skin. It contains nourishing oils like camellia seed, marshmallow and cocoa butter along with anti-ageing botanicals such as hibiscus extract (also known as nature’s botox plant!) and Vitamin E to effectively restore and replenish the skin. 

Do you need more than four products? 

If you are lucky enough to have easy-to-manage clear and consistent skin, then these four products represent an ideal way to get quick and efficient vibrant results. However, if you’re hoping to address specific skin concerns, we have some easy suggestions on how you could build on this foundation. 

How do you address specific skin concerns using the core four + additional & products?

If you are suffering from DRY, DEHYDRATED skin, use the Core Four +

• & Desert Lime Flawless Micro-Exfoliant, after cleansing in the morning to remove dead skin cells and improve skin cell turnover.
• & Coco Bliss Intensive Repair in place of No.4 Vanilla Silk Hydrating Lotion in the evening to provide further hydration, skin repair and nourishment.
• & Snowflower Illuminating Face Oil after using your serum morning and night to provide further concentrated antioxidant support, redness reduction and brightening.

So if you are addressing dry and dehydrated skin your skincare routine would look like this:

If you are suffering from OILY and ACNE PRONE SKIN or COMBINATION SKIN, use the Core Four +

• & Botanical Water Gel, after your serum application to provide anti-microbial support. If you are incredibly oily, you can leave out the No.4 Vanilla Silk Hydrating Lotion for the first two weeks until your skin resets, then introduce the lotion after the & Botanical Water Gel
• & Sleeping Beauty Purifying Mousse, use this as a sleep mask two to three times a week in place of the No.4 Vanilla Silk Lotion in the evenings to balance oil production and draw impurities from the skin to combat clogged pores which trigger acne.
• & Desert Lime Flawless Micro-Exfoliant, use this after cleansing in the morning three times a week to remove excess oil build-up and to unclog pores.
• Turmeric Brightening Serum, use this as a spot treatment on areas prone to breakouts both morning and night.

So if you are addressing oily, combination or acne-prone skin your skincare regime would look like the below:

If you are concerned about AGEING AND FINE LINES, use the Core Four +

• & Coco Bliss Intensive Repair, in the evening or morning and night if your skin is dry to further hydrate, repair and restore the skin’s firmness and elasticity.
• Bloom of Youth Infusion Mask, use this twice a week to blur fine lines, firm the skin and provide a surge of hydration deep into the skin.
• & Desert Lime Flawless Micro-Exfoliant, after cleansing in the morning and night three times a week to boost skin cell circulation, allow active ingredients in your anti-ageing products to penetrate deeper and improve skin cell turnover.
• & Sleeping Beauty Purifying Mousse, use this as a sleep mask 2 times a week to refine fine lines, brighten and reduce any redness.
• Plant Collagen Plumping Serum, use this as a targeted treatment to reduce fine lines and wrinkles.

So if you are addressing ageing skincare concerns your skincare regime would look like the below: