Perimenopause Ruined My Skin… Until I Changed This One Thing

I woke up today and my skin felt great

And if you’ve ever struggled with your skin, you’ll know that’s not a small thing.

For someone who’s had a skincare brand for the past 10 years, you’d think I should always have good skin, right?

It’s been a mixed bag.

My skin has never been straightforward

I had a lot of acne when I was younger. I still bear the scars from it, and if I’m honest, a bit of the trauma too.

Then in my early 20s, I had that window where everything just worked. Clear skin, glowy, easy. I didn’t think much of it at the time.

Happy, plump skin at 20!

Then I had my first baby, and it all shifted again. My skin became tired, dull, pigmented… just not me. I completely lost confidence. It felt like my skin had failed me again.

So I did what I used to do. Covered it up. More makeup. And all those old feelings came straight back.

Patchy, Dull Skin then Red, Irritated Skin

When things finally felt good

When I started Cinch, things changed. My skin improved, properly improved, and I started to feel comfortable in it again.

For a good 6–7 years, my skin was consistent and I felt confident in it in a way I never had before. I honestly thought I’d figured it out.

Then perimenopause crept in

Around 43, things started to change again, but not in a way I recognised straight away.

I was getting hot sweats, little breakouts under the skin, and my skin started reacting to things it never had before. There was redness, patchiness, and this new sensitivity that just didn’t make sense to me.

I genuinely thought I was too young for perimenopause, so it didn’t even cross my mind at first. But looking back now, that’s exactly what it was.

When my skincare stopped working

Now I’m nearly 47 and officially in early menopause (12 months without a period, apparently), and somewhere along the way I hit a point where my skincare just wasn’t working the same.

And that really threw me.

This wasn’t just any routine. This was the brand I built, the products I believed in, and the ones that had completely changed my skin before. So when they stopped giving me the same results, I panicked.

Because how do you stand behind something if it’s not working for you anymore?

What happens to your skin during perimenopause

Once I took a step back, it started to make more sense.

As oestrogen drops, your skin changes. Skin cell turnover slows down, which can leave your skin looking dull, feeling more sensitive, and not responding the way it used to.

Breakouts can come back. Redness shows up more. Skin just feels… different.

So it wasn’t that my skincare had stopped working. My skin had changed, and I hadn’t adjusted with it.

What I actually changed

I didn’t throw everything out, and I didn’t go looking for a completely new routine.

I’ve always been consistent with my cleansing and moisturising, that never changed. But some of the more active parts of my routine were more of a few-times-a-week thing before, and that had always been enough.

But suddenly, it wasn’t.

So I made a few small changes:

• I started using Sleep + Glow every night. And it worked quickly. It made sense when I thought about it, because the fruit enzymes in there help break down and remove the dead skin sitting on the surface. So instead of my skin looking dull and patchy, it started to look clearer and brighter again. And my skin felt calmer too, which I wasn’t expecting, but the Fucogel in there is clinically proven to reduce redness and sensitivity, so that explains it.
• I started using the pink Wipe + Glow pad more intentionally, using the rougher side for gentle manual exfoliation. Nothing aggressive, just enough to lift that dull layer that had been sitting there and let fresher skin come through.
• And I started using Spray + Glow throughout the day, not just morning and night, but whenever my skin felt like it needed it. I also started using it more on my neck and chest, which I’d probably neglected a bit before. The skin on my chest looks clearer now, less pigmented, and definitely more hydrated.

Happy in my skin at nearly 47

And then things shifted

None of this was drastic, but it worked.

My skin started to come back, and with that, so did my confidence in it.

If your skin feels different right now

If your skin has been feeling more sensitive, dull, or just not like it used to be, it might not be your products.

Your skin might just be in a different phase.

Before you start over

Before you go and buy a whole new routine, it’s worth looking at how you’re using what you already have.

A bit more consistency, a bit more support, and understanding what your skin needs at this stage can make a bigger difference than starting from scratch.

If you’re feeling stuck

If your skin has come to a bit of a standstill, send me a message. I’m always happy to help you figure it out, even if you don’t use all Cinch products :)