The Ultimate Minimalist Skin Care Routine

Say goodbye to cluttered bathroom shelves and hello to fresh, glowing skin

Remember when furiously rubbing your face with Clearasil and hoping for the best was the extent of your skin care “routine”? Distant memory. As the science and research behind skin care has developed – and the internet has made it more accessible than ever before – it’s not that uncommon to find yourself with a complicated 12-step regime (and the exceptionally cluttered bathroom cabinet to match).

But as our old friend Newton said (yes, we’re quoting Newton in an article about skincare), for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. A new trend is emerging, one that strips a skincare routine all the way back to basics: Minimalist skin care.

What is minimalist skincare?

Unsurprisingly, minimalist skin care is a routine that uses the minimum amount of products, zooming all the way in on the key steps and ingredients to keep skin healthy and hydrated. And it comes with a multitude of benefits; minimalist skin care can prove a welcome move for skin left irritated by overzealous use of ingredients (looking at you, acids and retinols), as well as saving money – and time. 

Credit: Pexels – Maria Orlova

What minimalist skin care products do you need? 

Great question. In a review in January 2019, Dermatologic Clinics said the “backbone” of any skincare regimen is facial cleansing and moisturising. Cleansing removes any built-up dirt, pollution, bacteria and makeup from the skin, while moisturising keeps skin supple, healthy and hydrated. 

When selecting a cleanser and moisturiser to build your minimalist skin care routine around, pay particular attention to the active ingredients listed. They’re the ingredients that actually work to address any skin concerns you may have, and can mean your products are pulling double-or even triple-time. We’re working smarter here, not harder.

Enter: Cinch

Which brings us neatly onto why Cinch’s two-step range is the perfect foundation for a minimalist skincare regime. Every product is multi-benefit, packed with clinically-proven ingredients (they’re the “actives” we were talking about) and easy-to-use. Oh, and hard-working. 

Start with Cleanse + Glow, a micellar water that removes makeup and grime while also toning and exfoliating at the same time. While the micelles (otherwise known as “tiny balls of cleansing”) do their thing attracting and sweeping away dirt, oil and pollution, lactic and glycolic acids gently dissolve away dead skin cells, leaving skin clean, fresh and glowing.

Spray + Glow is also punching well above its weight thanks to the addition of Superox-C™

– or, as it's known around here, the MVP. An incredibly potent form of vitamin C containing Kakadu plum, Superox-C™ minimises fine lines and stimulates pro-collagen. Another clinically-proven ingredient, Pentavitin, boosts hydration for up to 72 hours while Floraesters decreases large or inflamed pores. And Spray + Glow does it all with just a couple of pumps of light, deliciously smelling mist. Couldn’t be easier.

Minimalist skin care in a nutshell

So, to recap: While minimalist skin care will look slightly different to each person, it’s an approach rooted in simplicity. Cleansing and moisturising are the non-negotiables here, but it’s also worth pointing out that sunscreen should always be applied as the last step in any morning skincare routine – minimalist or not.