In the past few years, polynucleotides have lived where regenerative claims are allowed to be explicit: in the hands of clinicians. Mention PDRN, salmon DNA, or the viral “salmon sperm facial”, and the mental image is rarely a bathroom shelf. It is an injectable protocol, a post procedure recovery plan, a “skin booster” appointment, and a patient who expects their skin to behave differently in weeks, not months.

Post inflammatory hyperpigmentation is one of the most visible complications you can trigger in skin of colour, yet it is also one of the most preventable. For Black, Asian, Middle Eastern and many mixed-heritage clients, a single bout of inflammation, a too-strong peel or an over-zealous laser pass can leave a mark that lingers for months, even years. PIH is not only a clinical issue, it is also an emotional and reputational one for salons, clinics and aesthetic practitioners.

Vitamin C has moved from niche antioxidant to non-negotiable in many professional skincare menus. Yet for every client who swears by their brightening serum, there is another who reports stinging, flushing or rough texture after introducing it. For practitioners, understanding why vitamin C behaves beautifully in some skins and irritates others is essential for safe recommendations, realistic expectation-setting and troubleshooting when things go wrong.

When the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) announced that it had banned a series of LED face mask adverts over acne and rosacea claims, it sent a clear signal to the beauty sector. Four brands were found in breach of the CAP Code after social media and website ads claimed their masks could “treat acne”, “heal rosacea” and “kill acne causing bacteria”, often backed with before and after images. Both acne and rosacea are classified as medical conditions in UK law, which means any device claiming to treat them must be registered with the MHRA as a medical device and supported by robust clinical data.

A 5 News undercover investigation has found beauty clinics across the UK offering microneedling facials that use exosomes harvested from human tissue, despite UK rules that prohibit human-derived material in cosmetics. In the report, some clinics acknowledged using products sourced from umbilical cord blood or liposuction fat.

When Dua Lipa unveiled DUA, a three-piece skincare line created with Augustinus Bader, industry watchers clocked more than another celebrity drop. It looks like a new blueprint for how fame, science and price architecture can co-exist without cannibalising the parent brand or exhausting consumers who are weary of celebrity-fronted launches. The range launched on 4 November 2025 with a cleanser, a glow serum and a moisturiser priced roughly $40 to $85, well below Augustinus Bader’s core line. The line uses a proprietary complex called TFC5, positioned as a gentler sibling to AB’s hallmark TFC8.

Shay Mitchell’s launch of Rini, a kids’ skincare line for children as young as 3, has intensified a debate already rumbling through clinics, schools and social feeds: should children have skincare routines at all, and if so, what do they need. The short answer from dermatology literature and UK clinical guidance is simple. Healthy children need very little beyond gentle cleansing, moisturising when skin is dry, and rigorous sun protection. Everything else risks irritating an evolving skin barrier or normalising cosmetic overuse at an early age. The longer answer is that needs change with biology, not marketing cycles, and that biology is clear.

Lemon essential oil is popular with formulators because it smells clean, cuts through oil, and carries a reputation for brightening. Its activity comes largely from volatile monoterpenes such as limonene, β-pinene and γ-terpinene, with smaller amounts of citral and related compounds. In vitro and ex vivo work shows antioxidant capacity and broad antimicrobial effects against several bacteria and fungi, which helps explain its use in products aimed at oily or blemish-prone skin and as a natural preservative adjunct. That said, most efficacy data sit at bench scale rather than in robust clinical trials, so positioning should be measured.

You hear it every peak peel season - “Is it normal for my skin to purge after a facial?” The word purge has travelled from social media into clinic language, yet it rarely means the same thing to clients and practitioners. To the client, any post-treatment spots feel like proof of a reaction. To professionals, those early blemishes can reflect predictable biology, poor barrier tolerance, or unrelated acne triggers that happened to coincide with treatment. “Skin purging” is not a formal medical diagnosis. It is a consumer term used to describe a temporary flare of spots after introducing actives that increase epidermal turnover, most famously topical retinoids. Dermatology literature documents early acne flaring with retinoids, although the phenomenon is better framed as irritation and accelerated comedone cycling rather than a discrete disease entity.

Skincare needs time and consistency to deliver visible improvements. A full skin cell turnover cycle is roughly 28 days for a young adult, so most routines show initial signs of working in about a month. Dermatologists usually advise sticking with a new regimen for at least one skin cycle before judging its effectiveness. Many changes, such as fading sun damage or softening wrinkles, require multiple cycles. The key is daily use and realistic expectations.