A Beginners Guide to Guinot For 30’s and 40’s Skin

You might have guessed it from the name, but Guinot was founded in France, where it still has its laboratories today. It was over fifty years ago, in Paris, that well-known chemist René Guinot, married to a beauty therapist, began developing a focused approach to treating the skin, now known as the legendary Hydradermie treatment. From this starting concept, Guinot moved on to develop treatment-compatible products that could be used by clients at home. The relationship between scientist and beauty therapist is one that endures for Guinot, the company is now owned by Dr Jean-Daniel Mondin, a doctor of Pharmacy, who works in the Guinot laboratories, to create the range of products available today.

Guinot work on the basis that every person's skin is different and is exposed to different environmental and stressful conditions at different times. That’s one of the reasons why there is such a wide range of skin care products and treatments available from Guinot, and why the company continues to focus on research and development into new products. Run by chemists, Guinot explore the science behind the products – how we can use what science tells us about our skin to treat it better. To help you negotiate your way through the Guinot range, we asked Guinot therapist, Nicola, for a beginners guide to Guinot.

Guinot : The Science Behind the Products

Guinot therapist Nicola begins by giving us a glimpse into the Guinot laboratories set up. “It’s science-led, nothing’s tested on animals, it’s all tested on human cells. There’s no artificial colorants in the products, no artificial preservatives, so they are paraben-free as well, and no artificial colours and perfumes.” Nicola explains,

“Products are all made in an environment that’s working to pharmaceutical standards, so all the air is filtrated within the areas that the products are made. Packaging is to pharmaceutical standards, everything has lot numbers so we have high traceability of products and the quality, all the water’s filtrated and purified because water is a vital element of beauty products."

Skincare: The Guinot Way

The science behind Guinot has led not only to a range of skin care products, but also a routine that skin needs for its best health. Before we delve into Guinot’s range, therapist Nicola gives us an overview of the routine –

Double Cleanse, tone and moisturise – twice a day
Exfoliate – twice a week
Masque - twice a week
Serums – twice a year

We asked Nicola to take us through this routine, and the Guinot range, as it is a French brand, it can be a bit confusing on a first glance to see words like ‘Gommage’ and ‘Longue Vie’. This is Nicola’s easy guide to Guinot.

Double Cleanse, Tone and Moisturise

When we say double cleanse, we don’t just mean morning and night, we mean double cleanse in the morning, and then double cleanse at night. This may sound excessive but therapist Nicola explains it

“as almost like internal and external cleansing. So first of all you are removing all the external things that you have applied on your skin, such as your make-up, maybe pollution or oils that your skin has picked up from the environment or your day to day activities. And then, the second cleanse is for anything that your skin’s excreted, such as toxins from sweat, oils from the glands. So it is important to do a double cleanse.”

Cleanse

The good thing is, we can use the same cleanser for both cleanses. So, which cleanser do you choose? This will depend on your skin type and your individual skin’s needs.

Cleanser for Dry Skin - Try a ‘hydra’ cleanser, such as the Lait Hydra Beaute, a rich and creamy, surfactant free cleanser which ditches the dirt to reveal super soft, beautifully hydrated skin.

Dry, with some oil: TryLait Hydra Fraicheurmay be more suitable, a light and refreshing cleansing milk, a skin care product that whisks the day away without the need for elbow grease.

Oily Skin: Try Guinot Microbiotic Mousse, the perfect cleanser for all oily skin types, it purifies the skin in depth and controls the spread of spot-causing bacteria.

Dull, dehydrated skin: Try Guinot Newhite Perfect Brightening Cleansing Foam, for removing make-up, dirt and the day's debris, leaving skin clean and bright.

Mousse Nettoyante MicrobioticPurifying Cleansing FoamSkin150ml: £31.00

Woman at the bathroon washing her face 167821 edited

Tone:

As Nicola explains, the toning process varies depending on which cleanser you use. “If you are using something like a milky cleanser (the ‘Lait’ products) then ideally to tone after. This completes the skin cleansing routine, rebalances the PH and refreshes the skin. But we do have some cleansers that there is not a necessity to tone. For instance,Mousse Bioxygene, which is another favourite. It’s a facial wash to oxygenate and it doesn’t alter the PH of the skin and it’s very, very gentle and there’s actually no necessity to tone after use.”

Mousse Nettoyante BioxygeneOxygenating Cleansing FoamSkin150ml: £34.00

Moisturise:

With nearly thirty choices for Guinot moisturisers on the Jersey Beauty Company, this is where it could get complicated! Luckily, Nicola is here to simplify the choices, with the keywords we need to choose depending on our needs:

Dehydrated skin - You need to look out for Hydra – for example, Guinot Creme Hydra Beaute, which is a moisturizer with a super-light, velvety soft formula with extra staying power, it thoroughly drenches skin with a blast of hydration to repair, protect and nourish even the most dehydrated of faces. The clever formulation of this moisturiser actively delivers moisture right where it's needed to provide continuous rehydration and the protective properties form a barrier against moisture loss helping skin to stay plump and smooth.

Dry Skin: You need to look out for Nutri – for example, Guinot Nutrizone– an intensive nourishing cream for severely dry skin, compensating for nutritional deficiencies with nutri-vitamins and replenishing skin’s natural lipids.

Caring for ageing skin:Choose fromAge Logic andLongue Vie products to respond to the changing needs of ageing skin – for example, Guinot Age Logic Cellulaire, a pioneering anti-ageing moisturizer, which contains cellular energy to boost the activity of ageing skin cells and awaken inactive cells.

And if you're becoming aware of the appearance of wrinkles, the odd fine line or crow foot, look out forantirides (anti-wrinkle) for products that target deepening wrinkles and fine lines, for example, Guinot Creme Riche Vital Antirides 888, andfermete (firming) for product that help to firm ageing skin, such as Guinot Creme Fermete Lift 777.

Dull skin / problems with pigmentation:You need to look out for Newhite – Guinot’s brightening skincare range, which is fantastic for pigmentation, and general skin brightening, for example Guinot Newhite Brightening Day Cream SPF30.

Crème Hydra BeautéMoisturising Cream Dehydrated skinSkin50ml: £58.00

Exfoliate

As our skin ages in our thirties and forties, our cell turnover begins to decrease, making exfoliation even more important, to help stimulate the renewal of cells. Exfoliation helps with skin health and also combats dull looking skin, by removing dead skin cells.

For Guinot exfoliation products, you are looking for ‘Gommage’, for example, Guinot Gommage Eclat Parfait (Perfect Radiance Exfoliating Cream). We should be exfoliating twice weekly for our skin to be at its most healthy.

Gommage Eclat ParfaitExfoliating CreamSkin50ml: £43.00

Masque

After exfoliating, therapist Nicola recommends we also use a masque twice weekly, even if you have sensitive skin: “A masque is your instant results, instant beauty-twice a week. Almost like your mini-facial treatment at home as well. Now we say instant results because, if you are picking a hydrating masque, after 10 minutes you are going to get instant hydration. If you are picking a firming masque, after 10 minutes you are going to get instant firming effects. So, twice a week, ideally after exfoliation, you should be using a masque.”

This all sounds like a lot of time to us, but Nicola is keen to point out that she walks the dog wearing her masque, although she does counter you can only really do that if you choose a clear masque!

Either way, Nicola says, using a product likeGuinot Masque Hydra Beaute, twice weekly is a twice weekly boost for the skin, almost like a “fertiliser for the skin”.. Using the guide for moisturisers will help you to choose the right Guinot masque for your skin’s needs.

Masque Hydra BeauteMoisturising and Radiance MaskSkin50ml: £45.00

Serum

If masques are the instant boost for your skin, then serums are a twice yearly supercharge for your skin. Nicola says the serum works as a boost to “the effects of your moisturiser, with deep-down, concentrated results. Generally, a serum is about 3 times more concentrated than a moisturiser, it penetrates really quickly down to the bottom of the epidermis, where all the new cells are born and multiplied.” Nicola recommends using a serum,

“before special occasions and around seasonal changes, as a booster for the skin. You apply it morning and night, underneath your moisturiser, until the bottle is empty.”

Guinot have a full range of serums, to complement the moisturiser most suited to your skin, to boost its effects. For example,Guinot Serum Nutri Cellulaire, a nourishing and hydrating serum, specially developed to treat tired, devitalised skin, nourishing through cellular nutrition and hydrating for radiant skin.

Guinot provide a comprehensive range of skin care products to help you to respond to your skin’s changing needs in your thirties and forties. This is often the time that we start to become aware of sun damage from longer term sun exposure (which can lead to the age spot), the odd dark circle after a late night, an uneven skin tone or a reduction in collagen and elastin. Right back from when Rene Guinot produced his first treatments for women, from eye cream to night cream, through to the inclusion of sunscreen, Guinot have been at the forefront of the skin care product.

Whatever your age, skin type or skin tone, whether you have oily, dry, or sensitive skin, by following the skincare routine Guinot recommends you can keep your skin healthy, hydrated and looking fabulous, all the remarkable you deserves.

Sérum Nutri CellulaireSoothing Nourishing SerumSkin30ml: £111.00

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