Article by BR Tabatha
Who doesn’t love a new way to apply skincare? A new kind of cream to slather over one’s face? A new product that promises to renew the skin and deal to wrinkles and leave you looking ten years younger? A new word is popping up all over the place in the land of skincare – Booster. And the promises these boosted products make sound rather wonderful.
Product boosters basically say they’ll amp up your current regime. So they’ll help with hydration, they’ll give extra exfoliation, they’ll soothe your skin like never before. But the thing is, old Tab’s a bit of a cynic, and part of me can’t help but wonder if these wonderful products are actually just a glammed up way of saying ‘serum’ or ‘toner’?
The reason I’m led to this belief is that in product descriptions they’re often described as a toner or serum. So why not simply call it what it is? Why add the word ‘booster’? I wonder if it’s because we’re entrenched in the belief that all we need to do is cleanse, tone, serum and moisturise, so the thought of adding another skincare serum or toner step would seem like a waste of time or simply not make sense to us? Where as adding a ‘booster’ would? Is this the western cosmetic world’s way of educating women about the concept of layering skincare a la the Korean skincare philosophy, where up to 12 (maybe even more!) products are layered on?
At the end of the day, whether the great ‘they’ want to call it a booster, serum or toner, I’m on board. Anything that creates or promotes happy skin is a good thing. So which products are my must-have picks?
Elizabeth Arden’s SUPERSTART Skin Renewal Booster is to be used after cleansing your face day and night. Containing botanical glasswort extract, sea fennel and flaxseed extracts, as well as probiotics, it’s designed to boost skin’s natural defences, its ability to renew and give the skincare you put on after it a helping hand.
Clarins Daily Energising Wake-up Booster is alas not a booster that’ll have you springing out of bed like a box of fluffies, but a toning lotion to be used post-cleanse in order to boost radiance while adding in moisture. Sounds divine!
And if I had all the money in the world? I’d be hitting up Dior for their One Essential Intense Skin Detoxifying Booster Serum. According to the Dior site it continually eliminates toxins and frees the flow of energy at the heart of the skin all the while boosting your following skincare’s effectiveness by up to four times. It sounds like magic in a tube! And there’s an eye booster serum too. Be still my heart.
While the above boosters are designed to fly solo there are boosters that can be added into skincare to enhance their effectiveness. One such product is Philosophy’s Turbo Booster Vitamin C Powder, which can be used alone but can also be mixed in with water-based skincare products to brighten your skin whilst fighting against environmental damage.
Dermalogica’s Skin Hydrating Booster which has seen some good love on its Beauty Review listing can also be used by itself or you can add it in to your moisturiser in order to help relieve skin of dryness and fine lines.
I don’t know about you, but I can feel some spending coming on. So will you be enhancing your skincare regime with a ‘booster’? Have you already got on board the booster train? Or are you not a fan of the layering of serums and essences and whatever else you can infuse into your skin? Chat away!
I had not heard of boosters before but I love the idea of them, I would love to see independent trials to see if that actually make a difference or not. The one that caught my attention (because I like to be different lol) is the Philosophy’s Turbo Booster Vitamin C Powder... Ooooo.