Skin-fluencer Hannah English Teaches Us What’s Actually In Our Skin Care
Image via Hannah English
By Jasmine Wallis
Whether she’s talking about new makeup drops, the most effective serums, or pushing for everyone to remember their daily SPF with her hashtag #todaysspf, Hannah English is truly the cool, older sister of the Australian beauty world.
Giving honest product reviews on the latest cult products and tutorials, her expertise and passion for the beauty industry is obvious. Not only is Hannah a skinfluencer but she’s also a scientist in her day job so is across the ins and outs of the products we let sink into our skin every day.
We had a chat with Hannah about her holy grail products, the latest beauty technology, and the difference between Hyaluronic acid and Niacinamide (if you’re still confused like me).
What is your role and how long have you been in the industry for?
I’m a monitor. I work in pharmaceutical research, mostly oncology drugs. I’ve been in the industry for a couple of years now!
It seems like every beauty influencer at the moment is talking about serums. What are they and can you break some down for us?
Serums are a concentrated treatment step of your skincare regimen. I always keep my cleanser and moisturiser simple and let the serum do the work!
Retinol is Vitamin A. For skin, it’s the gold standard and the most well-researched beneficial ingredient for wrinkles and sun damage, and can also help with congestion. It’s challenging to incorporate, as too much can be irritating.
Hyaluronic Acid also exists naturally in our bodies. It’s a type of sugar that holds onto water, so in a serum, it helps keep skin bouncy and moisturised! Very good if you get dehydrated (skin that’s oily but feels tight or flaky).
Niacinamide is one of my favourites! It helps skin cells with energy, inhibits acne bacterial growth, and helps the skin’s barrier to repair (by telling the cells to make more moisturising molecules). It’s also a great antioxidant to help protect your skin from pollution. Amazing for acne, lines, gentle and skin-repairing, and helps prevent pigmentation! You cannot go wrong.
How have you seen technology influence the beauty industry?
Now there are wearable UV sensors that connect to your phone, we have at-home LED and microcurrent devices too. Then, YouTube and Instagram means we can find and talk to each other in a way we never could before. We don’t have to rely on traditional media for beauty recommendations anymore!
Have you ever used light therapy on your skin? If so, what is it and what did you think of it?
Yes! All the time! So LED devices can activate healing pathways in the skin, stimulate collagen, and even kill acne bacteria! Your skin cells have receptors for certain wavelengths. When I get a spot, I use an LED pen (the Spotlite from Dr Dennis Gross) and it disappears overnight!
What’s the most futuristic beauty product you’ve used?
I have a nanocurrent device at home, I LOVE it! It’s called a Ziip, and the electricity it generates helps to give cells that all-important energy they need. It also lifts and immediately softens lines. It’s so expensive but so magical! It can also zap acne and help pull out pigmentation, although I’ve not tested that function. It’s all linked to an app on my phone.
Winter is well and truly here and with it brings a whole spectrum of seasonal-induced skin issues. What are your winter holy grail products and tips?
Our skin loses more water in cold, dry weather so I often find I need to focus on hydration.
My best tip is to apply a hydrating serum on damp skin, then layer moisturiser over top. Look for ingredients like glycerin, panthenol, niacinamide, and hyaluronic acid.
If you still feel dry, tight, or flaky, add a couple of drops of face oil to your moisturiser to help seal it in. We know oil and water don’t mix, so use this principle to push the water back into your skin.
Also sunscreen. Just wear it. It should be as habitual as brushing your teeth.
And finally, what have been some of your favourite beauty brand discoveries lately?
So Allies of Skin have been at Sephora a while but they’re fantastic, the cleanser is divine and just hit Australia. Best gel cleanser I’ve tried. I also can’t wait to shop from Danessa Myricks, a Black-owned makeup brand from the United States with some incredible-looking face and eye paints and a gorgeous dew balm for cheeks. Need.
Follow Hannah on Instagram on @ms_hannah_e