Rock Stars

They're age-old ingredients, but minerals are experiencing a renaissance with skincare formulators.

- FIONA EMBLETON

One legacy of the pandemic is a new health-conscious approach to our beauty routines. The idea that what you put into your body is reflected back at you in the mirror via the clarity and plumpness of your skin, has led to a rise in vitamin supplementation both internally and topically. And while sloshing on a vitamin C serum to ward off the effects of pollution is to be applauded, you may be missing out on the benefits of another crucial ingredient group that could work in tandem with it.

Minerals sourced from rocks, water and the earth are hardly new in skincare. The therapeutic benefits of Dead Sea salts, for example, have been harnessed for millennia to feed key minerals such as magnesium, calcium, sulphur, bromide and potassium back into the body to improve the vitality of the skin.

A mineral's composition also reflects he geology of the area, much in the same way as wine. In France alone, the thermal springs at La RochePosay are rich in selenium, which offers immediate relief when eczema, psoriasis and sensitivity cause angry and itchy red patches to bloom on the skin. Whereas in Vichy, the mineral water is dense in sodium bicarbonate.