Can giving up face cream IMPROVE your looks? KATHRYN BLUNDELL went without for a month. The results may surprise you

• Mary Berry, 79,  says her recipe for perfect skin is to not use face creams
• The average woman spends £18,000 on skincare in a lifetime
• Kathryn Blundell goes face cream free for a one-month-trial
• Now she knows exactly what her face does - and doesn't - need

By Kathryn Blundell

Published: 16:36 EST, 25 May 2014 | Updated: 03:17 EST, 26 May 2014

There are some counter-intuitive beauty tricks that you can understand might just work — massaging skin to prevent wrinkles or applying your conditioner before your shampoo for bigger hair.

And then there are some that are just bonkers. At least that was my reaction when I heard Mary Berry’s recipe for near-perfect skin at 79, which I assumed would comprise an entire arsenal of potions to ensure her skin is as bouncy as one of her souffles.

But no. The secret to her success is, basically, nothing.

Mary Berry, 79, has near perfect skin; but she doesn't use any face creams

‘I don’t have any beauty regime,’ she said in a recent interview. ‘I just use  one foundation, one powder, one lipstick. Why bother? I don’t use any face creams at all.’

The very thought of going without moisturiser almost brought me out in a rash, but I was intrigued that someone could forego it entirely and not look craggier than a cliff face — not least because my own skincare regime costs me dearly.

There’s my two day moisturisers: Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Oil-Free Lotion (£34) to tackle the oiliness around my T-zone, and Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream (£80), which promises to target signs of ageing. Then a good eye cream: Boots No7 Youthful Eye Serum (£19.50), which I pat on religiously every morning. At night, I add Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream (£26), to soothe dryness.

In all, my moisturisers cost me close to £160 every four months. That alone was enough to entice me to put Mary’s method to the test. For a month I decided to pack all my potions away and, after washing with Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish (£13.25) cleanser morning and night, do nothing else.

Of course, I’m concerned any savings will come at the expense of irreversible skin damage. And, at 40, that’s a risk I can scarce afford.

Kathryn when she was still using face creams

But at the same time I, like every woman I know, have a sneaking suspicion I’m being sold a pup by the beauty industry.

The average woman will spend £18,000 on skincare in a lifetime but, deep down, I suspect we all know that no amount can really stop the ravages of time.

And, of course, I wondered if  all my unguents were actually making my skin worse: after all, the cocktail of chemicals I slather on every night is far from natural.

‘We tend to overcomplicate skincare,’ says cosmetic dermatologist Dr Sam Bunting. ‘Men often do little more than splash water on their face; by comparison, women often create problems by embracing trends that don’t necessarily suit their skin type.’

My month-long trial would begin with a test to assess the condition of my skin, then another one four weeks later to assess any change.

At London’s Cosmetic Imaging Studio, Nicolas Miedzianowski-Sinclair uses a Visia device to analyse my skin for sun damage, wrinkles, redness and pore size.

It’s a mixed bag: my wrinkles are good for my age, but my moisture levels are low (galling considering all that time and money) and my pores and redness are particularly bad. But it is the fact the machine says I have UV damage — the thing that ages skin most drastically — that alarms me the most.

I’m dreading the month ahead.

For the first week, I sorely miss my moisturisers. After every wash, my skin feels tight and flaky.

But by midweek, I realise my foundation has much greater staying power and my skin is staying matte for longer. Still, I dread the tightness that appears after the smallest splash of water — so I avoid washing it off for as long as possible.

The sensation makes me super-aware of my skin. I’m used to carrying on with my day without giving my face a second thought, but without moisturiser I can concentrate on little else.

On the Monday of the second week I meet a friend for lunch. I recoil as she examines my face. ‘I can’t see any differences,’ she mutters. ‘Maybe I can ditch the creams, too?’

However, the tightness has been joined by an angry community of spots on my chin — Sam says this can be common on first giving up moisturiser as skin produces excess oil to compensate.

After three weeks my skin feels a little rougher. My make-up now sits on newly formed outcrops of dry skin on my cheeks and around my nose. But otherwise I’m pleasantly surprised — my skin looks clearer and creamier, and I’ve even started to forget about the tightness.

I also stop worrying that people can tell, as if going without moisturiser is some dark secret. After all, it’s so ingrained in our routine that to say you skip it is tantamount to saying you don’t care about your appearance.

At last, when the month is up I race to my second consultation with Nicolas, safe in the knowledge that as soon as I get home I can bathe myself in Elemis. I expect to be told that my skin is wizened and damaged in some way, but I’m shocked by the results.

Some, I was expecting; he can immediately see the skin damage from a spell in the sun during the first week, when I forgot I wasn’t wearing my SPF-containing cream.

Kathryn after a month of not using face creams

My skin also has around 10 per cent less moisture and the wrinkles around my eyes have deepened. I can live with dry skin, but wrinkles are something I’ve spent money on trying to avoid — though Nicolas assures me these should plump back up with a good eye cream.

There are, however, some surprising benefits. The redness has dramatically reduced and my pores are ten times less visible — a clear reversal of a key sign of ageing.

Sam tells me that the tightness I felt after washing was because my cleanser was too harsh, disrupting the skin’s natural barrier. That’s easily solved by using a cream cleanser and a flannel. I now use Eve Taylor Clear Cleanse (£19.99).

‘Creams also plump up wrinkles, making them less obvious, but they won’t stop them forming,’ Sam says. ‘The reduction of pores may be down to them being clogged by creams. Most people just need good sun protection, which has moisturising properties itself.

‘All women should apply healthy scepticism when deciding if a product’s claims are plausible,’ she adds. ‘What we do know is that a product as simple as an inexpensive moisturiser can improve the appearance of fine lines and that many “anti-ageing” creams are doing little more than that.’

I’ve come to the conclusion that my moisturiser buying has been hugely influenced by fear. Fear of looking old, fear of flakiness.

Now I see past the beauty companies’ spin I know exactly what my face needs — a decent SPF (which will keep tightness at bay, too) and an eye cream to keep those wrinkles plumped. But that’s it.
And at £15.50 for both, my bank balance, as well as my skin, is already thanking me.

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