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Newly launched in the UK, Topicals has been hailed a skincare blessing.
If you’ve taken the Tube in the last month, you’ll probably recognise the Topicals branding. Plastered across London stations, posters advertising the skincare brand are intensely reminiscent of the 2000s, with contrasting colour pairings and Microsoft Word Art-esque type. Founded in the US by Claudia Teng and Olamide Olowe, Topicals works to treat the skin before, during and after flare-ups.
A capsule collection of five skincare products (so far), Topicals has attracted a cult following with users swearing by them to reduce hyperpigmentation, treat painful eczema flare-ups, fade scarring caused by acne and other chronic conditions, and remedy the appearance and reoccurrence of ingrown hairs.
“I’ve been using Faded for about three weeks now and I already see a noticeable difference in the appearance of dark spots I’ve had for months. To my surprise, the texture of my skin has also improved so much,” reads one review of the beloved Faded Brightening & Clearing Serum.
“I’ve always had eczema on my body but it wasn’t until recently that I started experiencing flare-ups on my face too. My skin redness is finally going down and the itchiness is nonexistent,” reads another, reviewing the Like Butter Hydrating Mask.
Here’s everything you need to know about Topicals’ collection of mists, rollers, a serum, a mask and a skincare key (to help eke out the remaining dregs of your product).
Topicals High Roller Ingrown Tonic
A potent mix of salicylic acid, niacinamide, glycolic acid and zinc, this rollerball helps treat active ingrown hairs, soothes irritation caused by shaving and prevents others from occurring in the future.
Topicals Faded Brightening & Clearing Serum
Topicals’ hero product, this serum works to refine skin’s texture, as well as brighten and treat stubborn hyperpigmentation, scars, spots and marks with a cocktail of tranexamic acid, Centella Asiatica (aka cica), melatonin, azelaic acid, niacinamide and liquorice root.
Unlike other products that treat hyperpigmentation and dark marks, Topicals’ formula doesn’t contain any hydroquinone – a common ingredient that can bleach the skin as it brightens.
A word of caution: don’t use this serum in conjunction with retinol, AHAs (alpha-hydroxy acids) or BHAs (beta-hydroxy acids). Too many active ingredients can cause the skin to become overly sensitive and more prone to an adverse reaction.
Topicals Like Butter Hydrating Mask
Safe for people with eczema, Topicals has gained a loyal following of people who have found the thick mask a calming, soothing, anti-inflammatory blessing.
Tasked with restoring dry, flaking skin, the whipped mask works to repair the healthy functioning of the skin barrier using moisturising ingredients such as squalane, glycerin, ceramides and shea butter.
Topicals Faded Brightening & Clearing Mist
The second in the Faded canon, this body mist has many of the same properties as the serum (dark mark fading, hyperpigmentation treating and texture smoothing) but comes in a handy misting formula to target hard to reach areas like the upper back, legs and stomach.
While it’s safe for use on the body, stick to the serum for the face – it’ll ensure your skin stays on the right side of irritated.
Topicals Like Butter Hydrating Mist
A multi-purpose mist, the Like Butter counterpart mist treats sunburn, heat rash, chafing irritation, peeling tattoos and dry skin.
A combination of allantoin, cica and green tea extract, it calms and soothes inflamed, dry, stressed-out skin. Again, safe for eczema-prone skin, I would suggest keeping it handy in your bag this summer when sweat makes flare-ups more likely and more annoying.
Topicals Main Squeeze Tube Key
Say goodbye to never being able to get the dregs out of your tube – Topicals’ Main Squeeze Tube Key helps eke out all remaining product and looks aesthetically pleasing as it does so.
Main image: Stylist