Finding a natural skincare brand which is effective, luxurious and comes in at a reasonable price point can be a tall order. Fortunately, in recent years, the natural skincare arena has grown and diversified. As such, nowadays, we’re spoilt for choice! There are some amazing natural skincare brands to choose from, many of which I’ve tried. Recently though, there’s one clean skincare brand which has become a mainstay for me: Skin Diligent.

I’ve been using Skin Diligent—my now go-to natural skincare brand—for the past 6+ months. I am SO happy with the results. My skin feels hydrated, looks clear and—front of mind for me RN—the brand is certified pregnancy-safe!

Below, I’m sharing a bit about my natural skincare experience, finding Skin Diligent and the Skin Diligent products I’m loving. PLUS I have a discount code just for you if you fancy trying Skin Diligent for yourself!

What is Natural Skincare?

Before I get into the reasons why I love Skin Diligent and my go-to products from the brand, let’s strippp things back. Let’s first talk about what ‘natural skincare’ actually is.

If, like me, you’ve been curious about ‘cleaning up’ your skincare and beauty routine for a while, you will have come across brands and products which claim to be ‘clean’. But which—upon further inspection—are, well, not.

The term ‘natural’ is not regulated by the skincare industry. Which means that as consumers, it’s important that we’re clued-up! Here are a few things to look out for when trying to identify on a ‘genuine’ natural skincare brand . . .

Generally speaking, a ‘natural skincare’ brand will cover the following pillars:

• the majority, if not all, of the ingredients in the brand’s skincare formulas will be from naturally-derived sources. This can include plant extracts, oils, minerals and herbs.
• harsh chemicals don’t feature; including parabens, sulfates, artificial fragrances and dyes.
• they are committed to sustainable practices. This can include sustainable packaging and carefully-sourced ingredients.
• transparency! An authentic natural skincare brand will want to shout about their values.
• cruelty-free. No testing on animals.

NB: natural skincare is not the same as ‘organic skincare’. Many natural skincare brands use a large portion of organic ingredients, however they’re not able to claim a 100% organic status unless they’re certified.

The 411 on Skin Diligent

One of my all-time favourite things is sharing products and brands I’ve put to the test—and love—with you! Skin Diligent is one such brand.

Rewind six months to when an email landed in my inbox asking if I’d like to try Skin Diligent—a primarily natural cosmeceutical brand. Upon looking into the brand, my interest was piqued. As with all products I recommend to you, I put them to the test before sharing. And I LOVED the results.

As I mentioned before, I’ve been into ‘clean’ skincare for years. As best I can, I try to focus on natural skincare brands which are effective (more on that below) and don’t add to my body’s toxic load with harsh or artificial chemicals. Skin Diligent looked to tick my clean skincare boxes.

One of the things that caught my attention with Skin Diligent is the fact that it is the very first cosmeceutical brand to test its skincare products and be certified as ‘free of endocrine disruptors’. Endocrine disruptors are things which impact our hormonal systems, which many toxin-laden skincare and cosmetic products have been proven to do.

This is something which is important to me generally, but as I began to use the products in my first trimester of pregnancy, it was even more so.

Skin Diligent prides itself in its rigorous scientific research and testing, pioneering a new wave of endocrine disruptor-free products.

I’ve been fortunate this year to get to know Skin Diligent’s co-founder Tule Park. If you want to get to know Tule too you can tune into my podcast episode with Tule: Balancing Beauty and Biology: Your Skincare’s Role in Endocrine Harmony and Epigenetic Health with Skin Diligent’s Co-founder Tule Park. Tule is a WEALTH of knowledge when it comes to clean skincare as well as holistic health generally.

Tule is originally from Korea. As any skincare girly will know, Korea is well-known for its pioneering skincare industry, often launching ingredients, products and delivery systems longgg before other markets.

Having worked with a number of Korean cosmeceutical companies previously, Tule had a clear vision for a European based cosmeceutical brand, focused on improving skin health, reinforcing the skin barrier, and getting results with intelligent delivery systems for proven active botanical ingredients.

The result is Skin Diligent!—a beautiful primarily natural cosmeceutical brand which truly delivers on its promises via targeted skincare and supplements.

Inspiration for Skin Diligent struck Tule when her then-teenage daughter was battling acne. The go-to advice at the time was to take a course of antibiotics—not a route Tule wanted her daughter to go down. Upon further investigation, Tule realised that many acne treatments were 1) wildly outdated 2) laden with harsh chemicals 3) antibiotic-heavy, which can have a ripple effect on the rest of the body.

Tule decided that there must be a better—more natural way—to treat acne. Hence her investigations into launching a natural skincare brand began . . . !

Is Natural Skincare Effective?

One of the persistent concerns surrounding natural skincare is its efficacy. Is natural skincare effective? Does it deliver on its promises? It is shelf-stable?

In my experience, the natural skincare products I’ve come to use and love have been significantly more effective than more chemical-y skincare I may have used previously. Especially when used consistently.

When I first struggled with acne in my teens I used an antibiotic-enriched cream to treat my breakouts. This worked as a temporary fix, but in the long-term my acne came back any time I stopped using the cream.

Instead, as I entered my early twenties, I dove into a more holistic approach. I did a lot of work on my hormones, identifying that the cystic acne I was experiencing was likely linked to a hormonal imbalance. A double-pronged approach: treating my hormones from the inside as well as learning more about natural skincare, has led me to a clean skincare routine I’m happy with.

This approach has served me well as I’ve navigated skincare products in my pregnancy. There are a handful of skincare ingredients which are widely-recognised as ‘not safe’ to use during pregnancy. I encourage you to do your own research, but this article by Vogue is a good place to start.

Knowing that Skin Diligent tests their products to ensure that they are ‘hormonally safe’ was a huge comfort to me when embarking on a new skincare routine with them in my first trimester. I’ve consistently used Skin Diligent products throughout my pregnancy and attribute them to the mostly clear and glow-y skin I’ve experienced.

The Skin Diligent Products I Rate

One of the things I admire about Skin Diligent is that the brand takes its time to thoroughly research and launch new products. As such, you won’t find an overwhelming roster of skincare products from the brand. Each of Skin Diligent’s formulas is tested and re-formulated until it’s ‘just right’. As Tule explained to me in our podcast episode, this is in part due to the ‘cocktail effect’ some ingredients can have when mixed. Namely: when an ingredient is stand-alone it has a particular impact, but when it’s blended with others its efficacy and impact can change.

Skin Diligent is ALL about putting in the groundwork to ensure that their products are as effective and safe-to-use as possible.

My favourite Skin Diligent products are as follows:

1. Skin Diligent’s Vitamin C Serum in Oil

   This is hands-down my favourite Vitamin C skincare product. The consistency is that of an oil, but it soaks into the skin quickly leaving no oily residue. Usually when I use a facial oil I would expect to need to layer a moisturiser over the top. Not so with this formula. 99% of the time I use this as the last step in my skincare routine.

   Plus! Before I apply my makeup, most days I’ll work through a simple gua sha routine using the Vitamin C Serum in Oil to aid lymphatic drainage in my face. V helpful during pregnancy or when I wake up feeling puffy! Jordyn Wood shares easy-to-follow gua sha routines on TikTok.

   Benefits of using a Vitamin C product include: skin clarity (thanks to the anti-oxidants), radiance and improved texture. I’ve noticed that my skin looks clear, even-toned and hydrated. Speaking of which . . .

2. Skin Diligent’s Cellular Hydration Serum

   A little while back I started to notice a few dry patches of skin around my chin. I’d gone through an extremely stressful period and it was showing in my skin. I began to use Skin Diligent’s Cellular Hydration Serum morning and night and the dryness cleared up—and has stayed clear—within a week.

   During our podcast episode, Tule explained to me that the Cellular Hydration Serum penetrates deeply into the skin’s epidermis. This means that the product has a ‘true impact’ on the skin’s hydration. Many moisturisers deliver a ‘quenching’ effect, but they don’t actually hydrate the skin on a deeper level. Hence why you need to continue to use them in order to achieve that ‘moisturised’ feeling. To hydrate the skin requires a little more legwork.

   Skin Diligent’s Cellular Hydration Serum hydrates, calms and soothes the skin.

3. The Bi-Phase Duo

   Combining my two favourite Skin Diligent products: the Cellular Hydration Serum and the Vitamin C Serum in Oil. If you’re ready to dive into this bi-phase approach, I highly recommend investing in the duo!

   I apply the Cellular Hydration Serum first, allow it to sink in, and follow up with the Vitamin C Serum in Oil.

A note on the value of Skin Diligent products:

No two ways around it: investing in quality skincare is just that—an investment!

Skin Diligent products could easily be pitched at a significantly higher price point than they are. The efficacy of the products, quality of the ingredients and research behind them aligns the brand with some of the most expensive skincare names on the market. However, in a bid to keep effective natural skincare products more attainable, Tule and her team have deliberately kept the packaging simple (this is often where a huge mark-up can be found) and their prices fair.

In terms of application, I’ve found that you need to use the products very sparingly. A bottle of the Vitamin C Serum in Oil can last me 3+ months!

The overall value of these products is, IMO, WELL worth it! Just remember: consistent use is key if you want to see results!

A discount code for you!

Use the code MONICA10 for 10% off of your Skin Diligent order!

Shop Skin Diligent Today!

Enjoy friends! Let me know how you get on! If you have any questions drop them below or send me a DM!

Love, Monica x

Partnership note: I am working with Skin Diligent in an ongoing partnership capacity.

As always, I’ve put the brand to the test before sharing it with you. All thoughts and opinions reflect my genuine experience of a brand I love!