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Nip+Fab’s new launch makes a convincing case for simplifying your skincare routine.
As a beauty editor, I try a lot of skincare launches. And while I’m the first to admit that I love a buzzy new ingredient or interesting formulation, when it comes to skincare routines, simpler is often better.
While that might not be the most exciting beauty advice, there’s good reason for it. If you have any kind of skin issue you’re dealing with right now – be it acne, rosacea, sensitivity or persistent breakouts – introducing multiple new products at once can make it harder to work out what your skin likes and what might be causing irritation. Even if your skin is fairly resilient, layering lots of potent actives without thinking about how they work together can leave it feeling dry, sensitised or generally unhappy.
I learnt this first-hand when I developed a chronic case of perioral dermatitis a few years ago, which a dermatologist at the time jokingly referred to as “the beauty editor’s skincare problem” because she’d seen it in so many other journalists writing about skincare. Years of trying new products for work had finally caught up with me, and the solution wasn’t another serum – instead, I had to pare everything right back to basics.
So my advice to anyone dealing with a skincare complaint – or simply feeling overwhelmed by the contents of their bathroom cabinet – is to strip things back. Go slowly and be consistent. But that doesn’t mean your routine has to feel basic or that you can’t enjoy the products you use. In fact, Nip+Fab’s latest launch, The Fix, ticks a lot of boxes when it comes to creating a streamlined routine: three products designed and tested to be used together, with a refreshingly straightforward approach to the science behind them.
What is Nip+Fab The Fix?
The Fix has been more than two years in development and is a significant departure from the sprawling skincare routines we’ve become accustomed to. Rather than launching a cleanser, toner, eye cream, moisturiser and multiple serums, Nip+Fab has created just three products: The Serum, The Cream and The UVA Day Shield. The idea is that you use all three in the morning and the serum and cream again at night.
There’s no cleanser in the system – but I actually quite like that. Cleansing is personal, and if you’ve already found a formula your skin gets on with, there’s little reason to replace it simply because you’re changing the rest of your routine. For me, I’d always go for something gentle and hydrating – while others might get on with a foaming or gel cleanser perfectly fine. The most important thing is to find something that removes make-up, SPF and everyday grime without leaving skin feeling tight or squeaky afterwards.
Once you’ve cleansed, you move onto The Fix.
Step 1: The Serum
First comes The Serum – a formula designed to provide hydration while supporting the appearance of firmer, more resilient skin. The ingredient list is fairly substantial despite the simplicity of the routine. There’s 5% niacinamide, a well-established multitasker that can support the skin barrier and help regulate oil production, alongside 3% BIO-Placenta – a lab-created blend of skin-conditioning components – and peptides.
It also contains 0.3% CycloRetin, an ingredient you’ll find across all three Fix products. Derived from Prince Ginseng, it’s a botanical peptide selected by the brand for its retinol-like activity. Importantly, “retinol-like” doesn’t mean it is retinol, nor should the two automatically be considered interchangeable. But its inclusion across the range means you’re getting the same core ingredient consistently rather than layering several different active treatments on top of one another.
Apply the serum after cleansing, morning and evening, before moving onto your moisturiser.
Step 2: The Cream
Next up is The Cream which handles the moisturising part of the routine.
This is where barrier support comes in. Among the ingredients is a skin-identical ceramide complex, a peptide called RejuveNAD and the same 0.3% CycloRetin found in the serum. The formula has been developed to support hydration, barrier function and the appearance of resilient skin.
The final morning step is arguably the most important: sunscreen. The UVA Day Shield provides SPF50+, PA++++ and five-star UVA protection. It’s also ultra lightweight and packed with hydrating ingredients like peptides, prebiotic stem cells and micro algae.
Apply it as the final step of your morning routine, after The Cream, and before make-up.
The simplicity around The Fix products isn’t the only thing Nip+Fab are doing differently with this launch. The brand is making an unusually large amount of information about the development of the products publicly available – from disclosing ingredient inclusion levels and publishing clinical studies, laboratory reports and supplier testing data.
At £199.85 for the full routine, it’s not an inexpensive option – and there are definitely ways to scale back your skincare that don’t require spending £70 on a serum. But if you’re someone who enjoys the ritual of using luxury skincare products (but doesn’t enjoy the sensitivity that comes with mixing and matching them), this might be a great option for you.
Images: courtesy of brand
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