We’ve gone our very best to bottle glowy skin—and while our illuminating primer and nourishing face oil definitely hold their own, glow just isn't one product.
It's a series of small steps working together: Healthy skin cells, a strong barrier, plenty of hydration, and clever ingredients that help your skin work at its best.
So if you're wondering how to get glowing skin, we’ve made you a direct roadmap to get there.
Here are 10 practical, science-backed tips for glowing skin—that promise to get you looking suspiciously well-rested, even if you absolutely are not.
1. Find The Right Cleanser
Glowy skin isn’t all makeup and serums. Any good glowing skincare routine should start at step one: Cleansing.
An overly harsh cleanser can strip away your skin's natural lipids, disrupting your barrier and leaving skin dehydrated, tight, and—you guessed it—dull.
Instead, choose a cleanser suited to your skin type. Gel cleansers work well for oilier complexions, while cream cleansers are ideal for dry or dehydrated skin. Your goal here is to thoroughly cleanse your skin but keep it feeling comfortable afterwards.
2. Exfoliate With AHAs
Next up: Regular chemical exfoliation. Alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs), like glycolic and lactic acid, are known as the beauty industry’s greatest glow givers, courtesy of their knack for dissolving the bonds holding onto dead skin cells. Once those cells are out of the way, brighter, smoother skin takes its place.
Plus! An added bonus: by removing that layer of buildup also helps the rest of your skincare absorb more effectively. Your serums and moisturisers can't do much if they're trying to fight through a traffic jam of dead skin.
3. Add A Vitamin C Serum
Vitamin C is widely known as the shortcut to getting glowier skin. (We don’t call our vitamin c-rich glowing skin serum Much Brighter Skin for nothing.)
Courtesy of its antioxidant qualities, vitamin C helps brighten the appearance of skin, even out tone, and defend against environmental stressors that contribute to dullness and pigmentation.
Used consistently, it can help skin look more radiant while also supporting collagen production for a firmer, healthier complexion.
4. Introduce A Retinal
Retinal is, without a doubt, one of the hardest-working ingredients in skincare.
According to Dr Cara McDonald, it earned this title by speeding up skin cell turnover, helping fresher skin cells reach the surface, and supporting collagen production underneath.
Over time, this can improve texture, soften fine lines, reduce pigmentation, and bring back that healthy-looking glow. We even clinically tested our retinal serum to make sure it does just that.
5. Hydrate With Hyaluronic Acid
One of the most overlooked glowing skin tips? Hydration.
When skin is dehydrated, it can look dull, flat, and tired. Fine lines often appear more noticeable, texture can feel rougher, and that healthy bounce is nowhere to be seen.
That's where a hyaluronic acid serum comes in. You see, your moisturiser only does half the job. Hyaluronic acid is a humectant, meaning it draws water into the skin to help leave it looking plumper, smoother, and noticeably more radiant.
6. Nourish With A Face Oil
A nourishing face oil helps replenish the skin, soften rough patches, and support a healthy skin barrier—all the while nabbing you a naturally radiant finish. If you love that lit-from-within look, a quality face oil is one of the simplest face glow products you can add to your routine.
7. Support Your Skin Barrier
Your skin barrier is responsible for keeping hydration in and irritation out. When it's compromised, skin often becomes dry, rough, flaky, and noticeably less luminous.
Face creams rich in ingredients like ceramides, glycerin, squalane, panthenol, and fatty acids help replenish moisture and strengthen the barrier over time.
A compromised barrier will always equal a compromised glow.
8. Wear SPF Every Single Day
UV exposure doesn't just contribute to premature ageing. It also drives pigmentation, uneven skin tone, inflammation, and collagen breakdown—all of which make skin appear duller over time.
Daily broad-spectrum SPF helps protect the glow you're working so hard to build.
Even when it's cloudy. Even when you're bed rotting all day. Even (especially!) when you don’t feel like wearing sunscreen.
9. Layer Your Products On Slightly Damp Skin
Hydration isn't just about what you apply—it's how. Applying humectant-rich products (like hyaluronic acid serums or face creams) onto slightly damp skin helps draw more water into the outer layers of your skin.
Follow with a moisturiser or face oil to seal everything in.
10. Fake It With Very Glowy Primer
Admittedly, even the best skincare takes time to work. Which is very annoying when you need glow in approximately 14 minutes ago.
A radiance-boosting primer is your skin’s best mate in those cases. A glowy primer instantly reflects light, smooths the look of skin, and creates the appearance of a healthier, more luminous complexion—even before your glowy skin tint has been applied.
Wear it under makeup, mixed through foundation, or completely on its own for skin that looks naturally fresh.
Bonus: Consistency
The secret to glowing skin isn't one miracle ingredient or one expensive product. It's building your Go-To routine that supports healthy skin over time.
Cleanse gently. Exfoliate regularly. Protect your barrier. Wear sunscreen. Add proven ingredients like vitamin C and retinal. And when your skin is in desperate need of an extra hit of radiance? Reach for a few well-formulated face glow products to finish the job.
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