Beauty: Rescue your skin with these superheroes

As seasons shift, so do our skincare needs. Alice Ryan recommends products to protect and perfect skin as we move into autumn/winter

Lumene Nordic Ageless Radiant Youth Pressed Serum, £44.90, lookfantastic.com

A serum with serious benefits. Bouncy to the touch, the gel-like formula gives bouncy results too: loaded with extracts of Scandinavian superfoods plus pro-collagen peptides, it leaves skin tangibly plumped, smoothed and soothed. Made from natural ingredients - including lingonberries, loved for their antioxidant properties, and fermented cloudberry, full of exfoliating fruit acids - many of which are ethically foraged from Finnish forests, apply it post-cleanse whenever skin feels in need of a boost. It does a nice job on fine lines, so is particularly recommended for maturing skin.

Willowberry Nutrient Boost Face Oil, £26.99, willowberry.co.uk

With the tagline ‘age without apology’, natural British beauty brand Willowberry creates products to help skin look and feel its best at every age and stage. Formulated to meet the needs of ‘grown-up skin’, this oil uses potent extracts of rosehip and chia seed, high in vitamins, antioxidants and essential fatty acids, to bolster barrier function and boost smoothness and radiance. I love an oil but usually only apply as part of my nighttime routine to avoid daytime greasiness, but this one is so light and absorbent, it actually makes a great makeup base. Scented with geranium essential oil, it also smells glorious.

La Prairie White Caviar Essence Extraordinaire, £346, John Lewis & Partners, Cambridge and laprairie.com

Famed for its scientifically advanced formulas and luxurious hero ingredients, which include platinum and gold as well as caviar, Swiss skincare brand La Prairie is the priciest we’ve ever featured on these pages. But, if budget allows, there’s no doubt this White Caviar Essence Extraordinaire delivers on its promises: to firm (courtesy of fatty acid-rich caviar extract), smooth (hydrating caviar water) and illuminate (encapsulated radiance-boosting molecule Lumidose). Over time, it promises to lessen time’s toll too, via La Prairie’s calling-card Cellular Complex. A gel-to-water formula, the essence is silky and swift-absorbing on skin; use after cleansing both morning and evening for best effects.

KORA Organics Turmeric Glow Moisturiser, £54 (refills £44), lookfantastic.com

If your skin gets sapped by autumn/winter’s chill winds and central heating, this moisturiser is your new best friend. An award-winner for KORA Organics, the natural beauty brand founded by model Miranda Kerr in her native Australia, it has a deliciously indulgent texture yet feels light and lovely both to apply and wear. Dosing skin with extracts of turmeric, liquorice, marine algae, desert date and rosehip, the result is unrivalled hydration, instant comfort and a discernible glow. Plus it comes in a splendid, sparkly lidded pot which houses a planet-friendly snap-in-and-out refill pod.

REN Clean Beauty Evercalm Barrier Support Elixir, £44, renskincare.com

Designed to bolster skin’s own defences, this 100% natural-origin elixir contains seven plant oils - special mention for the cold-pressed organic Inca Inchi oil, among the world’s richest sources of Omega 3 and 6 - selected for their combined ability to repair, replenish, soothe and strengthen. Pleasingly non-greasy in feel and finish, it’s especially good for sensitive souls, making short work of tightness, dry patches and any irritation. Warm a few drops between palms and pat onto cleansed face, neck and decollete for instantly calmer, happier skin.

KELSEY Morn to Eve Global Protection Concentrate, £60, kelseyskin.com

If you spend the bulk of your life staring at a screen - that’s pretty much all of us, then - this concentrate is a godsend. Billed as “an invisible shield that repels damaging blue light”, it puts fortifying, free-radical-fighting raspberry seed and leaf oils on the frontline, with various algae extracts deployed to deflect light from skin’s lower layers and stave off cellular damage. Slot it into your morning skincare regime, right after cleansing and using light, upward strokes, and, as well as promising all the protections above, the concentrate will also leave skin feeling baby soft.

Eve Lom Time Retreat Radiance Essence, £80, Space NK, Cambridge and evelom.co.uk

It doesn’t mess about, this formula. Designed to do it all - increase hydration, reduce signs of ageing, even tone, add glow - it features nine ‘hyper-actives’, including retinol, loved by skincare scientists for its ability to stimulate both collagen and blood vessels, in a nifty encapsulated form, which transports it deep into the dermis. Closer to a water than oil in texture, it soaks swiftly into skin; pat onto cleansed face and neck solo in the morning and/or add a few drops to your night cream for a little extra TLC overnight.