Thin Skin, Gentle Care

 A Ritual for Crepey Skin

There's a moment many of us recognise. Catching your reflection in late afternoon light, you notice the skin across your neck and chest has taken on a finer, softer texture, like tissue paper folded and smoothed out again. This is often called crepey skin. It's one of the most natural ways skin changes over time, and it deserves to be met with kindness rather than concern.

Your skin is beautiful at every stage. Caring for it isn't about changing it, but about supporting it, so it looks and feels as soft, smooth and comfortable as it can. Understanding what's happening beneath the surface is a lovely place to begin.

What is crepey skin?

Crepey skin is thin, delicate skin with fine, crinkled lines that resemble crepe paper. Unlike an expression line, which forms in one place, crepiness appears as a texture across an area and the skin may feel softer, looser or drier to the touch.

For many of us, the neck and chest are where we first notice it. The skin here is naturally thinner than on the face, it has spent years in the sun, and it often receives far less care than our face does. It can also appear around the eyes, on the upper arms, inner elbows, knees and the backs of the hands.

What's happening beneath the surface

Three natural changes work together to create that finer texture.

The support structure softens. Collagen gives skin its strength and elastin gives it spring. From our mid-twenties, the cells that make them gradually slow down. UV light speeds this along by creating free radicals and triggering enzymes that break collagen down, which is why crepiness so often appears first on sun-exposed skin like the chest. Oestrogen also helps support collagen and hydration, so as levels shift through perimenopause and menopause, skin can become thinner and drier more quickly.

Renewal slows down. In our twenties, skin replaces its surface cells roughly every four weeks. Over time that cycle lengthens to six weeks or more, so dry, flattened cells linger on the surface. They catch the light unevenly and can make texture look more pronounced.

The barrier holds less moisture. Skin's outer layer works like a brick wall. The cells are the bricks, and a mortar of lipids holds them together. Ceramides are the largest group of lipids in that mortar and they naturally decline with age. With less mortar, water escapes more easily. Dehydrated skin looks thinner and more crinkled than it truly is, which is why daily care makes such a visible difference.

The lovely thing is that two of these three, surface renewal and hydration, are beautifully supported by a gentle, consistent ritual, and the right ingredients can help support the appearance of firmness too.

Is it dryness or thinning?

Not all crepiness is the same, and knowing the difference helps you care for your skin in the right way. Gently pinch a small area of skin, such as the side of your neck or the back of your hand, then let go. If the skin settles back smoothly and the texture softens after moisturising, much of what you're seeing is dehydration. This responds quickly, often within days of more nourishing care. If the texture remains after moisturising and the skin is slower to settle, some of it comes from natural changes in collagen and elastin. This responds more gradually, with patience and consistency. Most of us have a little of both.

Cleanse gently

For delicate skin, the most overlooked step is also the first. Cleansers work using surfactants, molecules that attach to oil and dirt so they can be rinsed away. Harsher surfactants can't tell the difference between the oil you want to remove and the lipids your barrier relies on, so they take both, leaving skin tight and more prone to moisture loss.

On the face, an oil-based cleanse works with skin rather than against it. Oil dissolves oil, so makeup and the day lift away without harsh detergents. Our Cleansing Balm melts into a silky oil on dry skin, then transforms into a soft milk when water is added and rinses clean. Macadamia Oil is rich in palmitoleic acid, a fatty acid naturally present in skin's own oils that declines as we age, while Shea Butter leaves behind a soft layer of nourishing fatty acids. Chamomile soothes, and Kakadu Plum provides vitamin C, an antioxidant skin relies on to make collagen. Carry it down over your neck and chest as you cleanse, so this skin is cared for too.

The same principle applies in the shower, where we cleanse far more skin, far more often. Rather than relying on sulphates, our Lime and Lemongrass Body Wash is built on a blend of mild, plant-derived cleansers from coconut, sugar and amino acids, which lift away the day without stripping skin's natural oils. Aloe Vera and Glycerin draw in hydration as you wash, while Glyceryl Oleate, a plant-derived lipid, helps replenish the oils that cleansing can take away, so skin feels soft rather than tight. Kakadu Plum, Desert Lime, Burdekin Plum and Illawarra Plum offer antioxidant care, and essential oils of Lemongrass, Lime, Lemon Myrtle and Peppermint make it a fresh, uplifting start to the day. Skin that is cleansed gently every day is far better able to hold on to its moisture.

Encourage gentle renewal

Renewal is where many people see the loveliest difference. Gently clearing away dull surface cells reveals smoother, more luminous skin that reflects light evenly, and helps everything that follows to be better absorbed.

Alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) are one of the gentlest ways to do this. Rather than scrubbing, they loosen the bonds that hold dead cells to the surface, so they release naturally. Lactic Acid is particularly kind to delicate skin. It is a larger molecule than some other AHAs, so it works more gradually, and it is also part of skin's own natural moisturising factor, so as it renews, it helps skin hold on to water.

This is the thinking behind our Brightening Peel, and why it sits at the heart of this ritual. Lactic Acid and a Fruit Acid Complex gently resurface and refine texture. An Azelaic Acid derivative helps regulate excess pigment, and Liquorice contains glabridin, which helps even the look of skin tone and the pigmentation that often appears alongside crepey texture on the chest and hands. Because renewal should always leave skin feeling cared for, Hyaluronic Acid, which can hold many times its weight in water, and Pentavitin® hydrate as it works. Desert, Caviar and Rainforest Lime are naturally rich in fruit acids and vitamin C, and Kakadu Plum adds antioxidant brightness.

It is designed to be left on overnight, so it works while you sleep, with no rinsing and no downtime.

It isn't only for the face. The skin of the body responds to the same gentle care. Smooth a thin layer down your neck and across your chest, then over the backs of the hands, upper arms, inner elbows and knees before bed.

To use, cleanse and pat skin completely dry, then smooth on a thin layer. Begin with one evening a week and build to two as your skin becomes accustomed. Avoid broken or irritated skin, patch test first, and keep treated areas covered and out of strong sun the following day.

On the body, you can pair this with gentle physical exfoliation on a different day. Our Coconut Body Polish combines Raw Sugar, Sea Salt and fine Coconut Shell Powder to smooth away rough, dry skin, while Coconut Oil and Shea Butter melt in as you massage, leaving skin cushioned and soft. On thinner areas, a light hand and slow circles are all that's needed. Keep polish and peel on separate days.

Nourish overnight

Night is when skin does much of its repair and renewal, so this is the moment for your most supportive ingredients.

Why bakuchiol?

To understand bakuchiol, it helps to start with retinol. Retinol, a form of vitamin A, is one of the most researched skincare ingredients for the appearance of fine lines and firmness. It encourages skin cells to renew more quickly and supports the skin's own collagen production. The challenge is that it can also cause dryness, flaking and sensitivity, especially in the early weeks. For skin that is already thin and prone to dehydration, that irritation can work against you.

Bakuchiol is a plant compound from the seeds of the babchi plant. It isn't related to retinol in structure, but research suggests it influences many of the same pathways in the skin, encouraging cell renewal and supporting collagen. This is why it helps improve the appearance of fine lines, texture and firmness over time. In a twelve-week study published in the British Journal of Dermatology, bakuchiol and retinol produced similar improvements in the appearance of wrinkles and pigmentation, but those using bakuchiol reported noticeably less dryness and stinging.

Bakuchiol is also an antioxidant, helping to protect skin from the free radical stress that contributes to collagen breakdown. For delicate, crepey skin, it offers the benefits we look for in retinol with the gentleness thin skin needs.

Why ceramides and Pentavitin® alongside it?

Renewal works best when the barrier is well supported. Ceramides replenish the mortar between skin cells that naturally thins with age, helping to reduce moisture loss and keep skin comfortable. Pentavitin® is a plant-derived complex of sugars that binds to the proteins in skin's outer layer, so rather than evaporating, its hydration lasts long after application, well into the following day.

Begin with a few drops of Renew Serum, pressed into the face, neck and chest. Bakuchiol is paired with a blend of botanical oils chosen for their fatty acids. Rosehip and Evening Primrose are rich in linoleic acid, which skin uses to build its own ceramides. Borage and Evening Primrose provide gamma-linolenic acid, which helps dry skin feel soft and comfortable, and Pomegranate offers punicic acid, a powerful antioxidant fatty acid. Kakadu Plum adds vitamin C.

Then follow with Intense Night Repair, where Bakuchiol, Ceramides and Pentavitin® come together in a rich overnight cream. Shea Butter, Rosehip, Borage, Argan and Jojoba Oils soften and nourish, while Edelweiss and White Tea offer antioxidant support as skin rests. Smooth it all the way down the neck and across the chest. On peel nights, let the peel work on its own; on every other evening, this pairing is your ritual.

Hold on to moisture

After a shower, skin is warm and damp, and water begins to evaporate from its surface within minutes. Applying nourishment while skin is still damp helps hold that water in, and the order you layer matters.

Start with Argan Body Oil, warmed between your palms and pressed into damp skin. Argan, Jojoba, Macadamia, Sweet Almond and Evening Primrose Oils are emollients: their fatty acids fill the fine gaps between surface cells, so skin feels instantly smoother and softer. Vitamin E and Kakadu Plum add antioxidant care.

Where skin would love a little more, across the chest, arms, elbows and knees, follow with Rich Body Cream. Shea Butter and Cocoa Butter form a breathable layer over the skin that slows moisture loss, while Macadamia and Coconut Oils nourish. Quandong and Kakadu Plum bring antioxidant support. Oil first, then cream: the oil softens, and the cream seals.

Your ritual for delicate skin

Every evening, face, neck and chest. Melt away the day with Cleansing Balm. Press in Renew Serum, then follow with Intense Night Repair.

One to two evenings a week. After cleansing, smooth the Brightening Peel over the face, neck, chest and any other areas you'd like to care for. Leave overnight.

In the shower. Cleanse daily with Lime and Lemongrass Body Wash. Two to three times a week, on a non-peel day, massage in Coconut Body Polish.

After the shower. On damp skin, press in Argan Body Oil, then follow with Rich Body Cream wherever skin would love extra comfort.

What to expect

It helps to be honest about what skincare can do. Topical care can't rebuild skin's deeper structure, but it can make a real, visible difference to how smooth, soft and supple skin looks and feels. Hydration works fastest, and skin often looks plumper and more even within the first week or two. Renewal takes a little longer, because skin needs time to move through its natural cycle, so give the Brightening Peel and your evening bakuchiol ritual around six to eight weeks to show their full effect. Consistency matters far more than intensity. A gentle ritual kept up every day will always do more than an intensive one used now and then.

A word from Saya

“As my own skin has changed, my rituals have become slower and more intentional. I reach for richer textures, I've let go of anything that leaves my skin feeling tight, and I've learnt to give my neck and chest the same care as my face. The Brightening Peel has become the one step I never skip. It's those small, consistent moments of care that help skin look and feel its softest.”

Care, not correction

Crepey skin is simply part of skin's story, a sign of a life lived, laughed and spent in the sunshine. It isn't something to fear or fight. With a gentle cleanse, regular renewal and deep, layered nourishment, your skin can look smoother, softer and more radiant, and feel wonderful to live in, at every stage.

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