October is Menopause Awareness Month, with World Menopause Day falling on 18 October. It is a good moment to talk about something many women notice long before anyone mentions the word menopause: their skin starts to behave differently.
Maybe your moisturiser no longer feels like enough. Maybe your skin flushes more easily, or breakouts have returned after twenty quiet years. As hormone levels shift, you may notice more sensitivity, thinner skin, dullness, uneven tone, fine lines and loss of firmness.
This is the second post in our series on hormones and your skin. If you missed the first, How Your Cycle Affects Your Skin explains the monthly rhythm.
What is the difference between perimenopause and menopause?
Perimenopause is the transition leading up to menopause, when hormone levels fluctuate and gradually decline, often from your mid forites. Menopause is reached twelve months after your last period, at around 51 for most Australian women.
How does oestrogen affect your skin?
Oestrogen plays a quiet but important role in skin. It supports collagen production, helps skin hold on to water, encourages the oils that keep the skin barrier comfortable, and supports healthy cell renewal. As oestrogen declines, each of these slows.
Research suggests skin can lose around 30% of its collagen in the first five years after menopause, followed by a steadier decline each year after that. That is why the changes can feel sudden, even though they are a natural part of life.
The most common skin changes during perimenopause and menopause are:
- Dryness and dehydration, as the skin produces fewer oils and holds less water
- Thinner skin and a loss of firmness, as collagen and elastin production slows
- Sensitivity, redness and heat, as the barrier becomes less resilient
- Breakouts, as the balance between hormones shifts
- Dullness and uneven tone, as cell renewal slows
Every woman's experience is different. You may notice one of these, or several at once. The good news is that skin responds well to the right support, and that support starts with understanding what it needs now.
Why does my skin feel so dry during menopause?
As oestrogen declines, skin produces less of its natural oils and loses water more easily. The result is skin that feels tight, looks dull and shows fine, crepey lines that weren't there before. It needs two things: water drawn into the skin, and lipids to help keep it there.
Draw in water. BioHydra+ Serum pairs Hyaluronic Acid with two more powerful humectants. Polyglutamic Acid (PGA), derived from fermented soy, holds up to 5,000 times its weight in water and helps reduce moisture loss through the skin. Alongside it sits a native Australian complex of Riberry, Pepperberry and Muntries, which has been shown to increase skin hydration by 55% immediately and by 38% with long-term use.
Replenish lipids. Antioxidant Face Oil is rich in Seabuckthorn Fruit Oil, which is high in phospholipids and glycolipids that help strengthen dry, sensitive skin, along with omegas 3, 6, 7 and 9. Kahai Oil, from the Amazonian Cacay Tree, adds vitamins A, E and F, with research showing it helps improve hydration, firmness and elasticity.
Hydrate as you renew. Reviva-A Complex was formulated for the needs of ageing skin, including hormonal ageing. Antarcticine, a glyco-protein from a bacteria discovered in the Antarctic ocean, helps skin retain water, while Hyaluronic Acid binds moisture tightly
For your moisturiser, Organicsceuticals CollagenPro+ Moisturiser is built around plant and marine actives chosen for collagen support. In vivo results for Celery stem cell extract showed a 23% reduction in the number of wrinkles and a 12% reduction in skin roughness. Fucoreverse, a fucoidan from Laminaria algae, reduced the depth of crow's feet by 9.1% on average.
Once or twice a week, Cream Mask can be left on overnight as a sleep mask, and the Hyaluronic Hydra+ Sheet Mask gives dehydrated skin an intensive drink of moisture.
How can I support skin that is losing firmness?
Supporting firmness means encouraging the skin's own collagen production with ingredients gentle enough for skin that is also becoming drier.
Vitamin A is one of the most researched ingredients for this, but synthetic retinol can be too much for skin that has become drier and more reactive. We choose plant-based alternatives instead.
Vita-A-Like, extract from Moth Bean, a legume, delivers the benefits of Vitamin A without the irritation. Clinical results show increased collagen production and visible reduction in wrinkle depth with daily use over four weeks.
You'll find it in Reviva-A Complex, alongside Carrot Seed Oil, a natural source of Vitamin A, and Vita-A+CE Complex, where it is paired with stablised Vitamin C, Kakadu Plum and Seabuckthorn.
Bakuchiol, in Antioxidant Face Oil, is a natural, non-irritating alternative to retinal. It supports visible improvements in wrinkle depth, elasticity and photo-damage, with a high concentration of antioxdiants to help protect skin cells.
The skin around the eyes is thinner still, so it often shows change first. Organicsceuticals Eye Treat combines Atlantic kelp, which stimulates collagen synthesis, with Rosehip Oil and Ribose, a natural energiser that helps improve elasticity.
Why is my skin suddenly more sensitive and red?
A thinner, drier skin barrier lets more irritants in and more moisture out, so products you have used for years can suddenly sting. Many women also find their skin heats up and flushes more easily during this time.
The answer is to calm and cool rather than strip or overwork the skin.
- Choose a gentle cleanser. Cream Cleanser uses Avocado Oil and Chamomile to cleanse while helping to preserve the skin's natural acid layer.
- Mist to cool. Hydrating Spritz can be used any time skin feels hot or tired. Spritz before applying your skincare, and over makeup through the day. Rose Flower Oil and Cucumber soothe, while Witch Hazel offers gentle anti-inflammatory support.
- Use a cooling mask. Gel Mask is built on Aloe Vera, Cucumber and Vitamin E. Mixed with a few sprays of Hydrating Spritz, it helps calm redness and replenish lost moisture.
- Exfoliate gently, and less often. Organicsceuticals Enzyme Micro Exfoliant is suitable for sensitive skin. Papaya enzymes remove dead cells at the surface without affecting healthy ones. Two times a week is plenty.
Our Certified Organic formulas are free from synthetic fragrance, parabens and the other ingredients most often linked with reactions, which matters more than ever when your skin is in a sensitive phase. Every product shows its Certified Organic percentage on the front of the pack, so you always know what you're using.
If your skin is flushed or feels hot on the day of a facial, let your therapist know. A good skin therapist wilil tailor the treatment and product selection to how your skin is on the day.
Why am I breaking out in my forties?
As oestrogen declines, the balance between hormones shifts, and for some women this brings back breakouts they haven't seen since their teens. These often appear around the chin and jawline, and can leave marks that take longer to fade as cell renewal slows.
Vitamin C Serum is the product we turn to here. We chose Black Cohosh Root Extract for this formula because of its long association with hormonal change, and it helps to balance hormonal breakouts while supporting the skin's structure. It works alongside Ascorbyl Glucoside, a stablised form of Vitamin C that supports a more event skin tone, Liquorice Extract to soothe, and Gotu Kola to help repair the skin. Its oil-free texture suits balanced, oily and combination skin, and it helps reduce the appearance of acne scarring over time.
For the occasional blemish, Clay Mask can be applied as an overnight spot treatment three to four times a week.
Why does my skin look dull and uneven?
Young skin renews itself roughly every month. With age, and with falling oestrogen, that cycle slows. Dead cells linger on the surface, light reflects less evenly, and tone can look patchy.
Organicsceuticals Pro AHA Treatment uses 4% Lactic Acid to gently micro-exfoliate overnight. Lactic Acid is noted for moisturising as it exfoliates, so it suits drier skin far better than harsher acids. Because skin can be more sensitive now, introduce it slowly: tow nights a week to begin, building up over four to six weeks.
Which Active Duo suits your skin right now?
Because perimenopause brings more than one change at a time, two targeted products often work better than one. Our Active Duos pair a serum with a complex, oil or treatment that complements it.
Apply Active Duo products after cleansing and a mist of Hydrating Spritz, then follow with your moisturiser. Pro AHA Treatment is used at night, applied directly to clean skin without a serum. In the Hydra-Renewal and Resurfacing Duos, use the serum in the morning and on the nights you are not using Pro AHA Treatment.
Does menopause affect the skin on my body too?
Yes. The same drop in oestrogen affects skin everywhere, so arms, legs and the décolletage can feel drier, rougher and itchier than before.
For skin on your body that feels dry or itchy, Luxe Body Cream and Refining Mineral Salts can be used at home regularly. Luxe Body Cream absorbs quickly, with Macadamia Seed Oil and Cocoa Seed Butter to help lock in moisture, while the salts gently polish away dry, flaky skin. If your skin is sensitive or broken, skip the salts until it settles.
For a deeper treat, our 60-minute salon ritual, the Luxe Body Cocoon treatment, wraps skin in warmed Luxe Body Cream and nourishing oils, leaving it nourished, smooth and glowing.
Which OrganicSpa professional treatments suit perimenopausal and menopausal skin?
Home care does the daily work, but a professional treatment can give skin a deeper reset, and a skin therapist can see what your skin needs on the day.
Bio Active Hydrate & Sculpt (75 minutes). For skin that feels dehydrated and has lost some of its firmness. A bio-active sheet mask with Hyaluronic Acid, ALGAKTIV® Collage from sustainable microalgae and Cyclo-Retin, a Prince Ginseng peptide, delivers deep hydration while a lifting Gua Sha massage works on facial contours.
Ageless-C (75 minutes). For skin that looks dull or has an uneven skin tone. This treatment combines a 15% Vitamin C mask with Matcha Green Tea, while its activator contains Black Cohosh, Gotu Kola and Vitamin E to support skin structure and restore radiance.
Rebalance & Repair (75 minutes). For skin that is stressed, inflamed or breaking out. Chamomile and Green Tea calm while a blend of clays soothes and detoxifies, leaving skin brighter, calmer and firmer. It is a good choice when your skin is in a reactive phase.
Talk to your skin therapist about upgrading your facial with our AHA Rejuvenate Peel or Lactic + Enzyme Peel to enhance results, on days when your skin isn't feeling sensitive or irritated.
The best place to start is a skin consultation. Your skin therapist can look at how your skin is changing, recommend the right treatment for you and build a home routine that fits.
Find an OrganicSpa partner near you.
When should I talk to my GP?
Skincare can support how your skin looks and feels, but it is one part of a bigger picture. If you are experiencing symptoms of perimenopause or menopause, your GP is the best person to talk to about what is happening in your body and the options available.
To learn more, the Australasian Menopause Society is a trusted, independent source of information for women and their doctors.
Frequently asked questions
Can skincare balance my hormones? No. Skincare can't change your hormone levels. What it can do is support your skin through the changes those hormones bring, with ingredients chosen for dryness, firmness, sensitivity and tone.
Is bakuchiol a good retinol alternative for mature skin? Bakuchiol is a natural, non-irritating alternative to retinol that supports visible improvements in wrinkle depth and elasticity. It suits mature skin that has become drier or more sensitive. You'll find it in Antioxidant Face Oil.
Should I keep exfoliating during menopause? Yes, but more gently. Slower cell renewal means exfoliation still helps, but a thinner barrier means less is more. Choose enzymes or Lactic Acid over harsh scrubs, and twice a week is enough for most skin.
How long until I notice a difference? Give your skin at least four weeks. That is the timeframe in which clinical results for Vita-A-Like showed a visible reduction in wrinkle depth.
Your skin has supported you through every stage of life so far. This stage simply calls for an updated routine to support your skin through hormonal change. Next in our hormones and skin series, we'll look at pregancy, postpartum and your skin.
