#GlowingSkin: 5 Bengali Women Tell Us Their Skincare Secrets

A doctor and digital creator, Megha Dasgupta uses ice cubes (made of water, aloe vera gel, and mint) on her face in the morning to get rid of the post-sun redness. She makes sure that she uses her vitamin C serum from Dot & Key along with a gel-based sunscreen from Aqualogica. She also reapplies her sunscreen and uses sunscreen sprays to protect her skin from the heat. 

She says, 'I don’t layer my skin with too many products, I keep it basic. I have a combination skin, therefore, a mild cleanser, rose water, moisturiser (non-comedogenic), and sunscreen with good SPF coverage works best for me. I also keep the rose water and aloe vera gel in the fridge and apply them whenever I want refresh.'

Megha believes hydration is key, which is why she loves having chilled coconut water and sparkling water apart from her regular water intake.

Sinjini Biswas, an entrepreneur, follows the AM and PM routine. She uses skin actives but also ensures to take a break from them from time to time to follow a basic cleansing, moisturising, and toning (CTM) routine. In the morning, she washes her face with a cleanser and then applies Kamar Ayurveda Rose Water on it followed by a Hyaluronic Acid serum from The Ordinary, Vitamin C serum from Plum, and an SPF 50 sunscreen from Minimalist.

The PM routine is pretty much the same except that she uses a Niacinamide serum sometimes along with the cleanser, rose water and Hyaluronic Acid serum and finishes it off with a Bioderma Atoderm Ultra moisturiser. Sinjini says, 'I use a homemade face pack once in a while, depending on the weather and my skin condition, as I have combination skin. It's usually a paste of neem powder, milk, and honey, or aloe vera gel and honey.'

Ipshita Banerjee Bhandary, a promoter at Adva Communique and Lumi Salon, believes in drinking lots of water to stay hydrated. She also exfoliates her skin twice a week using scrubs made of egg white, lemon, and sandalwood. She also makes one at home with curd, besan, and turmeric. She never skips sunscreen, making sure to apply it 10-15 minutes before stepping out and reapplying every four hours.

Besides this, she applies a Vitamin C serum from Auli for an extra boost of moisture and freshness during the summer season. When she is out, she always carries a refreshing face mist (usually one that includes cucumber, mint, or rose water) or a hydration stick to keep her skin hydrated and cool. She believes in following a CTM routine and washes her face three to four times daily to keep it clean, sweat-free, and fresh. She uses a non-foaming cleanser from Cetaphil and avoids heavy makeup.

A banker by profession, Dolon Dutta Chowdhury follows a basic but effective skincare routine to protect her skin from the scorching heat outside. Every morning, she washes her face with The Ordinary's squalane cleanser followed by the application of a Vitamin C serum by Sesderma and a gel-based SPF 50 sunscreen by UV Doux that she reapplies every two hours, even if she is at home or indoors.

She also sprays her face with cold rose water when she is indoors. She says, 'Freezing rose water and rubbing those ice cubes on the face works too.' At night, she again washes her face with a cleanser and applies retinol cream thrice a week along with an under eye cream.

Mouli Roy, a PR associate and entrepreneur, detans her face using a scrub twice a week followed by a detan pack from Eotiq. She makes sure to moisturise her skin post scrubbing for which she uses Neutrogena’s Hydro Boost serum. Sometimes, on Saturday evenings, she uses detoxifying eye patches to feel relaxed and fresh. 

At night, Mouli prefers using Salicylic Acid and Green Tea night gel and serum from Dot & Key to prevent oily skin and acne.