She\u2019s built her brand and business on being honest. Now, skin expert Caroline Hirons is sharing new skincare truths in her latest book, Skin Rules: Expert Advice That You Can Trust.<\/p>\n
\n For someone who loathes writing, Caroline Hirons \u2013 who says she \u201chates writing books\u201d \u2013 is surprisingly good at
\n it.\n <\/p>\n
\u201cI feel bad saying that because I\u2019m a very successful author,\u201d she says during a video call from a black cab during her morning commute. <\/p>\n
She\u2019s right, though. Her first two books sold more than 400,000 copies.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t find [writing] therapeutic. I don\u2019t find it calming. I get really worried about making sure I sound simple, not patronising. I\u2019m never happier than when I\u2019m finished. Me turning out to be a writer would very much entertain my English teachers.\u201d <\/p>\n
The London-based skin expert, founder of Skin Rocks and podcast host, has authored four books, all about skin, the most recent scheduled for release on November 10. <\/p>\n
Written in Hiron\u2019s signature no-nonsense style, Skin Rules: Expert Advice That You Can Trust dives into how to navigate skin through major life changes like cancer treatment, menopause and using GLP-1s. <\/p>\n
Caroline Hirons’ new book is out early next month. <\/p>\n
Hirons has been refreshingly honest about her own experience on GLP-1s (she lost about 20kg through diet and exercise, before starting Mounjaro), and wanted to cater skin advice to those who might be on a similar journey. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m post-menopause. I\u2019m on GLP-1s. It seemed appropriate to talk about more. The thing about the previous couple of books is the science doesn\u2019t change – I wanted to offer something different for people who are buying the book for the first time, or the second time, or the third time,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n
Hirons published her first book Skincare: The Ultimate No-Nonsense Guide in 2019, then released an updated version with Skincare: The New Edit in 2022. <\/p>\n
She says Skin Rules feels very 2026 by comparison. <\/p>\n
\u201cMenopause has been a big [topic] for me for quite a few years now. GLP-1s have come to the forefront in the last two years. But really I write books and make products for me,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s almost like, well this is what I\u2019m going through. Maybe you are too?\u201d <\/p>\n
We\u2019re out of the cab. She pays the \u201clovely cab driver\u201d and pushes the buzzer at Skin Rocks HQ. Next thing we\u2019re in her filming office, a white shelf lined with skincare frames the video screen. <\/p>\n
One thing Hirons has been mindful of is sharing her Mounjaro dose online, although she tells me she\u2019s now micro-dosing to help with inflammation and blood sugar. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve never answered that question because it\u2019s a medical drug. I don\u2019t get into specifics with people because I am not a doctor. I\u2019m only talking about my experience,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n
Hirons says the term \u201cOzempic face\u201d \u2013 a non-medical term coined to describe the changes in facial structure or skin laxity after using GLP-1s \u2013 is used as a scare tactic towards women. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a media thing… trying to put shame on people. I just don\u2019t buy into it. I think calling them \u2018fat jabs\u2019 is a way to shame women and put people off taking them,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n
\u201cI choose to talk about it. I don\u2019t care what your opinion is of me or what I choose to do medically with my life, and that goes across everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hirons has been transparent about her own use of GLP-1 medication. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s Hirons\u2019 hope that the GLP-1 chapter in Skin Rules will educate people about what\u2019s actually possible and what\u2019s not with their skin while they\u2019re on this medication. <\/p>\n
Skin laxity, uneven skin tone and texture can be helped by using topicals like peptides and retinoids, but Hirons says people should be realistic about what their creams can achieve. <\/p>\n
\u201cWill you get the same effect as you would with a needle? No, but again then you wouldn\u2019t expect to. Some people have lost so much weight that if they wanted to absolutely rid themselves of skin laxity, you\u2019re talking surgery,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not for one, and I\u2019m never going to say that that\u2019s something I think you should do. Everyone has their own journey, but I\u2019d rather keep it real so that people know what you can achieve, rather than what a cream will do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hirons adds that cure-all creams and quick fixes breed impatience, and if people want to see real change in their skin, they need to stick with their chosen formula for three months. <\/p>\n
\u201cMost clinical trials are done across a 12-week period. So if you use one bottle of product that lasts you a month, you haven\u2019t had the full effects. When people say it didn\u2019t do the same thing for me, you\u2019re not using it the same way,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s almost like getting the ingredients of a cake, not following the instructions and then being surprised when you don\u2019t get the result of the cake.\u201d<\/p>\n
For someone who\u2019s built her business and brand on acting like a filter for the beauty industry, Hirons says she deliberately surrounds herself with people who filter her. <\/p>\n
\u201c[My team] has no problem telling me I\u2019ve had a s*** idea. They\u2019ll tell me I have to do this meeting, or no, I can\u2019t get out of this photoshoot. I think that\u2019s healthy – you need that,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe monsters that I know in our industry are surrounded by yes people. That will never be me.\u201d <\/p>\n
Hirons laughs as she recalls a publishing meeting where the topic of conversation was how many times she said the word \u201cbollocks\u201d in her first book. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s because I didn\u2019t want to say bastard, so let\u2019s go with bollocks,\u201d she says. \u201cThey know me, and they know my tone of voice is popular, so I don\u2019t have hassles on that front.\u201d <\/p>\n
Hirons has authored four books, but says the writing process is her least favourite part of her job. <\/p>\n
At age 40, Hirons launched her blog, Beauty Mouth. A decade later, during what she calls the most pivotal time in her life, she published her first book. <\/p>\n
\u201cI wish people knew that just because they\u2019re getting older, it doesn\u2019t mean they have to stay stuck in the rut they\u2019re in. You can work where you want, do what you want, have anything you want,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n
\u201cPostmenopause has by far been the happiest time of my life, and I would have been really shocked if I thought I was going to be saying that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hirons says she suffered 10-15 years ago with the effects of perimenopause, which weren\u2019t really talked about at the time. <\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know what was happening. I was piling on weight, [drinking] red wine and [eating] carbs like they were my two main food groups. I hated everyone, I had brain fog. I had no energy. It was not a pleasant time,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe fact I\u2019m now well out of the other side of it and on HRT [hormone replacement therapy] with the advice of great doctors is fantastic.\u201d<\/p>\n
No stranger to social media, Hirons says she\u2019s received angry messages in the past when talking about HRT. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s misplaced anger, because either they can\u2019t use it themselves, so they\u2019re annoyed that I\u2019m telling other people to, or they choose not to because they believe that herbs will do the same thing,\u201d Hirons says. <\/p>\n
\u201cEither way, I\u2019m not talking to you. I\u2019m talking about me. Yes, it\u2019s a big difference, and it\u2019s one of those differentiations that some people find it hard to make online. If I\u2019m talking about it, I\u2019m literally talking about my experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her role as a beauty industry watchdog sees Hirons trial thousands of beauty products throughout the year. Given she\u2019s at the forefront of what\u2019s new in skincare, Hirons says the category she\u2019s genuinely surprised by is makeup. <\/p>\n
\u201cI just went to LA and bought the Mary Phillips foundation and Hung Van Go foundation. I really like a good foundation,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n
\u201cI hate skincare trends. I think trends belong in colour because you can wash your face, no harm done. I like to be pleasantly surprised with colour.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cIf I\u2019m popping to the shop, I\u2019m putting that on so I don\u2019t look dead. It just turns out to be a good colour for me,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n
\u201cI use the big fat brush. It takes me three seconds, and suddenly I look like I haven\u2019t just been dug up.\u201d<\/p>\n
You won\u2019t find Hirons wearing silicone-based primers, or using a gritty facial scrub. Nor will you stumble across rose scents formulated into her suite of Skin Rocks skincare. <\/p>\n
A handful of Hirons\u2019 top skin rules are peppered throughout the new book, but she says if there\u2019s one golden rule to live by, it would be this.<\/p>\n
\u201cConsistency is key. It\u2019s great if you wash your face twice a week, it\u2019s better if you do it every day. It\u2019s great you bought that new serum, it\u2019s not great if you can\u2019t really afford, don\u2019t want to use it up, and only use it once a week,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe best skincare routine that encompasses everything – but being consistent with it.\u201d <\/p>\n
It\u2019s a message she hopes to one day share in person with her fans in New Zealand and Australia. <\/p>\n
She says she\u2019s always wanted to visit the Southern Hemisphere (mainly for the music). <\/p>\n
\u201cI won\u2019t lie – I\u2019m an INXS and Crowded House girl.\u201d <\/p>\n
Backed by a promise of an impending New Zealand visit \u201cone day\u201d, she ends our video call in only a way that Hirons can. <\/p>\n
\u201cThank you so much, it\u2019s so nice to speak to someone who\u2019s actually read the f***ing book.\u201d<\/p>\n
Skin Rules: Expert Advice That You Can Trust by Caroline Hirons, $54.99 (HarperCollins) is available from November 10, 2026. <\/p>\n
More beauty<\/p>\n
Are you getting the most out of your sunscreen? What\u2019s worth buying from Merit now that it\u2019s available from Sephora? What\u2019s next in skincare and appearance medicine? Beauty editor Ashleigh Cometti speaks to the experts for their hot takes. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"She\u2019s built her brand and business on being honest. Now, skin expert Caroline Hirons is sharing new skincare…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":631268,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[1443,1665,95,1244,682,2108,4463,6658,138,42737,1601,46963,29029,309403,17511,6036,700,111,139,425,69,6122,13660,6180,1245,3621,1361,61,9438,309404,1613,14638,6923,197],"class_list":["post-631267","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-about","tag-advice","tag-and","tag-beauty","tag-being","tag-book","tag-brand","tag-built","tag-business","tag-caroline","tag-expert","tag-glp1s","tag-guru","tag-hirons","tag-honest","tag-know","tag-latest","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-now","tag-nz","tag-rules","tag-sharing","tag-shes","tag-skin","tag-skincare","tag-that","tag-to","tag-trust","tag-truths","tag-uk","tag-wants","tag-what","tag-you"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/631267","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=631267"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/631267\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/631268"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=631267"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=631267"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=631267"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}