Menopause and your skin

A quick note: The information shared here is intended to support cosmetic and skincare decision-making only. It’s not medical advice and isn’t a substitute for personalised care from a qualified health professional. If you have questions, concerns, or symptoms related to perimenopause or menopause, we encourage you to speak with your GP or another trusted medical professional.

Menopause happens. It’s an eventual state all uterus owners will find themselves in.

What often catches people off guard isn’t that it happens, it’s how early the changes can start, how differently they show up for everyone, and how little clear and practical information there is about what’s happening to their skin along the way.

So, what is menopause?

Lephart and Naftolin (2020) describe menopause as a “milestone in aging” marked by one year of no menstrual periods. (Do we hate that, “milestone in aging”? I can’t decide.)

Your period stops when your ovaries retire… kinda. Technically, it’s because your ovarian follicles can’t produce enough estrogen to stimulate growth of the endometrium (the inner lining of the uterus that builds up and sheds during your period).

Perimenopause is the 8 to 10-year period leading up to menopause, during which your estrogen levels swing erratically high and low. Yay!

Estrogen is important to lots of very important, very impressive biological functions (like, keeping your bones strong and supporting heart health by helping blood vessels stay flexible). So, these fluctuations and the eventual depletion of estrogen can have significant negative impacts on your body.

When you’re approaching this “milestone in aging” (okay, I think we hate it), you might notice:

• Hot flushes and night sweats: Sudden heat, flushing or waking up sweaty and annoyed.
• Changes in your period: Irregular, heavier, lighter or just unpredictable.
• Sleep issues: Trouble falling asleep or waking at ridiculous hours.
• Mood shifts: Extra irritability, wobbliness, anxiety or feeling emotionally all over the place.
• Skin changes: Drier, more sensitive, less firm, duller or breaking out (because dry, itchy skin isn’t annoying enough). 
• Brain fog: Forgetting words, losing focus, big “why did I come in here?” vibes.

You might also notice vaginal dryness or discomfort (very not yay) or feel tired more often (even after rest). Some people experience new aches and joint stiffness, or notice changes in their hair, like thinning, dryness or texture that just feels different.

Estrogen, menopause and your skin

Estrogen does lots of helpful things to maintain your skin’s health.

• Keeps skin hydrated: Estrogen helps your skin hold onto water and natural oils, which is why it often feels softer and more comfortable when levels are stable.
• Supports firmness and bounce: It influences collagen and elastin production, helping your skin stay firm, springy and resilient.
• Strengthens your skin barrier: Estrogen supports healthy barrier function, which helps reduce dryness, irritation and sensitivity.
• Helps skin repair itself: It supports wound healing and skin renewal, so cuts, irritation and even breakouts can calm and heal easily.
• Encourages even tone: Estrogen influences how pigment behaves, helping keep your skin tone more even and balanced.
• Supports circulation: Better blood flow means skin gets the oxygen and nutrients it needs to look and feel healthy.
• Helps regulate oil production: Estrogen supports balanced sebum levels, helping your skin stay comfortable without becoming overly dry or prone to congestion.
• Keeps skin resilient: Estrogen helps your skin cope better with stress, environmental exposure and daily wear and tear.

Of course, this means when your estrogen levels swing and eventually decline, these wonderful skin functions can be impacted.

It’s totally normal to see (or feel) the first signs of skin aging at around 30-years-old, when your estrogen levels start to drop.

As you approach perimenopause in your mid-40s, you might notice:

• Skin feels drier: With less estrogen, skin holds onto less moisture and produces fewer natural oils, so dryness and tightness become more noticeable.
• Skin becomes thinner: Collagen production slows, which can make skin feel more fragile or less resilient.
• Fine lines and wrinkles stand out more: Reduced collagen and elasticity mean lines can appear more easily or look more defined.
• Healing takes longer: Skin renews itself more slowly, so irritation, spots and small wounds may take extra time to settle.
• Pigment can look less even: Changes in hormone levels can affect how pigment behaves, leading to uneven tone or dark patches.
• Skin may start to sag: As structural support declines, skin can lose some of its firmness and lift.
• Skin becomes more sensitive: A weaker skin barrier and slower repair can make skin react more easily, leading to increased irritation, redness or discomfort.

These changes tend to show up more in areas that have had lots of sun exposure or where gravity naturally contributes to sagging over time, like the face, neck and chest.

So, how can you support your skin through perimenopause and menopause?

If you’re trying to figure out how to soothe your perimenopausal or menopausal skin, or you just want your skin to look and feel better, you’re not alone.

Topical skincare can be incredibly helpful by supporting the skin barrier, boosting hydration and calming sensitivity. All things skin often needs more of during this stage.

While skincare won’t change hormone levels or stop menopause from happening (bummer), the right products can make skin feel more comfortable, resilient and balanced day to day.

In-clinic treatments can also be a helpful option for some people, particularly for concerns like pigment, firmness or texture, but they’re not essential for everyone and should always be approached thoughtfully.

If you have symptoms that feel severe, sudden or are affecting your overall health or quality of life, it’s important to check in with a GP or medical professional. Skincare can be supportive, but you deserve whole-body care too.

If you’re experiencing dryness or dehydration…

You want to focus on boosting your skin’s lost hyaluronic acid and keep all that gorgeous hydration in place with great skin fats, like ceramides.

For hydration, we recommend the Esmi Hyaluronic Hydrating Serum. It’s packed with triple-action hyaluronic acid that pulls moisture deep into thirsty skin. It also has niacinamide that helps even tone, support your barrier and calm blemishes, as well as allantoin that helps soothe irritation and support healing.

To moisturise and boost skin oils, we love The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + PhytoCeramides. It’s loaded with skincare goodies that instantly increase your hydration, help strengthen your barrier and keep your skin soft and healthy.

If your skin is thinning or sagging…  

These are common changes during perimenopause and menopause, often caused by changes in collagen, elastin and overall skin structure as estrogen levels decline.

The aim with topical skincare isn’t to dramatically lift or thicken skin, but to support strength, firmness and resilience over time. Ingredients like retinoids, peptides and vitamin C can help support collagen, while good hydration helps your skin look plumper and feel better supported.

We love the COSRX The 6 Peptide Skin Booster Serum. It’s packed with peptides to help firm, brighten and smooth your skin. It’s formulated with hyaluronic acid, allantoin and niacinamide to help improve texture while hydrating and moisturising your skin.

The CeraVe Skin Renewing Vitamin C Serum is perfect for gentle skin support. The antioxidant formula is lightweight, hydrating and includes ceramides, which are great for barrier support.  

And remember, consistency matters more than intensity here.

If you want to address fine lines and wrinkles…

You want to focus on supporting collagen, hydration and skin renewal. Ingredients like retinoids, peptides and vitamin C can help support collagen over time, while good hydration plumps the skin and softens the appearance of lines over time.

The Ordinary Retinal 0.2% Emulsion is one of our favourite skin renewal products. It’s formulated with a high concentration of retinal (the most potent form of vitamin A available in Australia without a prescription) and synthetic oat analogues to help reduce skin discomfort and dryness commonly associated with retinoid use. It helps smooth your skin, while reducing the appearance of dark spots. It’s an absolute winner.

If you notice healing takes longer…

Good skin barrier health supports healing, repair and resilience. So, you want to focus on supporting the skin barrier, hydration and gentle repair.

Give your skin steady support with our ride-or-die, skin first aid product, La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume. It helps reinforce the skin barrier, lock in hydration and calm inflammation, creating a more supportive environment for skin to recover and stay resilient. It’s especially helpful when skin feels fragile, reactive.

If you want to address uneven pigmentation...

Focus on supporting even tone while protecting skin from further pigment triggers. As estrogen levels change, pigment can behave a little unpredictably, so gentle consistency is key.

Ingredients like vitamin C and niacinamide can help brighten and support a more even-looking complexion over time, while daily SPF is essential to prevent existing pigmentation from becoming more noticeable.

We’re obsessed with BEAUTI.FLTR Feather Light SPF50+ (and so are our customers!). It helps hydrate and smooth skin while protecting it from UV and blue light.

CeraVe Skin Renewing Vitamin C Serum helps even skin tone by supporting the skin’s natural brightening and renewal processes, rather than aggressively targeting pigment. Its hydrating formula calms and supports skin so it’s better able to regulate pigment and respond evenly.

If your skin becomes more sensitive and reactive…

Focus on calming, protecting and strengthening the skin barrier rather than pushing skin with active-heavy routines. As estrogen levels change, the skin barrier can become weaker, making skin more prone to irritation, redness and stinging.

Gentle, barrier-supporting ingredients like ceramides, panthenol and niacinamide (in lower strengths) help skin feel more comfortable and resilient over time, while avoiding over-exfoliation and heavily fragranced products can prevent unnecessary flare-ups.

The Esmi Probiotic Skin Mylck Cleanser is perfect for sensitive skin. The gentle, creamy cleanser leaves skin feeling soft, fresh and supported after every use.

We love La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume for sensitive, reactive skin. It helps soothe irritation, support barrier repair and lock in hydration, creating a calmer environment for skin to recover and feel more stable.

The takeaways

• Hormones matter for skin. Changes in estrogen during perimenopause and menopause affect hydration, firmness, healing, pigment and overall resilience. You’re not doing anything wrong, your skin is just changing. 
• Barrier first, always. A strong skin barrier supports hydration, healing and comfort (and makes everything else work and feel a bit better).
• Consistency is key. I know! It’s so boring, but gentle, steady routines deliver great results. 
• What you put on your skin counts. Ingredients like hyaluronic acid, ceramides, peptides, vitamin C and retinoids help support your skin through change. Including these gentle, skin-loving ingredients in your skincare routine will help your skin look and feel better, without trying to force unrealistic outcomes. 
• You’re not alone. These changes are common, normal and manageable with the right care (and the right support).

You don’t have to figure this out alone. We’re here to help you understand what your skin needs and create a personalised skincare program that supports you to healthy, comfy skin.