Walking into the Fairmont Spa in St Andrews this week to try out the Skin Rocks Signature Facial, the brand owned by glow guru Caroline Hirons, I was seriously in need of some TLC. Bogged down by hayfever, lack of sleep and deadlines, my skin was… lacklustre to say the least. So when the invitation to try the new facial landed in my inbox, I immediately signed up to test it out.
Launched in November 2022, Skin Rocks is what can be described as ‘dopamine skincare’. In a sea of greige clean beauty skincare lines, the bold, punchy, plastic-free packaging begs for you to pick it up and find out more — the cleansers, acids, retinoids and moisturisers all come in a rainbow of fuchsia pink, yellow, orange and periwinkle, that all make for a very Insta-worthy beauty shelf, and feature helpful serving sizes on the bottles to show you how much you need to use, so you can actually get your money's worth. They're also refillable and plastic-free, so great for being eco-conscious, too.
Ahead of the facial, the queen of glow, Caroline Hirons herself, talked about what to expect. With over 30 years working in the skincare industry, she’s learned what works (and more importantly, what doesn’t work), and, despite her radiant star power, the real star is the ingredients in the formulations, something she’s most passionate about: “I just want products that work. Otherwise, what’s the point?” Well, exactly.
She describes her three retinoid products, particularly ‘Retinoid 3’, as being ‘borderline illegal’ and ‘spicy’ in terms of strength. These formulations don’t mess around. The eye cream — ‘the bougiest eye cream you’ll ever buy’ — contains literal diamond dust for its glow-giving properties, and the rest of the line all include a careful balance of quality acids, making efficacy the goal.
Naturally, with ingredients like these, I was keen to try it out myself. Off to the spa, I went through a thorough consultation with the lovely Claire, my spa therapist, who talked to me about my post-partum skin dryness and texture issues. On the bed and already half asleep thanks to the panpipes and cosy vibes, I started off with The Cleansing Balm, a nourishing cleanser that broke down my make-up and sun protection. Next came The Gel Cleanser, which targets dryness, dehydration and sensitivity.
Claire spoke to me about how I actually have combination skin and suggested I use The Control Acid, a decongesting, exfoliating acid toner that’s built for breakout-prone skin like mine. Following the toner, it was time for a mask, followed by a delicious face and scalp massage that involved some lymphatic drainage techniques (my hayfever-attacked sinuses were thankful) and traditional massage techniques that left my jaw and cheekbones visibly snatched.
Asked about her preferred product in the line, Caroline's got a clear favourite: “The orange”, she says. That's The Antioxidant, a vitamin C serum that contains acetyl zingerone to promote collagen production, and is described as a staple for every routine.
Luckily, I was able to try the vitamin C serum out for myself, as well as the aforementioned eye cream, and The Light Moisturiser, which really soothed and hydrated my skin, without leaving it feeling too heavy on a sunny day with temperatures hitting 27 degrees.
I always like to let a facial settle in for a week or so before the benefits become truly apparent, but the glow-inducing effects of this one were immediate — I truly looked like I had highlighter on. Dry skin who?
The Fairmont x Skin Rocks Signature Facial is now available at Fairmont St Andrews, with the 50-minute treatment priced at £115 per person.
