Many tweens spend at least a decade battling every blemish that dares to rear its ugly head with a multitude of lotions and potions. But after yet another twenty-faux birthday, isn’t it about time we stop fighting with our face? Free radicals and oxidants – those nasty little beasties that float around freely in the atmosphere damaging our skin and accelerating the ageing process. But what can we do to stop them? The food industry has bombarded us with information about how to harness nature’s anti-carcinogens and anti-oxidants in our diet. The term super food is fairly commonplace but should really be reserved for those amazing little gems that really pack a punch on the vitamin front as well as doing their bit to rid our already over- polluted bodies from the toxins of our modern day lives. Take berries for example – we indulged the Goji berry fad and even moved on to bilberries. Let’s not forget the acclaimed Acai berry, famed for its cleansing and detoxifying properties and popularly used as a diet supplement.

Luckily for us, the food industry is not the only one to have copped onto the benefits of these bad boys. Neal’s Yard, a brand renowned for harnessing the power of herbs and plants in their natural and largely organic products have recently launched the Power Berry range to complement their existing skincare line-up. So confident of its benefits, there are only 3 products in the range – the Facial Wash, Daily Moisture lotion and the Face Mask. Each product contains the aforementioned berries along with extracts of Rosehips, Cranberry Powder and Blueberry Seed to create a potent blend of skin-plumping, anti-inflammatory, glow-inducing goodness. The range is specifically targeted at younger skins that perhaps find the selection of anti-ageing products on the market overwhelming and not yet necessary but are keen to take preventative action for the future. It calms, de-stresses and defends from the effects of environmental stress.

Of course, there are other ranges that yield the power of the berry – My One Green Bottle have added a Raspberry and Blackcurrant Serum to their Dailies range and make-up gurus Smashbox have even launched the new Halo Hydrating Perfecting Powder which has all the benefits of a berry-rich anti-ageing moisturiser but in the ever so efficient oil-free, talc-free, paraben-free face powder.

But fear not, it’s not just the loud and proud eco-friendlies indulging. Many of our well-known and well-loved high street brands have jumped on the band wagon. And it’s not just your face that will thank you for it – try Muran’s Goji Berry duo of Body Wash and Cream or Sanctuary’s divine Kuan Jin Goji and Pearl Body Butter, both of which will leave your skin with a healthy glow.

You could be forgiven for being slightly dubious about smearing the contents of your fruit bowl on to your skin. Sure be it Goji, Bil or Blue, they are tangy, vitamin-packed and a gloriously colourful addition to a breakfast smoothie but on your face? I bet you’ll be pleasantly surprised. After all who wouldn’t want to be Berry Beautiful, inside and out!