Pumpkin: The must-have beauty ingredient that promises to get you ready for autumn

Sarah Jones
Thursday 18 October 2018 14:51 EDT
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Packed with vitamins, the pumpkin is known to help with moisturising the skin and even anti-ageing
Packed with vitamins, the pumpkin is known to help with moisturising the skin and even anti-ageing (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

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Autumn is finally here which signals the return of woolly scarves, copper-coloured leaves and, as any self-respecting millennial would know, pumpkin spice lattes.

But, aside from infusing your Starbucks order and decorating your home, you might be surprised to learn that the humble pumpkin actually has a huge amount of beauty benefits too.

Packed with vitamins, including A, C and E, as well as essential fatty acids, pumpkin is known to help with moisturising the skin and even anti-ageing.

The festive fruit is also loaded with high levels of antioxidants, which help to protect the skin from free radical damage and skin-exfoliating alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs), which work on the skin’s surface to renew cells, even out skin tone, and brighten your skin’s texture.

So, regardless of how you feel about pumpkin spice lattes, it’s worth embracing the seasonal ingredient in your beauty routine.

But, there’s no need to flesh one out and slather its pulp all over your face, because the beauty industry has already got you covered.

Peter Thomas Roth, Pumpkin Enzyme Mask, £50, Beauty Bay
Peter Thomas Roth, Pumpkin Enzyme Mask, £50, Beauty Bay

For your skincare fix, brands like Peter Thomas Roth, Oskia and Emma Hardie are worth a look.

The latter offers a super-moisturising day cream – Moisture Boos Vit+ C Cream - that contains potent antioxidants and pumpkin enzymes which will help fix dull and dry skin.

Vanilla Pumpkin Shower Gel, £5, The Body Shop
Vanilla Pumpkin Shower Gel, £5, The Body Shop

Similarly, Oskia’s Renaissance Brightening Serum is made using a mix of fruit acids – including pumpkin - to gently exfoliate and give your complexion a natural glow, while Peter Thomas Roth’s Pumpkin Enzyme Mask recovers your skin’s vitality in a matter of minutes with an aptly autumnal cinnamon scent.

The Body Shop has also brought back its Vanilla Pumpkin range for 2018, which includes everything from a creamy body butter to a shower gel and hand cream.

Oskia, Renaissance Brightening Serum, £88, Space NK
Oskia, Renaissance Brightening Serum, £88, Space NK

If you’ve got your skincare routine nailed, then there are other, more creative, ways to embrace the pumpkin beauty trend.

Bold and brave makeup buffs will be glad to hear that a number of brands have launched burnt orange products that will help get you in the mood for autumn.

Huda Beauty, Topaz Obsessions Palette, £25, Cult Beauty
Huda Beauty, Topaz Obsessions Palette, £25, Cult Beauty

From warm eyeshadow palettes like Huda Beauty’s Topaz Obsessions and NYX’s Away We Glow, to show-stopping lipsticks such as Lime Crime’s Velvetines in Pumpkin and Urban Decay’s Metallized Vice Lipstick in Wildfire, there’s something to suit every skin tone.

Oskia, Renaissance Brightening Serum, £88, Space NK
Oskia, Renaissance Brightening Serum, £88, Space NK

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