If you are looking for skincare that bridges the gap between clinical-grade and luxurious, hardworking, then First Aid Beauty ticks that box. Editor Trudi Brewer shares a collection that will correct dryness, soothe irritation and prevent sensitivities - fast. Here’s my honest review of First Aid Beauty, a range that will slip into any routine. Read on to learn more.
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Ten-step skincare routines might have viral appeal, but who has the time or the budget? If you’re trying to build a routine you’ll actually stick to, a simple approach is best. My skin has had its fair share of issues; the most pressing is that it’s getting drier and more sensitive. So instead of opting for hard-and-fast treatments these days, I am leaning into gentle, targeted options that address my skin’s changing needs and happen to align with a strong beauty movement: skin longevity - the step toward lasting skin health at any age. This approach aptly describes the purpose of First Aid Beauty.
Every cleanser, moisturiser, body scrub, and serum serves a purpose. Hardworking and focused—delivering for every skin concern. But before I share how this cult beauty buy works, here’s some background if First Aid Beauty is new to you.
Created by New Yorker Lilli Gorden in 2009 and fondly known as FAB, the brand was designed to fill a gap in the luxury skincare market for anyone with sensitive skin. To address everyday skin concerns like dryness, irritation, and redness, it's your skin’s backup in those SOS moments that come with the change of season, fluctuating hormones, and the effects of unrelenting fatigue life throws at our complexions.
How? The ingredients. At the heart of every formula are hydrating and soothing ingredients that repair the skin’s barrier and provide instant relief to compromised skin.
First, colloidal oatmeal. The MVP of the brand's cult-favourite Ultra Repair Cream, it relieves itching and reduces skin inflammation. Ceramide NP is a skin-identical lipid that helps restore the moisture barrier, locking hydration in the skin. Botanicals like allantoin, Shea butter, liquorice root and feverfew extracts soothe and hydrate, reduce redness and calm sensitivities.
At the same time, squalane is a skin-identical oil that locks moisture deep within the skin without feeling greasy. Each formula is backed by science to deliver clinically proven results.
There are three collections, each colour-coded by skin concern: Blue - moisturising, purple - Smoothening, and green - brightening. Each product is dermatologist-tested and has serious cred with those with extreme skin conditions.
Like me, if you put your skin through its paces with hard-and-fast treatments and super-active formulas, to reach your skin glow goals, First Aid Beauty could be the soothing, caring collection we all need every day. The best news: this gentle skin first collection has just become even more accessible, launching in Life Pharmacy stores across the country this week.
Here’s the cult beauty buys in the collection
First Aid Beauty First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream, $75 & First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Recovery Balm, $60
Its most famous beauty buy is the Ultra Repair range of creams and balm. A staple for anyone with dry, sensitive, distressed, or eczema-prone skin. It’s stacked with soothing colloidal oatmeal, deeply nourishing shea butter, and allantoin, but its whipped formula absorbs fast and is not greasy or heavy. For day or night, this is not only an SOS beauty buy, but it’s also ideal in any weather, from the cream formula to the balm. Also, luxuriously rich balm helps rescue red, irritated skin while strengthening the moisture barrier. Another bonus is that it improves the drying effects of prescription-strength acne and retinoid treatments.
To use: Smooth a 20-cent coin amount of the whipped Ultra Repair Cream all over your face to deeply hydrate, then press a pea-sized amount of the dense Recovery Balm onto dry patches to seal it all in.
The cornerstone of any consistent skincare routine is a cleanser. First, the formula of this cream-to-foam is addictive. Its velvety texture lathers up to cleanse skin in minutes; grime, makeup, and stubborn SPF won’t stand a chance with this formula. But it won’t leave skin feeling tight and dry post-cleansing. With the brand's key ingredients like colloidal oatmeal, aloe, glycerin, and allantoin, it is hydrating, soothing, and calms redness.
To use: Apply a 20-cent coin amount to damp skin, gently massage it into a soft lather to lift away makeup and impurities, then rinse thoroughly with warm water.
This is the brand's latest launch and captures everything it does best: Soft and milky, they embody First Aid Beauty's comfort-first ethos. Thicker and almost pillow-like (hence the name), each pad is infused with First Aid Beauty's signature ingredient, colloidal oatmeal, and paired with ceramides. Extra-dry or irritated skin is instantly rejuvenated. These pads are like applying a cold compress to a burn.
To use: Use daily, or treat inflamed skin by pressing the pad onto a sore spot for a few minutes and letting the milky formula sink in.
Famous for delivering results, if you are struggling with body acne or keratosis pilaris—bumpy, strawberry skin, classically found on the backs of arms, butt and thighs, this body scrub is for you. Its secret weapon is the double exfoliation. First, glycolic and lactic acids provide chemical exfoliation, while gentle pumice buffing beads give a physical scrub. The formula not only improves skin texture but also smooths bumps and softens dryness - it also has a fresh strawberry scent.
To use: Apply directly to wet skin on acne or bumps, once or twice a week.
For body oil fans, the Nourishing Dry Body Oil, is a blend of skin-loving plant oils, including jojoba seed, grapeseed, sunflower, olive, and apricot kernel, that sink into the skin and leave a glossy (not greasy) sheen.
To use: Massage a few pumps of the Nourishing Dry Body Oil directly onto clean, damp skin straight out of the shower to instantly lock in moisture and leave your body with a silky, tangerine-scented glow.
Is now even more accessible.