It's no secret that we want our skincare to be an extension of our boujie lifestyles – just take a look at R29's at-home facial routines. But alongside luxe ingredients like silk and pure rosewater, we're seeing a huge surge in gold. Yep, pure solid gold.
Now, anything that Cleopatra was rumoured to use in her beauty routine is certainly welcome on our #shelfie. According to history textbooks, ancient Egyptians often used gold in their cosmetics so that their skin retained youthfulness. Called the 'flesh of the gods', the sought-after mineral was also highly regarded in ancient Greece and Japan for its supposed ability to heal inflammation, slow the ageing process, treat sun damage, boost collagen and lend pallid complexions a radiant glow.
Tradition aside, a handful of skin experts argue that the precious metal has antioxidant (take that, pollution) as well as anti-inflammatory properties, which means it could help alleviate redness. Whether it works a treat on skin or simply serves to make our skincare routines a little more luxe, all manner of skincare brands are jumping on the gold bandwagon, formulating everything from masks to moisturisers with the expensive stuff.
Click through for the best gold-infused products, all sure to give your skin the royal treatment.
Twenty-four carat rose gold is the third-last listed ingredient in 111Skin's Instagram-famous face masks, meaning they contain only a minute amount of actual gold. That said, its weight is worth more in deeply hydrating, fine line-minimising ingredients such as silk amino acids and skin-quenching niacinamide, praised by dermatologists for its gentle exfoliating effects. All that, with the promise of a shimmering, incandescent afterglow. Sold.
111SKIN Rose Gold Brightening Facial Treatment Mask, £20, available at Space NK
This Korean-inspired mask is made with pumpkin fruit extract and alpha hydroxy acids to gently exfoliate dead skin cells, uncovering brighter, smoother skin in as little as 10 minutes. A heap of gold powder delivers added radiance and, according to K-beauty experts, improves skin elasticity and reduces collagen depletion. Perfectly pillowy skin this way.
Too Cool For School Pumpkin Purifying 24k Mask, £18, available at Cult Beauty
Adored by bloggers and beauty editors alike, this cooling gel-textured mask combines colloidal gold and mica – a pearlescent mineral found in rocks and crystals – to plump and illuminate slack, washed-out skin, while caffeine naturally tones and hyaluronic acid banishes that uncomfortable tight feeling. Hydrated skin = happy skin.
Peter Thomas Roth 24k Gold Mask, £77, available at Cult Beauty
This two-in-one dry oil keeps scaly limbs hydrated with a blend of peach kernel, geranium, cedarwood and rosehip oils. Apply the golden elixir – which harnesses specks of real gold as well as an intensely moisturising mix of vitamin E and coconut – over the top for a subtle glow.
This Works Skin Deep Leg Duo, £37, available at Space NK
Whether you choose the 'firm' or 'brighten' version, both primers are packed with hydrating hyaluronic acid, plumping peptides and a sizeable quantity of real gold to illuminate skin. The brighten primer uses niacinamide and liquorice to lend your complexion an even tone, while the firming primer uses lipoic acid to reduce the appearance of pores.
NuFACE 24k Gold Gel Primer, £30.50, available at Cult Beauty
From the brand that has gifted the internet with heaps of skin-saving serums, this rose gold elixir is a mix of rosehip and pumpkin seed oil and moisturising vitamin E, but the star ingredient are the flakes of 24 carat gold. It can be applied on its own or underneath makeup or moisturiser for a dewy finish. It's basically summer skin in a bottle.
Farsáli Rose Gold Elixir, £50, available at Cult Beauty
Collagen, cucumber, peptides and castor oil work in combination with each other to fill out fine lines and create a smooth, hydrated base for your concealer, while the addition of a dash of gold acts as a brightener, erasing dark circles. Employ it as part of your AM and PM routine and keep it refrigerated for the mornings when you've slept short of eight hours the night before.
Pixi 24k Eye Elixir, £22, available at Cult Beauty
This ultra-hydrating gel, made with rice protein to soothe sensitive skin and rosa centifolia extract to provide antioxidant protection against pollution, contains actual gold flakes to give dull, deflated skin a glow. The finish is ever so slightly tacky, but don't let that put you off. It means any makeup you apply on top adheres perfectly. A little goes a long way.
Guerlain L'Or Radiance Concentrate With Pure Gold, £47.50, available at Debenhams
Okay, these jelly-like eye masks might be pricy, but if you want to give yourself the Cleopatra treatment then they're the only things you should reach for. Twenty-four carat gold and additional skin brighteners work wonders to dial down the blue, green and purple tones typical of dark circles and eye bags, while a dose of rosewater softens, nourishes and cools the delicate skin around tired eyes. PS. R29's beauty editor is obsessed.
Chantecaille Energising Eye Recovery Mask, £185, available at Space NK
This deeply hydrating face oil employs honey extract and sunflower, argan and sweet almond oils to nourish and firm skin, all while delivering a quietly glowy gold shimmer. The illuminating finish isn't the result of actual gold but the iridescent mineral mica, which mimics the dazzle. No highlighter needed.
Manuka Doctor 24K Gold & Manuka Honey Face Oil, £10.39, available at Look Fantastic
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
All The Products R29 Beauty Writers Buy On Repeat
All The Details From THAT Scene In Ariana Grande's "God Is A Woman"
The Surprising Inspiration Behind Demi Lovato's New Hair Colour