Triona McCarthy: Go eco-friendly this St Patrick’s Day with our expert’s top five green skin products

I promise you now Neilous, I’ll get a new one in your honour. It was a massive funeral for this marvellous man with Mary, his wife of nearly 60 years, shown so much support at such a sad time. I always say it was her pharmacy on North Street, where I loved to hang out as a young wan, that inspired my passion for lipsticks and moisturisers. As you read this, I will be enjoying the St Patrick’s Day celebrations at home in Schull, where the brilliant parade is always the highlight of Maxi and Mini’s day. I’m wearing my sparkly green geansaí today, but I’m also going green with my recommendations this week and plumping for sustainable, eco-friendly options.

Valentines scents to make your crush swoon!

I pop into Kiehl’s on Dublin’s Wicklow Street a lot as it is always great for refills. I love Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream, which has a lightweight texture and gives up to 24-hour lasting hydration, plus there’s currently a 50ml pot and 150ml refill bundle offer (€85, kiehls.ie). It is formulated with glacial glycoprotein and olive-derived squalane to leave skin softer, smoother and visibly healthier.

I’m also a fan of Irish seaweed-based skincare and supplement brand, Seabody, as its co-founder, Dr Helena McMahon, has a huge passion for sustainability, nature and innovation. Seabody’s products are powered by the marine molecules it has sustainably isolated from Irish organic seaweed using clean, zero-waste technologies. I love multi-purpose lotions and potions, so one of my favourite products is the Seabody Hydrogel Mask Cleanser (€44, seabody.com), which is both a cleanser and a mask combined in one.

Another brand that epitomises consciousness and ethical business practices is Gen See — a clean, sustainable, cruelty-free, and vegan beauty brand founded by the visionary duo Danya Klein and Tamar Yaniv. And while I love the Gen See Mixed Media Metallic Liquid Eyeshadow in Bronze (€28, genseebeauty.com), I adore that the brand is passionate about its impact on the earth and its people.

Another visionary businesswoman dedicated to revolutionising the beauty industry with eco-friendly and nourishing skincare products is Noelle O’Connor, founder of The Kind Brand Company.

She has consistently demonstrated that beauty and environmental consciousness can harmoniously coexist, which can be seen in her TanOrganic and Vegan Tan brands. For example, her company pledges to remove one pound of plastic from the world’s oceans for every bottle sold, which is why you’ll get extra satisfaction from buying the fantastic Vegan Tan Self Tan Mousse (€12.99, vegantan.com).

Another brand committed to sustainability, Sásta Skin Health has made environmental awareness a cornerstone of its operations. Its hero product is the Sásta Microbiome Booster Serum (€45, sastaskinhealth.com), which is crafted with a blend of prebiotics and postbiotics to reduce inflammation, hydrate skin and maintain pH balance. Sásta conducts its entire product cycle — from formulation to delivery — here in Ireland, and its packaging is 97pc recyclable — and there is a packaging-free option.

So for the day that’s in it, let’s all go sustainably green — I’ll probably still be green tomorrow after all the celebrations but that’s another story…

Three of the best… Patches

1 Cutie Pimple Patches, €15, cutie.ie Pair these patches when wearing your shamrock today as sisters Kate and Jyll Power’s compact houses 32 heart-shaped pimple patches. Apart from aiding healing, the patches come in two shades of pink to help end the stigma of problematic skin.

2 Augustinus Bader The Eye Patches, €20 for a pair, augustinusbader.com These new revitalising hydrogel eye patches hydrate, brighten and smooth skin while reducing the appearance of dark circles, puffiness, fine lines, and wrinkles.

3 Storyderm Time Patch, €99 for five pairs, storyderm.ie While most women my age are wearing HRT patches, I’m reaching for these! Designed to be worn overnight, these patches contain crystallised hyaluronic acid to improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and enhance volume of the skin.

Valentines scents to make your crush swoon!