Face it, our daughters need a skincare regime, too

Elizabeth Hallett has suffered from "difficult" skin all her life and recalls being subjected to what she now realises were very harsh treatments as young as 10 in an attempt to sort out her problem complexion.

But it wasn't until two or three years ago, then in her early 40s and with a daughter about to enter her teenage years, that Liz decided she had to do something about it.

"Although my daughter has lovely skin at the moment, I really didn't want her to go through the trauma I went through," she explains over coffee at Harvey Nichols in Bristol, where her new skincare range, Elizabeth's Daughter, is now available.

Liz's concerns about her daughter coincided with a traumatic period in her own skin health. All of a sudden, her skin had started reacting to every creams she tried, even ranges specially made for sensitive skin: "Believe me, I tried everything!"

So out of a mix of frustration and desperation, she decided to formulate her own simple but effective products which she was determined would contain no harmful or astringent ingredients and would be suitable for youthful skins as well as super-sensitive adult complexions such as her own.

Liz is not a biochemist but she works in the beauty industry and had a good idea of where to go for help. Her Elizabeth's Daughter range was developed in conjunction with an expert in botanical extracts and natural products.

It took more than two years of research and development, during which it was exhaustively tested by teenage girls as well as by Liz herself.

"We had to be certain that every product was absolutely right," she says. "If we had any doubts about any product, we dropped it."

The result is a collection of nine products that use a huge amount of natural ingredients – on average 95 per cent – and contain no potentially harmful ingredients such as parabens, sulphates or petrochemicals.

They're exactly the kind of products she feels comfortable about handing on to her daughter, now 14.

But when is the right time to introduce your daughter to a good skincare routine? That varies according to your child, says Liz, but whenever you choose to do so, at least parents now know there's a gentle but effective range specially formulated for youthful skin.

The collection includes a daily moisturiser with an in-built skin protection factor of 15 (to guard against sun damage) as well as a soothing balm, makeup remover and cleanser.

Since launching in August last year at Harvey Nichols in London, the products have received rave reviews – including from people prone to eczema and allergies (although it's not formulated specifically for them).

Prices range from £15 for the cleanser to £26 for the intensive moisturiser. There's also a starter set of four trial products for £20.

Elizabeth's Daughter is available at Harvey Nichols in Bristol and also at John Lewis at Cribbs Causeway as well as online at www.elizabethsdaughter.co.uk. A boy's range, probably to be called &Son, is currently in development.