Hi, I'm Harris. I started Obviously Skincare in London in 2019 after getting fed up with beauty advice that was all hype and no evidence. Every "miracle ingredient" article seemed to be either a thinly veiled advert or a rehash of someone else's guesswork, and separating fact from marketing shouldn't require a chemistry degree.
So I built the site I wished existed: plain-English skincare advice where every claim is checked against actual research, and every product recommendation comes from genuinely using the thing. Six years and well over a hundred articles later, that's still the whole formula.
My background
I'm an engineer by training, with a BEng in Automotive Engineering from Loughborough University (2019). That might seem like an odd path into skincare, but it's exactly where the site's approach comes from: engineers are trained to distrust claims without data, read the source material, and test things properly before trusting them. I apply the same thinking to serums that I was taught to apply to suspension systems.
Alongside the site, I've worked in SEO and content since 2019, which taught me a second useful lesson: most of what ranks online is written to please an algorithm, not to help a person. Obviously Skincare is my attempt to do both honestly.
How I work
- Research first. Where an article makes a claim about an ingredient, I go to the published evidence, and you'll find references at the bottom of those articles. If the science is thin or mixed, I say so rather than rounding up to a miracle.
- Products get used, not just Googled. Reviews are based on extended personal use. I tell you the drawbacks, who a product isn't for, and when the cheaper option is genuinely just as good.
- Articles get maintained. Skincare advice ages. I revisit and update older articles as the evidence and product landscape changes, which is why you'll see "updated" dates across the site.
- Independence. Some links are affiliate links, which keep the site free; they never decide what gets recommended. The full details are in our disclosure.
What you'll find here
The site covers evidence-based routines for every skin type, deep dives on ingredients from retinoids to AHAs, honest product reviews, and guides to common concerns like dry skin, uneven skin tone and barrier damage. If you're not sure where to start, take the 60-second skin type quiz and go from there.
One thing I'm always clear about: I'm a researcher and enthusiast, not a doctor. Everything here is grounded in published evidence and hands-on experience, but it's not a substitute for a dermatologist, and I'll always tell you when a problem deserves professional eyes.
Get in touch
Questions, corrections and product suggestions are always welcome. Email me at obviouslyskincare@gmail.com or connect on LinkedIn; I read everything, and reader questions have prompted more than a few of the articles on this site.