If you're anything like us, Hannah English is your go-to skincare guru on Instagram. A pharmaceutical scientist with a clinical research background, Hannah knows her stuff, breaking down the latest products and formulas without all the confusing jargon.
Hannah's product recommendations never disappoint, so that's why when we heard she was teaming up with another favourite in the skincare game, tbh Skincare, we couldn't have been more excited.
Cue, the Hannah English x tbh Skincare co-branded release, Rebound.
Hot off the press, Rebound hits counters February 24, and is a barrier support serum that calms angry, damaged skin.
We spoke to both Hannah and tbh Skincare co-founder, Rachael Tyers (pictured below) all about how the collaboration came to be, what they look for when working with brands and creators, and of course, got the low-down on all things Rebound.
First up, Hannah!
Congratulations on the launch of Rebound! How did the idea come about?
Thank you so much! I have sensitive skin and selfishly wanted a serum that included all my favourite, proven ingredients for hydrating, calming, and some antioxidant and barrier support.
I really couldn't find it in Australia, I had to use several things in a routine to get all the ingredients I wanted, and when your skin is freaking out it's better to use less products, not more.
I'm chatting to people on social media all the time and noticed I'm not the only one looking for this, and that most people don't like a serum you can feel on your skin. Especially people prone to breakouts – we're forever scared that if it feels heavy it will clog pores.
Treatments for breakouts can be hard on your skin and set your barrier back, which is the last thing you need. By giving your skin the hydration and support it needs, you can help it through the bad times, hence the name, Rebound.
What do you love most about the product and how do you use it in your routine?
It's super calming and I'm able to tolerate it even when my skin is really stressed, but what I love most is how it's made others' skin look – Rachael's been using it consistently since we got the samples from the lab and her skin is phenomenal!
Every time I look at the ingredients I'm so excited that we fit them all into such a lightweight texture.
We've included skin-identical hydrators and barrier support – glycerin, hyaluronic acid, ceramides, cholesterol, electrolytes. An all of my favourite calming and antioxidant ingredients – oat, niacinamide, panthenol, green tea, caffeine, allantoin, centella, and even copper peptide – so that you can combine your hydrating, antioxidant, and sensitivity serums into the one step.
I use it morning or night, in the morning it's after cleanser and a mist, before sunscreen, and at night I'll use it alone after cleansing, before moisturiser. Some nights I use vitamin A or a strong brightening serum, which can be challenging for my skin, so I'll use Rebound afterward to keep my skin calm and follow that with night cream.
What's important to you when working with brands?
It's important to me that the brand is science-led, that the products do what they say, and that we have great communication and rapport.
I can be a little blunt in terms of what I do and don't agree with, and I just love it when a brand gets that, gets me, trusts me and understands where my expertise comes from – when we can complement each other's strengths.
We love your Q&As on Instagram! What skincare question do you get asked the most?
Thank you so much! I get a lot about sunscreen (just wear it), about sensitive or sensitised skin, and about hormonal acne.
Thing about acne is, if you're an adult and AFAB with breakouts, then hormones play a role. But the contributing factors for acne are all the same regardless – there's a clogged pore, your skin's oil is thick, acne bacteria are overgrown, and the skin is stressed and angry.
Hormones influence the thickness of the oil and the way the skin cells shed, which can then form a plug with the oil and clog the pore.
Rebound is here to help skin out with the stressed, angry skin part, and well-hydrated skin also sheds itself better which can help indirectly. It's all connected!
Next up, we spoke to Rachael.
Can you tell us a bit about the product and who it is suited to?
Rebound is a barrier support serum that helps to calm angry, damaged skin by supporting the skin barrier and providing protection from daily stressors.
The product is suited to anyone who wishes to use it, but when we were creating the product we did so with our acne prone babes in mind (of course, as this is always our focus at tbh Skincare).
We know that the skin’s barrier plays an important role in prevention of breakouts, and often the skin's barrier impairment is often correlated with acne severity. Skin barrier also has a key role to play when it comes to other common skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis.
The barrier’s purpose is to keep water in skin, and keep bacteria and other pathogens out, as well as environmental stress (which contributes to inflammation). By supporting the barrier with a targeted serum, we can give skin the nutrients it needs to soothe inflammation and better resist bacteria, so we felt it was a perfect addition to the tbh range.
This is the first co-branded product for tbh Skincare – how did the collaboration come about?
We had worked with Hannah previously on other projects, both trialling and reviewing products after release, and also helping provide us with feedback pre-launch on others.
It was through these communications that we got talking about barrier support and the need for a product like rebound in the Australian market.
From there we decided we were a perfect match to create it together!
What drew you to working with Hannah?
At tbh, we aim to be the perfect blend between science backed and consumer centred skincare. We know that sometimes products can be scientifically perfect, but that doesn’t mean that they always translate correctly to meet customer needs and wants.
At tbh, we have always taken a huge focus on understanding the customer and what they need. The science is there to support that and make sure we deliver on our promises.
Hannah, being both a pharmacist and a beauty influencer, shared this similar insight into skincare. She has all of the brains to understand the science, but she also knows the beauty consumer and how they use products and what they need.
She was our perfect match when it came to crafting a product together.
Do you think the brand will go down the co-branded product route again in the future?
Honestly, unless we see as much alignment as we did with the likes of Hannah probably not! It is hard to say, we never know what is around the corner, but I think unless we can see the real value and meaning that can be driven out of a partnership then it is not something we would necessarily chase after.
Hannah's name hasn't just been slapped on the bottle, we have been true partners in the creation process through the whole project.
We would approach any future partnerships in a similar way.
The brand is going from strength to strength – what's next for tbh Skincare?
Thank you! We have a few more products in the pipeline that we would love to launch within the calendar year.
We also have our sights set on expanding our distribution into retail and then eventually taking tbh overseas as well. We can dream!
Rebound is out now and retails for $68.00. You can find out more and shop here.
Image source: Supplied
