Ingrid Raphael is based at her central London Clinic where she is known by her clients for results driven skincare. She takes a deeply intuitive, science backed approach to her work. Her specialisms include acne, rosacea, pigmentation, scarring, uneven texture and signs of ageing. In this conversation Ingrid shares insights into her philosophy on skincare and what inspires her distinctive approach.
I’ve learnt to listen. Not just to the skin but to the human beneath it. Because skin never speaks on its own… It started with my mum. In the quiet ritual of painting her nails. With each brushstroke, she became more herself. It was subtle, but powerful. I saw how a simple act of care could shift something deep inside. By seventeen, I was working in the field of medical aesthetics. I remember our head technician placing me under one of the first-ever skin scanners. “Look,” she said, pointing at the screen, “no pigmentation. If Ingrid keeps wearing SPF, she’ll have hardly any by her mid-forties.” That moment landed hard. It lit a lifelong reverence for the skin… not just as an organ, but as a storyteller. Eighteen years on, that reverence has only grown. Our skin holds our stress, our stories, our suppression. It reflects what’s been ignored. What drew me in wasn’t just beauty. It was witnessing what happens when someone feels safe enough to be seen. That’s the work I do now. No quick fixes. Just truth, curiosity, and a slow, supported return to radiance.
There’s a steady, quiet knowing inside each of us that never steers us wrong. But to truly hear it, we must be still… Real guidance doesn’t shout, it hums quietly beneath the surface. We must step out of the mental spin, the emotional noise, the constant doing and drop into that space just beneath it all. That’s where truth lives, that’s where the real work begins. I try to listen through the noise, to stay connected to that quiet attentiveness. The awareness of the invisible architecture behind things, because clarity doesn’t shout either. It doesn’t demand attention. It arrives in the space we make for it, in the quiet and in the stillness.
I recharge by returning to the simple, grounding things that bring me home to myself… Nature is also a significant part of that. Time to reflect, to study, to simply be. To dream. I remind myself that I’m never too old to dream, to imagine new possibilities. But I’m also learning that dreaming alone isn’t enough. I need moments to step out of my head and integrate what life has already taught me, to breathe it in fully. Being by the sea helps me do that. There’s something about the rhythm of the waves, the vastness of the horizon, and the warmth of the sun on my skin that feels like it’s recharging every cell in my body. I cook fresh food, and I blast music that makes me feel alive. And, yes, a bit of self-care goes a long way. You’ll never catch me with my nails not manicured! And when I need a mood lift, I visit one of my favourite quiet spots: the local zoo. There’s a red panda there that I absolutely love, and the otters always make me smile, they remind me to stay playful, to not take life too seriously!
I’m interested in a quieter kind of beauty... I’m always quietly fascinated by what’s emerging, but I tend to keep a healthy scepticism about the noise. Skincare moves fast these days, a constant churn of trends that feels more like theatre than true innovation. Beautiful packaging, clever marketing, but not always much beneath the surface. Lately, I’ve been especially drawn to exosomes… cellular-level intelligence that’s far more about repair and regeneration than surface-level sheen. As for what feels a little overhyped. I say it gently, but Korean beauty has become something of a spectacle. There are beautiful formulations in the mix, but the frenzy, the endless shops, the queues, the ultra-stylised routines, can start to feel a bit performative. Everything is enticing, dreamy, and impeccably packaged, yet most of it doesn’t feel essential. It’s more about the experience than the efficacy, which is fine, but it can all feel a bit noisy. I’m more interested in a quieter kind of beauty. Thoughtful formulations. Ingredients with integrity. Fewer buzzwords, more proof. I think there’s such a deep beauty in products that don’t shout but instead deliver, backed by science, crafted with care, and made to last beyond the latest trend.
The most challenging part, honestly, is having the energy for it all…There are so many things I want to pour myself into, but I spend such a large part of my time working in the business that finding space to work on it often feels like a quiet battle. The desire to give everything, and everyone 110% can be both a strength and a weight. It’s a constant push, and it takes its toll on the mind, body, and emotions. Some days you’re running on empty, but still trying to show up fully, to hold it all up. And yet, when I see the results, when the work begins to take shape and ripple, it makes everything feel worthwhile again. There’s a kind of quiet reassurance in that, a reminder of why it all matters.
There’s one thing that always sits uncomfortably with me… the way this industry, for all its beauty and brilliance, often thrives on people’s insecurities... Skincare has become a billion-dollar industry, and so much of it is built on convincing us that we're not quite enough as we are. I think the real shift happens when we start asking better questions. Not just “Do I want this?” or “Does it look good on my shelf?” but “Does my skin truly need this?” or “Am I being sold a feeling dressed up as a formula?”. There’s power in quieting all the noise and tuning into what’s right for you, what your skin needs rather than what you want. Skin doesn’t need excess... it wants rhythm, care, clarity. The goal shouldn’t be perfection, it should be balance.
If I could give just one piece of advice, it would be to always cleanse, at the very least in the evening… But not with something harsh or stripping. I always recommend a cream-based cleanser, ideally one that’s laced with barrier-supporting ingredients like ceramides and fatty acids. The kind of formula that works with the skin, not against it. The skin barrier is an incredibly intelligent ‘gatekeeper’, it helps keep moisture in and irritants, pollutants, and pathogens out. When it's compromised, everything becomes a bit unsteady, skin loses hydration, becomes reactive, inflamed and dull. So cleansing should never be about that tight, squeaky “clean” feeling. It should be a moment of support. You’re washing the day away, of course, but also taking care not to erode the very thing that keeps skin strong, calm, and resilient. It’s the most overlooked foundation of good skin and yet, when the barrier is intact, everything else just works better.
Watching a journey unfold quietly anchors me. It reminds me why I do this… I had a client once with prolific comedogenic acne, it covered nearly every part of her face. She found me through Instagram and, during her consultation, she sat across from me with tears in her eyes and said, “If anyone can help me, I know it’s you.” And truthfully, in that moment, I didn’t know if I could. But I was determined to try, I promised myself I would give her everything I had. She did exactly the same. She followed every recommendation, every routine, every small shift… to the letter. And slowly, steadily, her skin began to change. Within just a few weeks, the transformation was undeniable. Her skin cleared, her confidence returned and even now years later, it never went back to how it once was. No medications, no shortcuts. Just time, care, and two people showing up fully for the process. I do this not just to help skin, but to meet people where they are, and walk with them back to themselves. There’s no feeling quite like it. It’s soul satisfaction, really.
