The Soft New Year Skin Edit

Resolutions for women 40 plus who are tired of wellness noise

Why the old style New Year does not fit a peri or postmenopause body

New Year has always come with pressure. Fresh gym memberships, strict detox plans, long lists of habits you are meant to implement overnight.

Women 40 plus are now a major target for that pressure. In the last few years, Senate inquiries and research groups have warned that women in perimenopause and menopause are being bombarded with untested product claims and fear based marketing on social media, often promising quick fixes for complex symptoms.

At the same time, there is a quieter trend emerging. Midlife women are starting to say that they are done with punishing routines and unrealistic standards. Articles and communities about living a “soft life” in midlife speak to women who want more ease, rest and intentional living after 40, not more demands.

This Skin Edit is for you if you feel that tension. You want to feel better in your body and skin next year, but you are not interested in extreme wellness challenges or being sold yet another miracle fix.

The rise of menopause wellness noise

In 2025 there have been several high profile examples of misleading menopause marketing:

• Fact checkers recently exposed AI generated deepfake videos of real doctors being used to promote unproven supplements aimed at menopausal women.
• Academic reviews have highlighted that women in their 50s and 60s are spending more time on social media and are increasingly exposed to non evidence based health claims about menopause and ageing.

The pattern is clear. Midlife women are powerful consumers. Brands know that and some are happy to use fear or confusion to drive sales.

A softer New Year does not mean giving up on your health. It means stepping back from the noise and choosing a small number of habits that are kind, realistic and backed by evidence.

Five soft but powerful resolutions for 2026

You do not need a list of 26 things. Choose one or two of these to start. They are gentle on your nervous system and strong on science.

1. Protect sleep as your main health project

Midlife often brings sleep disruption from night sweats, stress and hormonal shifts, yet good sleep is central to hormonal regulation, cognition, weight management and immune function.

Soft New Year version:

• Set a regular bedtime and wake time most days, including weekends
• Keep the bedroom dark, cool and screens out of reach
• Reduce caffeine after midday and experiment with a simple wind down ritual such as reading or gentle stretching

If persistent insomnia is affecting your function, plan a conversation with your GP or menopause specialist. Sleep is not a luxury at this life stage, it is infrastructure.

2. Move in ways you can keep doing at 70

Research shows that women who start or maintain regular physical activity in their 40s and 50s improve quality of life, mobility and long term health.

Soft New Year version:

• Choose movement that fits your joints and your calendar
• Aim for most days rather than every day perfection
• Include strength work twice a week to support bone and muscle, even if it is ten minutes with light weights at home

You do not need a bootcamp or a transformation challenge. You need a pattern of movement that still feels possible when work is busy, parents are unwell, or hot flushes are rough.

3. Simplify your skin and intimate care ritual

In 2025 many wellness trend lists are filled with high tech devices, extreme biohacks and long ingredient lists.

For peri and postmenopause skin, especially in delicate areas, the evidence is more straightforward. A calmer barrier is usually better than a busier bathroom shelf.

Soft New Year version:

• Audit your products and retire anything that stings, smells strong or has never quite agreed with you
• Prioritise a few essentials that support barrier function: a gentle cleanser, a moisturiser with humectants like glycerin or hyaluronic acid, a broad spectrum sunscreen for the face, and a simple fragrance free emollient for high friction areas
• For external vulval care, choose non hormonal, fragrance free products, ideally with ingredients that support hydration and barrier lipids, and avoid harsh soaps or perfumed washes

If you are considering any active cosmeceuticals, peels or treatments on already thin or irradiated skin, check with a qualified clinician first. Your tissue is doing a complex job; it does not need to be attacked.

4. Set boundaries with your feeds

A large proportion of women aged 35 to 54 report hearing about menopause mostly through social media rather than through medical consultations, and many find it difficult to access reliable information.

Soft New Year version:

• Curate your feeds so that you follow a few evidence based doctors, menopause organisations and charities rather than dozens of influencers
• Mute or unfollow accounts that leave you feeling anxious about ageing, weight or productivity
• Give yourself one phone free hour before bed and one phone free hour after waking

Replacing half an hour of scrolling with half an hour of reading, stretching or just sitting quietly can have more impact than a new supplement.

5. Book the checks you have been putting off

A soft life is not about ignoring risk. It is about catching things early with less drama.

Soft New Year version:

• Write a list of overdue or soon due checks: cervical screening, mammogram, bowel screening test, blood pressure, cholesterol, skin check, bone density if advised
• Choose one month in the first half of the year to group a few of these
• Treat the appointment diary as a gift to your future self, not a burden

If you have had cancer treatment in the last few years, add your follow up schedule to this list and keep it in one visible place so that nothing relies on memory alone.

How to spot fads that waste your energy

Before you sign up for any radical New Year plan, run a quick friction test:

1. Is the main message fear, urgency or shame
   If a brand tells you that you are broken without their product, step back. Independent reports have called some corners of menopause marketing a “shameful war zone” of unsubstantiated claims.
2. Is a single supplement or gadget being sold as the complete answer
   Menopause symptoms involve hormones, lifestyle, genetics and environment. It is unlikely that one powder or light device can fix everything.
3. Is a real clinician clearly named, credentialled and easy to verify
   Deepfake videos and impersonation of health professionals are now a documented problem.
   If you cannot trace the expert beyond the ad, be cautious.
4. Does it fit a soft life
   Ask whether this habit will still make sense on a school term Tuesday in March, not just in the glow of New Year optimism.

If in doubt, discuss any new regime with your GP or menopause specialist, especially if you have a history of cancer, heart disease, clotting problems or are on multiple medications.

A gentler New Year invitation

You do not need to reinvent yourself on 1 January.

A soft New Year for women 40 plus might look like:

• Choosing one health focus and one joy focus for the year
• Making friends with the idea that rest is a valid goal
• Building a small, trustworthy information diet instead of grazing on every trending tip

You are allowed to leave behind the sense that your value depends on constant self improvement. Midlife is not a downgrade, it is a data rich phase where your body is telling you what it needs.

If you make only one resolution, let it be this:

I will treat my midlife body as something to collaborate with, not to fight.