Skincare guru Caroline Hirons has said she hates the term ‘growing old gracefully’ as she feels it is only ever directed towards women.

Ms Hirons told Alive and Kicking with Clare McKenna that her “rule of thumb for life” is to never allow people to say anything to her that would not also be said to a man.

“I pay no attention; I hate the term ‘growing old gracefully’,” she said.

“Rarely have I ever felt so much annoyance as when people say that, especially about me.

“I’m like, ‘I am going to grow disgracefully, thank you’.

“What does that mean, growing old gracefully? You let yourself go grey, you don’t take care of your skin, you don’t go to a gym, you don’t eat well – where do you draw the line, you know?

“Also, they never say that to men – don't say anything to me that you would not say to a man.”

Man with facial skincare mask. Image: Connect Images / Alamy. 8 July 2016

Ms Hiron said that she makes an effort not to engage in public discussions about what women look like, as she feels it is reductive.

“I think the more we engage in it, the more it gets oxygen, the more the fire grows,” she said.

“I’m not interested – if all you’ve got to say about a woman is what she looks like, then you’re a troll.

“I don’t care if you’re in the media, I don’t care if you write for a paper - if all you can discuss about a woman is what she looks like, then you’ve got nothing else to say and you must be uneducated.

“Because I look at my friends and I think how funny they are, how smart they are, how intuitive they are, how empathetic they are.

“I never think, ‘She looks a right old dog’, or, ‘She looks great’.”

Science

According to Ms Hirons, the best way forward in the beauty industry is to be led by science.

“I’ve never been big on trends,” she said.

“I’m always asked, ‘What do you think is the next big trend?’ And my honest response is I don’t know and I don’t care.

“I’m not led by trends, I’m led by science, I’m led by proof, I’m led by clinical trials.

“I’m led by what the consumer is telling me that they’re not quite getting from whatever they’re currently using, whether that’s my range or another range.”

Ms Hirons is bringing her podcast Glad We Had This Chat on tour to the 3 Olympia Theatre in Dublin on Monday the 24th of February.

Listen back here:

Main image: Caroline Hirons (L) and cosmetic droppers (R).