More than a third of women worry about being undressed in front of partner
Skin insecurities have played a major role in denting body confidence, a new survery has found - with more than a third of British women admitting they feel uncomfortable getting naked in front of a partner
More than a third of British women feel uncomfortable getting naked in front of a partner, with skin insecurities playing a major role in denting body confidence. Over half (51%) avoid mirrors during a flare-up, and 77% say looking at their reflection makes them feel worse about themselves. As many as 36% worry about being undressed in front of a romantic partner.
These are just a few of the stark findings from Sudocrem's Skin Study, a survey of 2,000 UK adults that uncovers how skin conditions like eczema and acne are quietly shaping everything from our self-esteem to our social lives. Nearly two-thirds of people with skin issues say they feel self-conscious because of it.
Almost half report stress, and more than four in ten say their skin makes them anxious. A quarter of UK women regularly experience eczema flare-ups, while 39% frequently deal with acne - with major life stages like puberty, pregnancy and menopause named as common triggers.
The impact goes far beyond the bathroom mirror, with the study also finding 28% of women skip romantic dates when their skin is flaring up, 23% avoid shopping, 32% miss nights out and 24% ditch beach plans entirely.
Ava Godden, 21, a childcare practitioner from Swansea, knows the struggle well. 'I've had eczema since I was two years old. I do feel less confident when my skin is flared. I don't want to say ugly but like, not myself.'
Sudocrem has launched Uncovered - a national campaign to break the stigma around skin conditions and celebrate those living with them. Featuring unfiltered portraits by photographer Sophie Harris-Taylor, the campaign tells the stories of ten people with visible skin differences - inspired by millions across the UK, including high-profile figures like Catherine, Princess of Wales, Victoria Beckham and Kendall Jenner.
Ava, who features in the campaign, shared how she's reclaimed her confidence: 'It takes a lot of self-confidence to get out and go out into the world. When I look at myself in the mirror and I say you are beautiful today, that's what makes me feel the most confident.
"Recently I haven't let my eczema stop me from seeing my friends and being out. Eczema is a blessing, not a curse, and it showed me how to be confident no matter what I look like.'
Sudocrem is encouraging women to join the conversation and share their stories using #UncoveredBySudocrem, helping shift the narrative from covering up skin to celebrating it. Bethany Innes, as Sudocrem spokesperson, said: 'Skin conditions aren't just skin deep.
"We found women are disproportionately impacted emotionally and socially by their skin – they're cancelling plans, skipping dates, and dodging the mirror because of the toll it takes on their confidence. Uncovered is about changing that.'
The immersive exhibition highlights the emotional impact of skin conditions like acne and eczema and showcases such powerful portraits and personal testimonials. Bethany continued: 'This campaign is about empowerment, not embarrassment. We want people to know they are not alone - and that real skin is nothing to be ashamed of.'
Sudocrem hope the campaign offers people an opportunity to better understand how these conditions affect confidence, relationships, and daily life, as well as providing a platform for individuals to share their experiences and support each other.
The skin brand is encouraging Brits to visit the Uncovered hub at sudocrem.co.uk or follow the hashtag #UncoveredbySudocrem on social media.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Urgent warning as 45 people die after buying food preservative poison online
A coroner has identified at least EIGHT British victims who have used online forums for advice about ending their lives and purchasing an unnamed chemical used as a food preservative A food preservative poison has been used by at least 45 people to commit suicide after searching online forums for advice about ending their lives, a coroner warned today. Eight British victims - Matthew O'Reilly, Samuel Dickinson, Shaun Bass, Matthew Price, Chantelle Williams, Kelly Walsh, William Armstrong and Andrew Brown - have been identified after taking the unnamed poisonous chemical. Cops have launched a global probe and traced 85 people in the UK and Europe who had either died after taking the poison or purchased it with a view to ending their lives, it has been revealed. At least 45 of those are known to have died, it was confirmed. Details of the deaths emerged in eight separate Prevention of Future Death reports issued by Senior Coroner for Manchester West, Timothy Brennand. Writing to the Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, to raise concerns, he said that reporting restrictions had been imposed on the cases due to an "ongoing criminal investigation in the United Kingdom, Europe and the United States of America". In his reports into the "cluster" of eight deaths in his region, he did not identify the poison except to say it is a food preservative but also "reportable poison as well as a reportable explosives precursor". "The police investigation into one UK based source of supply revealed in 247 cases separate supplies of 500 grams of less of [REDACTED] to customers in the UK and Europe, police established that 85 of these individuals who were traceable had either died as the consequence of self-ingestion of the substance, or had purchased it with a view to having the means to use this method to end their life in circumstances," he said. In each of these instances, he said: "The vendors of the [REDACTED] were not aware of this potential misuse of the substance. "The small quantities being purchased had been incorrectly evaluated to be an increase in individuals pursuing recreational home-curing/food preservations as a hobby, being an artefact of 'lockdown' living following the COVID national pandemic emergency. "Vendors were unaware that their website/details were being distributed as part of internet information platforms designed to aid, abet, assist or promote suicide methods. "From the specific example of 247 supplies in a 12 month period, police established that 45 purchasers were confirmed as deceased (these deaths were in relation to supplies to UK customers and purchasers from abroad) and only 15 purchases were confirmed to have taken place for legitimate purposes." Mr Brennand also warned about the availability of websites that give advice on how to take your own life. He wrote: "The police investigation revealed the ability of members of the public to access a number of websites, primarily created in the USA, Canada and Mexico that promoted information as to how to access: A) Poisons that could bring about death b) How, in what way and with with other necessary preparations (in particular -antiemetic medications) the poisons should be administered. c. Sourcing such poisons/chemicals/medications in the UK and abroad." Student Matthew O'Reilly, 18, was discovered collapsed and unresponsive within his locked room at his student accommodation in Salford, Greater Manchester in September 2020. He died from a 'deliberate act of recent self-ingestion,' Mr Brennand said. Samuel Dickenson, 33, died in March 2020 in Wigan having left a suicide note. "Police recovered a padded postal envelope addressed to the deceased next to an opened sealable sachet bag labelled '[REDACTED] – Pure 99.9% 50g' that the deceased had acquired on the 21st of February 2020 from an internet-based company licensed to sell controlled poisons, including [REDACTED]," Mr Brennand said. Shaun Bass, 23, died in February 2020, in Bolton "having ingested a significant quantity of [REDACTED] that he had acquired earlier in the month from an internet-based company licensed to sell reportable poisons". He had suffered from depression and anxiety. Mathew Price, 37, died in June 2021, at his home in Bolton. "Post-mortem samples revealed the deceased had recently consumed a significant and fatally toxic quantity of [REDACTED]," his Prevention of Future Death report said. "[An] email sent to family members contained unequivocal expressions of the deceased's intention." Andrew Brown, 45, was found dead in August 2023 in circumstances that puzzled investigators as his motive still remains 'unclear'. Mr Brown - who had a history of mental health issues - obtained the poison online months before his death, was found by a family member, and was found with an "Advanced Decision to Refuse Treatment" document by his bed. The coroner said the most likely scenario that led to his death was a "fleeting, ill-considered, irrational self-harming ideation". William Armstrong, 24, purchased the poison on the internet "from a source in Russia", having shown symptoms of a psychotic illness. Mr Armstrong checked into a hotel, ingested the poison and 15 minutes later called 999 to report what happened. He was dead when they arrived 90 minutes later. Kelly Walsh, 45, was found dead in February 2021 at home in Atherton, having ordered the poison "from an internet-based supplier in Lithuania". Her actions were "deliberate and intentional" and she had a declining mental health. Chantelle Williams, who had a "complex medical history", first ingested a "significant but non-fatal" dose of the substance in 2019 and checked into Salford Royal Hospital where she received care. Twice she managed to order the poison while still on the Keats Ward at the hospital and ingest the poison, with the second incident killing her in May 2020. Coroner Mr Brennand added: "The published Guidance... does not give specific guidance or suggested training to sellers, particularly [REDACTED] acquired by members of the public, particularly over 'online marketplaces' in circumstances of the purchase on a 'one off' basis for the means of self-harming. "Whilst there is a legal duty on persons selling this substance to report 'suspicious' transactions within 24 hours to the Home Office, the purchase of small quantities is being presumed to be connected to the many legitimate uses of the substance (such as food preservation, fertilizer etc) rather than in fact, being evaluated as a member of the public seeking purchase of modest quantities used as their chosen means by which to end life. "The current Home Office guidance and supporting video, leaflet and posters do not reference [REDACTED] as a specific example of concern and focuses on the phenomenon of 'malicious' misuse and not deliberate misuse in the sense of suicide/self-harm." The Home Office is required to respond within 56 days of the report.
Fashion United
2 hours ago
- Fashion United
L'Oréal eyes Medik8 for one billion euros
French beauty giant L'Oréal is reportedly poised to acquire cosmetics brand Medik8 for one billion euros, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday. Specialising in 'anti-ageing' skincare, Medik8 would sit within L'Oréal's dermatological beauty section alongside brands like La Roche-Posay and Vichy, which saw its revenue increase by 3.5 percent in the first quarter, to 2.1 billion euros. L'Oréal acquired Australian luxury cosmetics brand Aesop in 2023, then valued at 2.5 billion dollars. The French group, which owns brands Garnier, Maybelline and L'Oréal Paris, concluded partnerships the following year with Italian luxury group Prada around the Miu Miu brand and by increasing its stake in the Swiss laboratory Galderma. Medik8's main shareholder since 2021 has been the investment fund Inflexion, which supported the British brand in the launch of a new research centre and in its development in the US, according to its website. Founded in 2009 by Briton Elliot Isaacs, Medik8 has over 300 employees and boasts a 'made in the UK' product range. This article was translated to English using an AI tool. FashionUnited uses AI language tools to speed up translating (news) articles and proofread the translations to improve the end result. This saves our human journalists time they can spend doing research and writing original articles. Articles translated with the help of AI are checked and edited by a human desk editor prior to going online. If you have questions or comments about this process email us at info@
Metro
3 hours ago
- Metro
Why diet culture missed the average British bloke
Weight loss ads have been around for decades. But ever noticed that nearly all of them feature women or super-fit gym-going men? In fact, you hardly ever see an ordinary working bloke. And one over 40 carrying a bit of timber? Unimaginable! This makes no sense. After all, if anyone needs help losing weight, it's this exact group, with 69 per cent of men in England overweight, and ages 55 to 64 the worst time for loading on fat¹. So, despite the health and fitness industry booming, ordinary middle-aged guys have been pretty much left out of the conversation. Well, they were before SHED – a new British brand offering nutritionally complete meal replacement shakes specifically designed for normal men. They've already racked up some impressive results in real-life trials, which you'll hear about below. But first, let's deal with the key question – why does the diet industry have such a blind spot for ordinary blokes? To understand why normal men are ignored by traditional weight loss marketing, consider what it's trying to achieve. In most cases, these ads are about selling an ideal. In other words, they want you to look at the man with the chiselled abs who runs a marathon a week and think – if I buy this, I could be him. But real life, as we all know, doesn't work like that. Most of us have busy jobs and lots of commitments. So, while there's nothing wrong with aspiring to be a gym god, pretending this is a reasonable aspiration for everyone is a non-starter. That's not the only way weight loss regimes exclude everyday blokes. It's also the fussy recipes and complex diet plans – hardly suitable for someone who's working long hours and always on the move. And while tech bros might be able to pay £20 for a cup of 'magic' juice, most of us have better things to spend our money on. How SHED breaks the mould SHED took one look at the diet industry and turned it on its head. They've not only created a weight loss product specifically for men but also made it simple and fuss-free at the same time. So instead of having to follow a mindboggling regime, you simply ditch unhealthy meals and opt for a SHED SHAKE, which provides a balanced meal containing less than 300 calories. Just make sure not to over-indulge elsewhere and keep on eating a normal, healthy evening meal. It's that simple. Oh, and they're great value too, coming in at under £1.80 per serving. That's all well and good, you say, but does it actually work? To test this out, SHED ran a trial² involving 50 middle-aged men – factory workers from Darlington and Leeds and the members of a specialist league for fat footballers in Chelmsford, Essex. In other words, a bunch of ordinary blokes. Tronny, 52, and his five-a-side teammates all went on the SHED for the 14 weeks of their league season: 'SHED's been a game-changer for me. It started me on my weight loss journey, and now I feel like I am heading in the right direction. 'I love the vanilla and chocolate. Both really nice. I would recommend it to anyone.' Each of them was asked to swap one meal a day, either breakfast or lunch, for a SHED SHAKE – recording their weight before and after, as well as journaling how it went. A remarkable 95 per cent of those who stuck to this routine for the whole six weeks lost weight, with the average SHED-ing (sorry…) four kilograms. They also lost 3cm off their waistlines, with 33 per cent returning to a healthy waist-to-height ratio. Unsurprisingly, the great majority – 80 per cent – said they would recommend SHED to other men. For too long, the diet industry hasn't given normal British blokes the time of day. SHED stands out by being inspired by regular men like you and designed specifically for your needs. Their launch range of meal replacement shakes comes in three tasty flavours, Vanilla, Chocolate or Coffee, with 14 servings in each pack. Visit TODAY to take their 6-week challenge at a special launch price Consult your doctor before starting on a new diet programme. ¹ NHS Digital, 2023 to 2024 . ² Six-week real-world study of 50 British men aged 35-65 (mean age 47), published 13 December 2024. Your free newsletter guide to the best London has on offer, from drinks deals to restaurant reviews.
