Trump’s peace deal has now gone full circle

 

Vladimir Putin wants Ukraine to relinquish 50,000 square miles of sovereign territory and become a Russian vassal state in all but name. Those were his demands before Donald Trump regained the White House in January and they remain his objectives today.

After nearly eight months of sound and fury from Mr Trump and frenzied diplomacy from European allies, including the invention of a coalition of nations ready to deploy troops to guarantee Ukraine’s security after any peace agreement, the truth is that we are back where we started. A final settlement – or even a temporary ceasefire – remains just as elusive today as it was before Mr Trump’s political resurrection.

Two stubborn facts explain the intractability of this war. First and foremost, Putin has stuck to his maximalist demands. On Friday he condemned the idea of Western troops being sent to Ukraine, warning they would be considered “legitimate targets”.

More seriously, Putin insists on far more than keeping the territory he holds: he wants Ukraine to give up large areas that Russian forces have failed to capture.

Putin has unilaterally annexed five regions of Ukraine, totalling over 50,000 square miles. At this moment, Ukraine holds at least 5,000 square miles in four of those regions, including the provincial capitals of two of them, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.

American officials claim that Putin no longer insists on Volodymyr Zelensky relinquishing these two cities – and their hundreds of thousands of inhabitants – which Ukraine’s armed forces have doggedly defended at immense cost. Instead, Putin will supposedly be satisfied by Mr Zelensky abandoning the areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions still held by Ukraine’s army: at least 2,500 square miles with 250,000 people.

No Ukrainian leader could agree to these terms, particularly as the land that Putin wants includes vital fortifications. And there is no suggestion that Putin might repeal Russia’s annexations of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, meaning that he will maintain his claim to both of these Ukrainian regions as well.

It would take overwhelming American pressure, including the “bone-breaking” sanctions threatened by Mr Trump’s allies, to compel Putin to scale back his territorial demands.

This brings us to the second reason for the absence of progress. Hardly anyone believes that Mr Trump might yet exert this pressure. He huffs and puffs, but he is not going to turn the screw on Putin.

Ukraine, by contrast, finds itself under constant US pressure. Mr Trump is supplying arms to Ukraine’s armed forces, but only for full payment on commercial terms. Every weapon that arrives is a source of US leverage over Mr Zelensky, explaining why Kyiv is now striving to reduce its reliance on Washington.

The only substantive change is that Mr Trump is now willing to discuss a possible American security guarantee for Ukraine after any peace agreement. A promise from the superpower to defend Ukraine is the prize that Mr Zelensky has sought from the very beginning.

But what kind of a commitment would this be? A vague form of words, or a cast-iron pledge modelled on Article V of the Nato treaty? Anything short of the latter would probably be worthless.

With that crucial question still unanswered, the reality is that the front line on the ground has barely changed since January.

Meanwhile, Putin still demands thousands of square miles that he does not hold and Mr Trump recoils from exerting maximum pressure on the Kremlin.

The only conclusion is that Europe’s bloodiest war for 80 years is set to grind on – and the last eight months seem to have been much ado about nothing.

Wearables as thin as plasters that detect diseases and have batteries that last for years

 

If you think tech today is impressive, just imagine what we will have in 2035. Today's wearable technology is pushing the limits in terms of size, sensors and battery, but in another 10 years, all of that will look pedestrian.

The wearables of the future are expected to have battery power measured in years not days, with devices that stick to your arm like plasters. This is according to Tom's Guide's predictions on the future of wearable wellness tech.

It's part of a wider piece called The World in 2035, which looks at the gadgets we can expect to see 10 years from now. Covering everything from artificial intelligence to televisions and cars, it's an interesting prediction of where our major tech will go next.

The future of health monitoring

The wearables piece looks at how an increase in sensors could help with the early detection and treatment of chronic diseases and ailments, as well as how the devices could give your doctor a better picture of your health.

The potential of wearable devices is huge, not just for health monitoring but as a device that could even replace your phone. Or maybe with other devices, such as smart glasses with mixed reality getting more advanced, we won't need a watch in a physical sense at all.

The idea of a smart contact lens could be a more discreet method of using wearable tech. Something that could provide all the features of smart glasses, while barely being noticeable.

Like this article? For more stories like this, follow us on MSN by clicking the +Follow button at the top of this page.

  

Suicide is the biggest killer of young adults in Europe – but not for the reason you might think

 

Suicide is now the leading cause of death amongst young adults in Europe and accounts for almost one in five fatalities in those aged 15 to 29, a major study has found.

The report from Eurofund, a European Union research agency focused on living conditions, found that the long-term decline in suicide death rates across the EU began to plateau in 2017, and has since begun to creep back up – particularly since the Covid-19 pandemic.

The survey of all 27 EU member states showed that in 2021, approximately 18.9 per cent of deaths amongst young adults – or 4,973 people – were attributed to suicide, with Bulgaria, Ireland, Malta and Romania having the highest rates.

In 2022, suicide killed 4,971 young people aged between 15 to 29, down slightly from 4,973 in 2021 but up from 4,903 in 2020.

The report suggests a variety of factors may have contributed to the recent rise in suicides and worsening mental health, from the cost-of-living crisis and the shift to remote working after the pandemic, to “climate change, social insecurity, inequality, and people’s concerns about their economic situation”.

Yet the report’s findings only tell part of the story.

While suicide rates have risen, the fact that it has become the leading cause of death may owe more to a significant decline in road traffic fatalities – the previous top killer of young adults in Europe until 2019.

Since 2011, deaths from road accidents have fallen by more than 53 per cent across the EU, according to the European Commission.

In 2021, road traffic collisions accounted for 16.5 per cent of deaths amongst young people — a total of 4,332 lives lost – compared to 19.45 per cent in 2019.

The sharp decline has been largely attributed to the introduction of new road safety measures.

These include stricter drink-driving limits, cross-border enforcement of driving bans, and efforts to remove unsafe vehicles from circulation, all of which have contributed to a notable drop in traffic-related deaths, particularly in Eastern European countries like Poland and Slovenia.

Lithuania, for example, has managed to slash road traffic deaths by more than half between 2011 and 2021.

With road accidents continuing to decline, it appears that suicides will probably remain the biggest killer of young Europeans in the foreseeable future, making tackling the underlying causes of the trend key for European governments.

In general, those at highest risk include people with lower incomes or levels of education, people who are separated or widowed, people who experience homelessness, and refugees, Eurofund found.

The issue, the report’s authors note, is “profoundly gendered,” with men being 3.7 times more likely to die by suicide than women, although there has been an increase in suicide in girls under 20 – driven in large part by “problematic social media use”.

In Germany for example, the researchers found that around one in 16 children were already addicted to social media or digital games by 2019 – more than double the rate from four years earlier.

They also found that, while many EU countries have provisions for free or affordable mental healthcare, barriers remain for many to access specialised services like child psychiatry, especially in rural areas.

Less than half of those who have suffered mental health problems rated the quality of the mental healthcare they received positively.

Hans Dubois, Eurofound Senior Research Manager, said early intervention in schools and workplaces, as well as tackling stigma and discrimination around mental health, was crucial.

“When poor mental health festers, it can have the gravest of consequences,” he said.

“On a fundamental level, improving mental health in Europe means improving living and working conditions, including through social and employment inclusion. When progress in these areas stalls, and people feel they are not progressing in their lives, mental health suffers.”

Ukraine-Russia war latest: Trump issues threat to Putin if US unhappy with his decision on peace

 

US president Donald Trump has suggested he has two more phases of action planned against his Russian counterpart over the war with Ukraine.

Asked by a reporter why there had been "no US action" against Russia since he took office, Mr Trump denied this, citing US sanctions on India over its continued purchase of Russian oil.

He said: "You call that no action? And I haven't done phase two yet. Or phase three."

Russian president Vladimir Putin has said he is prepared to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky in Moscow, but that it remained to be seen whether a meeting was worthwhile.

“As for a meeting with Zelensky I have never ruled out the possibility of such a meeting,” Mr Putin said, speaking in Beijing. “Let him come to Moscow...But is there any point?”

Mr Trump suggested on social media that Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un were conspiring against the United States.

Zelensky and several European leaders are due to call Trump tomorrow afternoon after a summit, the French presidency has said.

Key Points

• Trump suggests he has more action planned against Putin
• Putin says Zelensky 'can come to Moscow for meeting'
• Putin's offer of Moscow leaders meeting in unacceptable: Kyiv
• US president vows never to pull American troops out of Poland
• Trump to join call with European leaders, Zelensky tomorrow

ICYMI: China trialling visa-free travel for Russians: Putin adviser20:00 , Steffie Banatvala

China will extend visa-free travel to ordinary passport holders from Russia on a trial basis, its foreign ministry said on Tuesday.

The visa exemption will be for a period of a year from September 15, with entry to China of no more than 30 days.

Zelensky seeks 'sanctions, tariffs, any pressure' on Russia19:30 , Jane Dalton

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said officials will "try to connect" with President Trump to hear about new ways to increase pressure on Russia.

The Ukrainian leader recalled, in Denmark, how he and Mr Trump had previously discussed ways the United States could put pressure on Russia to lead Vladimir Putin to engage in political negotiations over the war.

Mr Zelensky said he'd asked Mr Trump to put "sanctions, tariffs, any pressure" he could on Russia if Mr Putin did not agree to a "diplomatic format of dialogue, not the dialogue by weapon".

“When we speak about pressure, we mean air defence, we mean weapon deals, we mean drone production, and of course, of course, sanctions," the Ukrainian leader said at a news conference alongside Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.

"Such signals we gave (the) president of the United States. He said 'couple of weeks', and he will answer on this," Mr Zelensky said of Mr Trump.

"'Couple of weeks', in my understanding, it's two weeks or maximum three weeks. This Monday, two weeks ended."

All Ukraine’s bold attacks on Russia explained

As Ukrainians gathered to mark Independence Day across the country last Sunday, Russia accused Kyiv of launching dozens of drones at a nuclear power plant in Kursk.

The attack, which sparked a large fire and destroyed parts of the plant’s infrastructure, was one of the most audacious attacks on Russian territory so far this year.

Damage was done to an auxiliary transformer and there was a 50 per cent reduction in a nuclear reactor’s operating capacity, according to Russian authorities.

Ukraine’s military refused to comment on the attack. But in a message shared shortly after it took place, President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasised his nation’s resolve in the face of Russian aggression.

“We are building a Ukraine that will have enough strength and power to live in security and peace,” he said in a video address.

I will know plan after speaking to Zelensky, says Trump18:32 , Jane Dalton

US president Donald Trump has said he will be speaking to Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky soon and he will know what to do after that to end the war.

Asked by a UK reporter about his two-week deadline for Vladimir Putin to agree to a meeting with Mr Zelensky, which expires early next week, Mr Trump said: “I'm having a conversation with him very shortly, and I'll know pretty much what we're going to be doing.

“We've taken very strong action, as you know, and in other ways, we've taken very strong action.

“But I'll be speaking to him over the next few days, and we're going to see with whom... I'm going to know exactly what's happening.

Mr Trump had said: “I'm having a conversation with him very shortly,” and it was not clear to whom he was referring. A White House official later clarified the president had been referring to Mr Zelensky, not Mr Putin.

Ending war harder than I expected, Trump admits17:47 , Jane Dalton

Donald Trump has admitted ending the Russia-Ukraine war is much harder than he had expected.

“I think we're going to have a good solution, but they're losing soldiers at levels that nobody has seen since the Second World War,” he said.

“This is the worst conflict, and it's just going on and on. It's one's defence, one's offense. The offence moves a little bit, just a little bit. You take a look, they move inches. They're dropping bombs and killing everybody.

“Not, since the Second World War has there been anything even close to this.

“And they're not soldiers from my country. This is my country, but I have a power to end things. That's why I was able to end seven other wars.”


He said the seven others were tough to end, “much tougher I thought than the war with Ukraine and Russia”.

“I thought that Ukraine and Russia – have a very good relationship with President Putin. I thought that that would be much easier.

Trump suggests he has more action planned against Putin17:29 , Jane Dalton

Donald Trump has suggested he has more action planned against Vladimir Putin over the war.

During a visit to the White House by Polish president Karol Nawrocki, a Polish reporter asked the US leader why there had been "no US action" against Russia since he took office.

Mr Trump denied this, citing US sanctions on India over its continued purchase of Russian oil.

"You call that no action?” he said. “And I haven't done phase two yet. Or phase three."

I have no more message for Putin, says Trump17:15 , Jane Dalton

US president Donald Trump has said he has no further message for Vladimir Putin and awaited a decision as Russia continued to show little interest in ending its war with Ukraine.

"I have no message to President Putin," he told reporters at the White House.

"He knows where I stand and he'll make a decision one way or another. Whatever his decision is, we'll either be happy about it or unhappy about it and if we're unhappy about it, you'll see things happen."


He said he would know in the coming days what he would do over Russia’s stance.

”I think we’re going to have a good solution,” he said.

Russia was moving “inches”, he said.

He admitted he had thought solving the war would be easy but that it was now a “bloody war” and would get solved one way or another.

13 Simple Morning Habits That Will Reset Your Entire Life

 

When life feels messy or off-track, you don’t always need a huge overhaul; you just need a few solid habits to ground you.

Surprisingly, some of the most powerful changes start in the morning. What you do in those first few hours sets the tone for how you show up the rest of the day. Here are some pretty simple morning habits that won’t just lift your mood, but they’ll also help reset your whole mindset, energy, and direction as time goes on. What do you have to lose?

1. Wake up when you said you would.

This sounds simple, but following through on the promise you made to yourself the night before does something powerful for your self-respect. Hitting snooze repeatedly teaches your brain that your own word doesn’t matter, and that ripples into how you show up in other areas of life.

Waking up when you intended doesn’t mean you have to become a 5am person. It just means building trust with yourself. That quiet sense of consistency is what resets your sense of control and helps you feel more grounded throughout the day.

2. Don’t touch your phone for the first 30 minutes.

Grabbing your phone first thing sends your brain into reactive mode. Before you’ve even taken a breath, you’re already absorbing noise, news, messages, and notifications, all of which can hijack your energy and attention before the day’s even begun. Give yourself a buffer. Let your mind wake up before the world creeps in. Those first 30 minutes are a chance to set your own tone, rather than handing it over to algorithms, group chats, or headlines you didn’t ask for.

3. Make your bed properly, not just throw the covers over.

This isn’t done to impress anyone, but to let your brain know that the day has officially begun. Tidying the space you just slept in creates a subtle change from rest to intention, from passivity to action. It marks the moment you start showing up with care, even in tiny ways.

Plus, coming home to a made bed later in the day gives you a sense of calm you might not even realise you needed. It’s a habit that supports you twice: once in the morning as you reset, and again at night when you return.

4. Drink water before caffeine.

Reaching for coffee before you’ve hydrated is like flooring the gas pedal when your tank’s running on fumes. You might get a quick boost, but you’re not really giving your body what it needs. Your brain, skin, digestion, and energy levels all depend on basic hydration. This one tweak changes more than you’d expect. It supports focus, mood, and even how clearly you think. You don’t have to give up your morning coffee; you just need to give your body something real first.

5. Step outside, even for five minutes.

Natural light first thing helps regulate your circadian rhythm, lifts your mood, and tells your body it’s time to be alert. You don’t need to take a long walk or start a full morning hike. Just stepping outside and feeling fresh air on your face does something good for your nervous system. It also acts as a mental reset.

There’s something about seeing the sky, hearing the world wake up, and being reminded that life is bigger than your phone screen or your to-do list that helps pull your brain out of autopilot.

6. Move your body before your brain starts making excuses.

You don’t need a full workout routine, but something to shake off the sleep and reconnect with yourself can help. Stretch. Do a few yoga poses. Walk around the block. Get your blood moving before your mind starts overthinking it. Starting your day with movement reminds your body that it’s alive and capable. It moves you out of sluggishness and into a feeling of momentum, which often carries into how you eat, work, and respond to stress throughout the rest of the day.

7. Choose your outfit with intention.

Even if you work from home or don’t have big plans, getting dressed like you respect yourself can subtly change your mindset. Fanciness has nothing to do with it. The purpose is to remind yourself you’re worth showing up for, even if no one else sees it. When you dress like you’re already in motion, it changes how you carry yourself. You’re more likely to make decisions that align with that energy, rather than staying stuck in “meh, what’s the point” mode all day.

8. Write down three things you want to focus on.

Not a massive to-do list, but about three simple priorities that actually matter. It might be work-related, emotional, or even something like “remember to slow down today.” The goal is clarity, not productivity overload. When you define your focus early, you cut through the noise. You stop reacting to everyone else’s demands and start moving through your day with a bit more direction. That sense of calm focus can completely change how the day feels.

9. Eat something that makes you feel good later, not just right now.

Skipping breakfast or grabbing sugar-heavy convenience food might feel easy in the moment, but it often sets you up for energy crashes, brain fog, or low moods by mid-morning. Cooking a gourmet meal isn’t necessary here; just give your body something it can actually use.

Food is fuel, but it’s also self-respect. Starting your day with something nourishing doesn’t mean being strict. You want to send the message to your brain that your body’s needs matter. And that mindset tends to carry through to the rest of your choices.

10. Do one thing just for you before the day starts.

When your whole morning is about reacting—emails, kids, errands—you can easily lose sight of your own needs. Doing one small thing just for you can make a huge difference. It could be journaling, reading, or just sitting quietly with your drink before anyone talks to you. It doesn’t need to be long or profound. What matters is giving yourself space that isn’t about anyone else. It resets your sense of self-worth and stops the day from starting on someone else’s terms.

11. Resist the urge to multi-task right away.

Jumping straight into a blur of tabs, texts, and noise can fragment your brain before it even gets a chance to settle. Give yourself permission to do one thing at a time. Drink your coffee while just drinking your coffee, shower without thinking about emails, get ready in peace.

Single-tasking, especially in the morning, slows your nervous system down and helps you feel less overwhelmed before the day’s even started. That calm foundation changes how you handle stress, decisions, and conflict for the rest of the day.

12. Speak kindly to yourself, even just once.

The first few thoughts you have in the morning often set the emotional tone for everything that follows. If you start the day criticising yourself—your body, your mood, your to-do list—it’s hard to shake off that tone later. Try just one kind, honest sentence. It could be “I’ve got time to figure this out,” or “I’m allowed to take things slow today.” That small mental nudge toward compassion can reset your entire outlook, and it only takes a few seconds.

13. Ask yourself: what would make today feel like a win?

Not what would make you look productive, or what would impress someone else, but what would make you go to bed tonight feeling steady, proud, or peaceful. That question resets your priorities and brings your attention back to what actually matters. Life doesn’t always need dramatic transformation. Sometimes, asking better questions in the morning is enough to realign everything. It reminds you that you’re not just surviving the day. You’re choosing how you show up for it.

Best moisturisers for dry skin, tried and tested by a beauty editor in her 40s

I never needed to think about my skin type until I started going through premature menopause, and then hit the big 4-0. Suddenly, I was experiencing dry skin, and looking for products to combat it. More than two years (and more than 40 moisturisers) into that search, I’ve finally found the best products, and my skin is looking better than ever – plump, smooth, and radiant.

Dry skin has several causes, but essentially, it’s a failure of the skin’s barrier function. Aesthetic doctor Dr Ahmed El Muntasar explains that this failure is caused by environmental and medical issues. External factors could be “the weather, low humidity, using the wrong products or very harsh products on the skin, and over-stripping or exfoliating the skin”. But it can also be caused by “medical conditions – things like psoriasis and thyroid problems, eczema, and simply just ageing.”

No matter how simple or elaborate your skincare routine, everyone needs to be using the right moisturiser for their skin type. A moisturiser for dry skin needs to be both hydrating and occlusive, so it should pull moisture into the skin and then stop it from escaping again.

In my role as a beauty writer, I'm constantly testing new products, so I know the telltale signs of a great moisturiser for dry skin, and for those that are not so effective. Below, I've shared the moisturisers that have genuinely impressed me after weeks of tests.

I tested all of these creams during bouts of dry skin. I tested each product for at least two weeks and applied it twice a day – once in the morning and again in the evening. I assessed them by the following criteria:

• Formula: Dr El Muntasar advised that a good moisturiser for dry skin should contain “glycerin, urea, hyaluronic acid, ceramides, linoleic acid, and thick sealing ingredients such as shea butter”. I kept this in mind while I assessed the ingredients in each product. I wanted formulas that would rehydrate the skin while preventing further dehydration – this is achieved by repairing and fortifying the skin barrier to retain moisture.
• Application: I noted how easily each moisturiser was applied, and how it sat on, or was absorbed by, my skin.
• Texture: I assessed the consistency of the formulas and whether they were comfortably rich enough to nourish and seal moisture into my skin, but not so thick that they felt clogging or comedogenic.Appearance of the skin: Judging how each moisturiser made my skin look was an important, though not so scientific, criterion. I looked for both an immediate improvement and a longer-term improvement in my skin, assessed how plump and dewy it was, and how radiant it appeared. I also assessed how each cream improved how my makeup applied on top of it, as we all know, there’s no greater exposure of dry skin than when you put your base on top of it.
• Feel of the skin: I considered how hydrated and comfortable my skin felt after application and throughout the day and into the evening.

Why you can trust IndyBest reviews

Laura K Pearson is a beauty expert who has been testing and writing about skincare for more than 20 years. Her expertise covers everything from scientific ingredient deep-dives to shopping guides to the products that will give you the ‘glass skin’ look. She has interviewed countless leading skin experts and doctors on ingredients, formulations, and trends. She has tested dozens of moisturisers, so you can trust her when she says that these are the best for dry skin.

• The best moisturisers for dry skin in 2025 are:
• Best overall – Byoma barrier+ repair treatment: £16.99, Boots.com
• Best budget option – CeraVe moisturising cream tube with ceramides for dry to very dry skin: £7, Cultbeauty.co.uk
• Best for mature skin – Dr David Jack skin cushion pro-lipid recovery cream: £139, Drdavidjack.com
• Best for extremely dry skin – La Roche Posay cicaplast baume B5+ repairing soothing balm: £19.50, Boots.com

Byoma barrier+ repair treatment

Best: Dry skin moisturiser overall

Size: 50ml

Why we love it

• Very affordable
• Designed to support skin barrier function
• Sits well under make-up

Take note

• Takes a couple of weeks to see full results

This moisturiser has long been a favourite. Not only does it relieve dry skin and support the skin barrier to prevent further dryness, it’s also very affordable, and sits well underneath make-up. It contains the mighty trifecta of humectants (to draw in moisture), emollients (to soften, soothe and protect), and occlusives (to seal in moisture).

Specifically formulated for those with a compromised skin barrier, it contains barrier lipids (ceramides, cholesterol and fatty acids) to strengthen the barrier and help prevent moisture loss. It’s also a great choice for those with sensitive skin, as it’s packed with soothing ingredients like ectoin and allantoin, and is fragrance-free. You really can’t go wrong with this one, and I found that it suited my skin no matter how dry it was – in fact, it worked so well that I eventually stopped needing it.

CeraVe moisturising cream tube with ceramides for dry to very dry skin

Best: Budget moisturiser for dry skin

Size: 50ml

Why we love it

• Doubles up as a body moisturiser
• Fragrance-free for sensitive skin

Take note

• It feels basic, but it does the job well

If you are on a tight budget, this is a great option. Not only is it less than half the price of all the other moisturisers I tried, but it can be used on your body, too. It’s packed with skin barrier-loving ceramides and hydrating hyaluronic acid, and it leaves my skin feeling soothed, softened and hydrated.

It’s also formulated to slowly release moisturising ingredients for 24-hour hydration, and that claim held up on test. If I applied the moisturiser in the morning, my skin still felt soft and supple in the early hours of the following morning. On top of this, it’s great at helping your make-up look fresher for longer.

Curel intensive facial moisture cream

Best: Plumping moisturiser for dry skin

Size: 40g

Why we love it

• So lightweight, yet effective

Plumps out fine lines brilliantly

Take note

• May not solve severe dryness

What I discovered I liked most about this moisturiser was just how well it instantly plumped out my under-eye fine lines with hydration, which was an unexpected bonus. It’s extremely hydrating with glycerin and contains barrier-fortifying ceramides, as well as soothing and antioxidant-rich eucalyptus extract.

Then I Met You renewing rich beauty cream

Best: Luxury moisturiser for dry skin

Size: 50ml

Why we love it

• Feels much more expensive than it is
• Vegan and cruelty-free

Take note

• Pricey

There’s something luxurious about this moisturiser. I love the calming aromatherapy scent and the fact that its formulation is so buttery and silky smooth. It literally melts into the skin. If you like a more sensorial skincare experience than some of the more basic creams on this list can offer, this would be an effective and luxurious formula to choose.

Glow Recipe cloudberry bright cream moisturiser

Best: Brightening moisturiser for dry skin

Size: 50ml

Why we love it

• Great at tackling uneven skin tone
• Whipped buttery texture is great under make-up

Take note

• Vitamin C may irritate extremely sensitive skin

If you want your moisturiser to do more than just combat dry skin, this could be the one for you. The addition of vitamin C from cloudberry seed oil means that this is great for tackling an uneven skin tone.
Ole Henriksen après skin multi-use rich rescue crème

Best: Overnight treatment for dry skin

Size: 75ml

Why we love it

• Multi-use so can also be used on lips, cuticles and dry patches on the body
• Contains ceramides and fatty acids to fortify the skin barrier

Take note

• Contains fragrance, so may irritate very sensitive skin
• Not great for keeping makeup in place

This rich, buttery cream can act both as a daily moisturiser and as an intensive overnight treatment, depending on your skin’s level of dryness. I love it as a daily moisturiser during the winter, and then as an overnight treatment the rest of the year to seal in my hydrating serums. It contains hydrating hyaluronic and polyglutamic acids, as well as protective antioxidants and moisture-binding electrolytes.

Dr David Jack skin cushion pro-lipid recovery cream

Best: Moisturiser for mature dry skin

Size: 30ml

Why we love it

• Scientifically advanced formula
• Great skin barrier support

Take note

• Most expensive moisturiser I've tried

When it comes to dry, ageing skin, you need a moisturiser that will tackle both issues. Not only is this formula deeply hydrating and moisturising for dry skin, but I found that it fortifies the skin barrier, promotes collagen synthesis and supports skin elasticity to reduce signs of ageing. Created by aesthetic doctor Dr David Jack, this cream was designed to be a 360-degree support system for healthy skin.

La Roche Posay cicaplast baume B5+ repairing soothing balm

Best: Moisturisier for extremely dry skin

Size: 100ml

Why we love it

• Relieves the driest of skin
• Suitable for the whole family, including babies and those undergoing cancer treatment

Take note

• Unless your skin is extremely dry, you’ll find it overpowering

This is a heavy-duty, thick moisturising treatment for extreme dryness and irritation. It acts as a barrier cream, giving skin an invisible layer of protection to optimise healing and recovery. It contains a prebiotic blend designed to protect and rebalance the skin’s microbiome, which is disrupted in dry and irritated skin.

Figgi Beauty nourish the goddess evening rescue cream

Best: Dry skin moisturisier for sensitive skin

Size: 50ml

Why we love it

• Designed for sensitive skin
• Full of soothing ingredients
• Packed with protective antioxidants

Take note

• Expensive

With dry skin often comes red and irritated skin, and this was such an effective cream for both. Though formulated as a night cream for sensitive skin, this also works really well as a day cream for dry skin. It has a rich, buttery texture that is instantly soothing and moisturising.

Bobbi Brown vitamin enriched face base

Best: Dry skin moisturiser for make-up

Size: 50ml

Why we love it

• Doubles up as a make-up primer
• Gives next level glow

Take note

• Contains fragrance, so not the best for sensitive skin
• Not as great skin barrier support as the other options

If you plan to wear make-up on top of your moisturiser, this one doubles up as a perfect primer. Not only does it deeply moisturise and condition with shea butter and vitamin E, it also brightens with vitamin C, and gives your make-up a smooth and dewy finish. It’s one of my ‘glass skin’ secrets, and I often wear this on makeup-free days too, as it gives an unrivalled healthy sheen to the skin.

Your questions on dry skin moisturisers answered

What is the best moisturiser for dry skin?

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. But proteins are revealing secrets about our ancient ancestors we never thought possible.

The moment a creature dies, its DNA begins to break down. Half of it degrades every 521 years on average. By about 6.8 million years, even under ideal preservation conditions in cold, stable environments, every meaningful trace is gone.

That's a huge challenge when trying to understand our evolutionary history more deeply: Two-legged primates emerged 7 million years ago in Africa, and our genus showed up around 2.6 million years ago. But DNA breaks down fast in the places our distant ancestors roamed. As a result, many of the key adaptations that make us uniquely human date to a period in which ancient DNA is indecipherable.

But a novel technique is allowing us to peer back further than DNA's expiration date in Africa, to answer long-standing questions about our ancestors. Called paleoproteomics, it's the study of ancient proteins, which last longer than DNA.

"Proteins are long-lived biomolecules capable of surviving over millions of years," Christina Warinner, a biomolecular archaeologist at Harvard University, and colleagues wrote in a 2022 paper. DNA encodes the instructions to make amino acids, which combine in long strings to make proteins. Because proteins fall apart more slowly than DNA does, they are becoming an extremely valuable resource for understanding human evolution.

Archaeologists and the DNA revolution

Archaeologists' interest in ancient DNA has skyrocketed since 2010, when researchers published a draft of the Neanderthal genome, confirming that Neanderthals mated with the ancestors of many modern humans. Since then, the technique has been used to answer a number of archaeological questions, such as when the Americas and Australia were settled, when agriculture was invented, and how languages and cultures might have spread.

But there are major drawbacks to relying solely on ancient DNA. Even though techniques for extracting DNA from very old bones have advanced significantly over the years, DNA breaks down into smaller fragments over millennia due to the effects of sunlight, heat and humidity. As a result, DNA analysis of our ancient relatives' bones and teeth has a time limit that prevents us from learning about our more distant evolution through this technique.

That's an even bigger problem in Africa, where most human evolution took place.

"Africa is the center of our evolutionary past, and we don't have ancient DNA in Africa beyond a scale of maybe 20,000 years at this point," Adam Van Arsdale, a biological anthropologist at Wellesley College, told Live Science. Knowing what was happening biologically with our distant ancestors millions of years ago in the core of Africa would transform our understanding of human evolution, Van Arsdale said.

An explosion in protein analysis

Proteins are an exciting target for anthropologists because they can outlast even the oldest DNA. They have fewer atoms, fewer chemical bonds, and a more compact structure, which means they are less fragile than DNA, according to Warriner and colleagues.

The first ancient proteome — a group of proteins expressed in a cell, tissue or organism — was extracted from a 43,000-year-old woolly mammoth bone in a study published in 2012. In 2019, researchers announced the oldest mammalian proteome for the time: that of a 1.9 million-year-old tooth from the extinct ape relative Gigantopithecus. And in 2025, researchers successfully extracted the oldest proteins yet, from Epiaceratherium, an extinct rhinoceros-like creature that lived in the Canadian Arctic more than 21 million years ago.

As we improve the methods for identifying proteins, anthropologists are starting to use these methods to answer questions about human evolution.

In a 2020 study published in the journal Nature, researchers analyzed the proteins in the tooth enamel of Homo antecessor, an extinct human relative that lived in Europe 800,000 years ago. They discovered that H. antecessor's proteins were different from those of H. sapiens, Neanderthals and Denisovans, making them a separate branch of our evolutionary tree rather than our direct ancestor.

In a study published in April in the journal Science, proteomic analysis was also used to figure out that a mysterious jawbone first found in the early 2000s off the coast of Taiwan was related to the Denisovans, a group of extinct human relatives. Before this, paleoanthropologists did not know whether the Denisovans had lived in that part of the world. The analysis also demonstrated that it's possible to identify the proteins found in fossils from warm, humid regions.

Our African roots

Paleoproteomics may be even more transformative for deciphering our more distant evolution. Two recent studies of fossil bones and teeth from Africa, where DNA studies are nearly impossible, highlight the method's potential.

Related: Oldest and most complete ancient Egyptian human genome ever sequenced reveals ties to Mesopotamia

In the first, published in May in the journal Science, archaeologists recovered ancient proteins from the teeth of four members of the species Paranthropus robustus, a human relative that lived between 1.8 million and 1.2 million years ago. They showed that two of the individuals were male and two were female. Surprisingly, though, the researchers discovered that one of the P. robustus individuals who was thought to be male was actually female. This suggests that some skulls previously classified as one sex of a known species may have in fact belonged to unidentified groups or newfound species.

In the second study, published in February in the South African Journal of Science, researchers recovered the proteome from the tooth enamel of Australopithecus africanus, a human relative that lived in South Africa 3.5 million years ago. Although they were only able to identify the biological sex of the australopithecines, the researchers wrote that "these are all incredibly exciting breakthroughs that are poised to revolutionise our understanding of human evolution."

One question this analysis could help answer is whether males and females of our ancestors and relatives differed dramatically in size or features, Rebecca Ackermann, a biological anthropologist at the University of Cape Town, told Live Science. For instance, protein and sex analysis could reveal that some bones previously interpreted as males and females of the same species were actually individuals of the same sex, but from different lineages.

So far, though, scientists have successfully analyzed proteins from just a small number of ancient human ancestors . But while modern humans have more than 100,000 proteins in their body, the enamel "proteome" is tiny; it's composed of just five major proteins related to enamel formation. Still, the variation in the protein sequences can be enough to differentiate between related organisms.

Future frontiers

Analysis of the differences in those proteins likely does not provide enough resolution to answer key questions, such as how ancient human ancestors and relatives were related, Ackermann said. For instance, millions of years ago in East Africa, several two-legged primate species overlapped in time, but whether they could interbreed and create fertile hybrids is not clear from their bones alone.

Related: World's oldest DNA reveals secrets of lost Arctic ecosystem from 2 million years ago

Could ancient proteins eventually help answer that question?

Ackermann is cautiously optimistic that technology will advance enough for paleoproteomics to clarify evolutionary relationships among closely related groups.

"Whether or not we can say more about hybridization is a good question," she said.

Even so, bone and enamel proteomes may never be detailed enough to distinguish closely related individuals in the same way genomes can, Ackermann added.

But there's a chance techniques will improve enough for scientists to extract proteins from millions-of-years-old tissues, Ackermann added.

Most proteins made by humans, including those that are part of the "dark proteome," have not been analyzed, which means we have little idea what they do, Warriner and colleagues wrote.

"The next 20 years will surely hold many surprises as we begin to apply this analytical power to answer long-standing questions about the past and innovate new solutions to old problems," they wrote.

Human evolution quiz: What do you know about Homo sapiens?

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