9 March 2025
The pursuit of flawless skin has always been linked to idolising youth. But in the age of 12-step routines and ‘get ready with me’ reels, the demographic of those consuming the latest skincare trends is skewing younger and younger.
Co-curated by Michelle Law
| Date | Time |
| Sunday 9 March 2025 | 3:30pm |
| Ticket | Price |
| Standard | $35 |
$8.95 booking fee applies per transaction
Prices correct at the time of publication and subject to change without notice. Exact prices will be displayed with seat selection.
The only authorised ticket agency for this event is Sydney Opera House. For more information about Authorised Agencies, see the frequently asked questions below.
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9am, Tuesday 14 January 2025
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9am, Wednesday 15 January 2025
General Public tickets on-sale
9am, Thursday 16 January 2025
Wheelchair accessible:
There are a number of wheelchair and companion seating locations in our theatres. To book accessible seating contact Box Office:
Telephone
+61 2 9250 7777
(Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm AEST)
Email bookings@sydneyoperahouse.com
Find out more about accessibility at Sydney Opera House.
Run time
This talk runs for approximately 60 minutes.
Event duration is a guide only and may be subject to change.
Age
Recommended for ages 15+.
Zoë Foster BlakeI don’t think anyone [under 14] should be using retinol or very expensive peptides.
Useful information:
It’ll make your skin crawl
The pressure of achieving perfection isn’t isolated to any one generation. But for adolescents and ‘tweens growing up online, a chemically assisted skincare regime is a matter of clicks away.
In an era when kids can explain the difference between retinol and hyaluronic acid, are skincare routines harmless rituals or evidence of toxic beauty standards? How can we know if these products are safe for skin that’s still developing? Are we ignoring long-term consequences for our body’s largest organ that might be more than surface level? And are these products an on-ramp to a highway of injectables and plastic surgery?
Our panellists – all with skin in the game and their own lived experience to share – will discuss the peaks and pitfalls of the skincare industry, and help us embark on the journey to truly loving the skin we’re in.
Presented by Sydney Opera House
Jessica DeFino (she/her)
Jessica DeFino is an award-winning beauty reporter who's freelanced for the New York Times, New York Magazine, Vice and more and currently writes the Guardian’s monthly beauty advice column, “Ask Ugly”. A one-time editor for the Kardashian-Jenner official apps, Jessica now explores how beauty culture impacts people physically, psychologically and spiritually in her independent newsletter, The Review of Beauty. She's been called "the woman the beauty industry fears" and was named one of Adweek's Creative 100 for 2023.
Lucinda ‘Froomes’ Price (she/her)
Lucinda Price, otherwise known as Froomes, is a writer, comedian, and best-selling author. Her debut book, All I Ever Wanted Was to Be Hot, was released in September and went on to become a nation-wide sensation.
Dr Michelle Wong (she/her)
Michelle Wong is a science educator and cosmetic chemist with a PhD in Chemistry. In 2011 she started the website Lab Muffin Beauty Science, where she explains the science behind beauty products for a general audience, and has expanded to YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.
Her book The Science of Beauty was released in June 2024, and she is the co-founder of BeautySciComm. Through her science communication work, Michelle has worked with many brands on campaigns, and delivered invited talks at international conferences. Her work has been featured in Wired, the New York Times, ABC News, Chemistry & Engineering News and Huffington Post.
Yumi Stynes (she/her)
moderator
Yumi Stynes is a broadcaster, author and public speaker.
She has been working in Australian media for more than two decades, first as a music reporter, arts reporter and interviewer, to working now as a writer and authority on sex education, consent, women’s issues, food and art.
She is the face and voice of the hugely popular ABC podcast, Ladies, We Need to Talk, the interview-based podcast SEEN on SBS, the popular food podcast 5 Minute Food Fix and Double J Weekends commencing January 2025.
Yumi is the co-author of the acclaimed Welcome To book series which shot to fame (and best-seller lists) in 2023 when right-wing homophobic activists tried to have Welcome to Sex withdrawn from sale.
She also released a spin-off cookbook from her food podcast in 2023, called The Food Fix.
Plan your visit
Venue information
Our foyers will be open 90 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and two hours pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Refreshments will be available for purchase from our theatre bars.
All Sydney Opera House foyers are pram accessible, with lifts to the main and western foyers. The public lift to all foyers is accessible from the corridor near the escalators on the Lower Concourse and also in the Western Foyer via the corridor on the Ground Level (at the top of the escalators). Pram parking will be available outside the theatres in the Western Foyer.
Getting here
The Sydney Opera House Car Park, operated by Wilson Parking, is open and available to use. Wilson Parking offer discounted parking if you book ahead. Please see the Wilson Parking website for details.
Please check the Transport NSW website for the latest advice and information on travel. You can catch public transport (bus, train, ferry) to Circular Quay and enjoy a six minute walk to the Opera House.
Frequently asked questions
Ticket purchases and collection at our Box Office is discouraged and eTicket or postal delivery methods should be used, wherever possible. However, if you are collecting your tickets from the Box Office, we recommend doing this at least 60 minutes before the event starts. If you have already received your tickets, the venue doors will be open 45 minutes pre-show for Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 30 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Please take your seats as soon as you arrive.
If you are late, we will seat you as soon as we can and, where possible, in your allocated seat. However, to reduce movement in the venue as well as minimise disruption to the performance and other patrons, ticketholders may be seated in an allocated latecomer’s seat. Please be aware that some events have lock-out periods. In these cases, latecomers will be admitted at a suitable break in the performance. On occasions, this may not be until the interval, or at all where there is no interval.
Details of our right to refuse admission can be found in our General Terms and Conditions for Tickets and Events.
In accordance with our venue security procedures, Opera House security will be scanning and checking bags under the Monumental Stairs, prior to entering the building. Bags will be scanned by an x-ray machine, and staff will wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) when handling your belongings, such as gloves. Cloaking facilities will be open 60 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 60 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. However it is strongly encouraged that you travel lightly to minimise contact and queuing. Any bags larger than an A4 piece of paper will need to be checked into the Cloak Room.
The authorised agency for this event is the Sydney Opera House.
Only tickets purchased by authorised agencies should be considered reliable. If you purchase tickets from a non-authorised agency such as Ticketmaster Resale, Viagogo, Ticketbis, eBay, Gumtree, Tickets Australia or any other unauthorised seller, you risk that these tickets are fake, void or have previously been cancelled. Resale restriction applies. For more details, please refer to our General Terms and Conditions for Tickets and Attendance at Events.
Please contact Box Office on +61 2 9250 7777 as soon as possible to advise if you can no longer attend.
Foyers will be open 90 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and two hours pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Refreshments will be available for purchase from our theatre bars.
The venue doors will be open 45 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 30 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances.
Please bring a credit or debit card for any on site purchases to enable contactless payment. You’re welcome to bring your own water bottle but no other food and drinks are permitted inside our venues.
The health, safety and wellbeing of everyone at the Sydney Opera House is our top priority. In line with this commitment, the Opera House became a smoke-free site in January 2022. Read our Smoke-free Environment Policy.
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