The Avroy Shlain CRT Range Explained: What to Use, in What Order

The Avroy Shlain CRT range is the brand's anti-ageing skincare line — cleansers, toners, serums and creams formulated to target the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and loss of firmness. It's a full family of products, but a complete routine only needs four or five of them, used in the right order — and that order is exactly what this post walks you through.

Because that's usually the sticking point. It's not "should I try CRT?" — it's "the serum and the day cream have arrived, now which one goes on first?" The catalogue lists the products, but nobody hands you the routine. So here it is.

What is the Avroy Shlain CRT range?

CRT is Avroy Shlain's dedicated anti-ageing range. Where the Daily Skincare range covers everyday cleansing and moisturising, CRT is the step up for skin that's started showing its first fine lines or has lost a bit of bounce.

The brand describes the products in appearance-focused terms — helping to reduce the appearance of wrinkles, supporting firmer-looking skin, smoothing the look and feel of the skin — and the core products are listed as dermatologically tested and suitable for all skin types (as published on avroyshlain.co.za, August 2026).

The ingredients the brand highlights will be familiar if you read skincare labels: hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and panthenol in the 3-in-1 Hydration Serum; glycolic acid, lactic acid and aloe in the 2-in-1 Toner & Exfoliator; hyaluronic acid, salicylic acid and vitamin E in the 2-in-1 Foam Cleanser (all as published on avroyshlain.co.za, August 2026).

What order do you use CRT products in the morning?

Four steps, thinnest to thickest, ending with sun protection:

1. Cleanse — CRT 2-in-1 Foam Cleanser. Pump the foam into your palm, massage in circles, rinse, pat dry. The brand says it cleanses without stripping the skin.
2. Tone — CRT 2-in-1 Toner & Exfoliator. Onto cotton wool, wipe gently over the face. It tones and lifts away dull, dead skin cells in one step — no separate scrub needed.
3. Serum — CRT 3-in-1 Hydration Serum. A few drops, pressed in with upward and outward strokes. The brand's own instruction is to use it after cleansing and toning, before your day cream.
4. Day cream — CRT Anti-Wrinkle Plumping Day Cream SPF25. Face and neck. That SPF25 matters: daily sun exposure is the biggest contributor to the visible signs of ageing, so a day cream with sun protection built in does double duty. In the South African sun, this step is non-negotiable.

What order do you use CRT products at night?

Same first three steps — cleanse, tone, serum — then swap the day cream for the CRT Age Defying Night Cream as your final step. The brand describes it as a blend of emollients and botanical-derived extracts, with shea butter, sweet almond oil and rosehip oil on the ingredients list, designed to support your skin overnight (avroyshlain.co.za, August 2026).

So the whole system is really one routine, twice a day, with only the last step changing. If you'd like the same morning/evening logic for any range, not just CRT, I've written it up in my simple day and night skincare routine.

What does the CRT routine cost this month?

I only quote prices I can put a date on, and this month the brochure does the heavy lifting — the two core bundles below are August 2026 brochure specials, both valid until 31 August 2026:

Take both bundles and the whole four-product core routine comes to R1,198 — a combined saving of R584, valid until 31 August 2026.

Beyond the core routine, the range includes targeted extras you can add once your routine is settled: the CRT Anti-Wrinkle Serum, CRT Vitamin C Oil Serum, CRT Firming Face & Neck Cream, CRT Youth Gel, CRT 3-in-1 Lip & Eye Collagen Cream and the CRT 4-in-1 Hydrating Mist — current prices for all of them are in this month's brochure. My advice: don't start there. Get the basic routine right first.

Which two CRT products should you start with if budget is tight?

The serum and the day cream — and this month makes that decision easy. In the August 2026 brochure, the CRT Anti-Wrinkle Plumping Day Cream SPF25 (30ml) + 3-in-1 Hydration Serum (30ml) bundle is R599 — a saving of R349, valid until 31 August 2026. That's the two hardest-working steps of the routine in one box, and the saving speaks for itself.

Why these two? The serum carries the hydration and plumping story, and the day cream adds the anti-wrinkle care plus daily SPF25. Use them over whatever cleanser you already own and you have a genuine anti-ageing routine from day one.

If your cleansing products are due for an upgrade too, the same brochure has the CRT 2-in-1 Foam Cleanser (150ml) + 2-in-1 Toner & Exfoliator (200ml) bundle at R599 — a saving of R235, also valid until 31 August 2026. Both bundles are over R550, which means free door-to-door delivery when you order through my online store.

Who is the CRT range for?

The brand lists the range as suitable for all skin types, but realistically CRT earns its keep from your mid-thirties onwards — when the first fine lines settle in, when skin starts feeling less firm than it used to, or when hormonal changes start rewriting the rules your skin used to follow. If that last one sounds familiar, I've written honestly about it in the changes no one warned me about — drier, thinner-feeling skin is one of them, and it's exactly the territory CRT's richer creams are built for.

If you're in your twenties with no fine lines in sight, you don't need CRT yet — the Daily Skincare range covers you for far less (the August 2026 brochure has the Daily Skincare Skin Solutions Face Wash + Toner, 2x200ml, at R199, valid until 31 August 2026). Not sure which side of that line you're on? Start with how to identify your skin type or find your perfect skincare range.

How long does CRT take to work?

Give it a month of honest, twice-a-day use before you judge it. Avroy Shlain publishes specific timeframes for the range — the day cream's claims reference two to four weeks of continuous daily use, and the serum's published claims cite improved hydration and firmness over four weeks (avroyshlain.co.za, August 2026).

Two sensible expectations to hold onto. First, these are cosmetic results — CRT targets the appearance of fine lines and the feel of firmness; it's skincare, not a procedure. Second, consistency is the whole game. A serum used religiously for six weeks will show you more than five products used whenever you remember. Take a photo in good light before you start; in a month, compare.

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Ready to try CRT? Both August 2026 brochure bundles — the Plumping Day Cream SPF25 + Hydration Serum for R599 (save R349) and the Foam Cleanser + Toner for R599 (save R235) — are valid until 31 August 2026. Shop them on my online store and, because both are over R550, your delivery to your door is free.

Want to page through everything else on special first? This month's brochure is here.

And if you're standing in front of the CRT shelf (so to speak) not sure which product your skin actually needs — WhatsApp me on 084 990 0030. Tell me your age bracket and your biggest skin frustration, and I'll tell you honestly where to start. — Liza