Oestrogen helps your skin hold water and produce collagen and natural oils. As levels fluctuate and fall during perimenopause, skin tends to become drier and thinner — and dry skin itches. The ear canal is lined with skin too, which is why itchy ears come up in the same conversations.

Some women also describe formication: a crawling, tingling or prickling sensation, as though something were moving under the skin. It has a name, it's recognised, and it's associated with the same hormonal changes affecting the nerve endings in skin. You're not imagining it.

What tends to help: fragrance-free moisturiser applied while skin is still damp, shorter and cooler showers, a humidifier in dry months, and loose cotton rather than synthetic fabric against the skin. For itchy ears, avoid cotton buds — they strip the protective wax and make it worse.

An important line. Itching can also come from things unrelated to hormones — eczema, allergies, thyroid problems, liver or kidney conditions, and some medications. If it's severe, persistent, comes with a rash, or doesn't respond to moisturising, please see a doctor.

And to be straightforward: Perimell isn't formulated for skin. It's support for the wider transition — heat, sleep and mood — alongside the practical steps above.*