Consumers are overwhelmed with hundreds of skincare products to choose from. As if that wasn’t difficult enough, most skincare brands put certain phrases like “moisturizer”, “clarifying” or “anti-aging” on their labels in order to catch consumers’ attention and to stand out in the ocean of products they face. Have you ever looked at skin care product labels? They can look quite disconcerting, can’t they?
All the ingredients must be indicated, but sometimes we don’t have the curiosity to dissect each component. As consumers, we are interested in active ingredients that will change our skin. However, it is also useful to be aware of preservatives and to ensure that products are not overloaded with unnecessary ingredients.
What is called an active component !!
An active ingredient in skin care products means any ingredient that has a specific action on the skin; they may be natural extracts or chemosynthetic compounds. While natural ingredients, such as vitamins and antioxidants, are often considered more beneficial for the skin, synthetic actives can also provide targeted and powerful results. These are often the ones that are excellent for targeting breakouts and promoting collagen synthesis, respectively. Active components are particularly important when it comes to treating specific skin concerns, as they have higher levels of performance than inactive ingredients due to their ability to penetrate deep into the epidermis.
Vitamin C :
As an antioxidant, vitamin C is a key ingredient in keeping your skin looking radiant and youthful. First, it helps protect against harmful free radicals by neutralizing them, which, in turn, helps diminish the visible signs of aging on your face, such as fine lines, wrinkles, dark spots due to sun damage and loss of hydration.
But the most notable and popular benefit of vitamin C is its ability to brighten your face and fade any discoloration. Its antioxidant properties have the effect of unifying your skin and giving you a radiant glow. However, vitamin C is a temperamental and difficult ingredient to stabilize for extended shelf life. So look for a product that also contains vitamin E or ascorbic acid to increase its longevity.
Hyaluronic acid :
Hyaluronic acid is a powerful ingredient that has received a lot of attention in recent years thanks to its intense moisturizing properties and its anti-aging particularity.
As a naturally occurring sugar in the body, it is a major structural component of the skin. But with age, levels of naturally produced hyaluronic acid begin to decline, contributing to a loss of skin tone and volume.
But topical application helps counteract the visible effects of hyaluronic acid loss. First of all, its ability to retain water and regulate the skin’s hydration levels allows the skin to stay balanced and hydrated. Then, hyaluronic acid helps to improve the resilience of the skin.
Retinol:
It is a key ingredient in many skincare products due to the significant benefits it provides including reducing the appearance of free radical damage and fading the visible signs of aging. .
Retinol helps combat the natural loss of facial volume by increasing the skin’s ability to retain moisture. By improving the hydration of your skin, it will appear smoother. With regular and prolonged use, retinol can even help fade age spots and even skin tone by shedding layers of dead skin and unclogging pores.
Salicylic acid :
Salicylic acid is part of the beta hydroxy acid (BHA) family and is a popular ingredient in many over-the-counter acne products and treatments. It is mainly used to treat non-inflamed rashes and blackheads by breaking down dead cells and removing them from the surface of the skin.
It also helps reduce the presence of excess oil on your skin and can penetrate deeper into the pores to rid them of any clogged debris.
Vitamin E :
Occurring naturally on human skin, vitamin E is often depleted by sun exposure and other environmental irritants. However, it has antioxidant properties that can help protect the skin against harmful free radicals and limit their damage. It can also be used to stabilize otherwise volatile or temperamental ingredients like vitamin C.
