The media and advertising campaigns are full of ‘on trend’, ‘proven’ or ‘hyped’ ingredients, but which ones actually work? Advertisers are clever with words and often get away with wildly ambiguous claims in order to convince you out of your hard earned money. So to help you identify and decipher the key ingredients you should be look out for to help your skin type or condition, I have made a list below.
1. Vitamin A – The most important ingredient to look out for. Vitamin A comes in many forms - most commonly Retinol, Retinyl Palmiate or Retinyl Acetate (Take a read of my previous post ‘the retinol hype’ to read more about why you should use it for a healthy skin).
2. Vitamin C - Vitamin C is great for Anti-aging as it strengthens collagen and redness (capillary damage). It’s also fantastic anti-inflammatory and a key ingredient to help lighten pigmentation. Look out for products that include ‘Ascorbic Acid’. Not recommended for break out prone skin.
3. Anti-oxidants – These are key in any skincare routine. Anti-oxidants protect from free radical attack and protect active ingredients in your homecare.
4. Peptides – A must for anti-ageing. Peptides stimulate the activity of growth factors to produce collagen, elastin and moisture. Look out for Matrixyl and Argireline.
5. AHA’s / BHA’s (Alpha hydroxy acids / Beta hydroxy acids) - AHA/BHA toner or lotion is a great alternative to granular or physical scrubs to exfoliate and smooth skin. AHAs are generally sourced from natural ingredients and are water soluble and gentler. BHA’s penetrate deeper and cut through oil in the skin more effectively. Lactic acid, Salycilic acid and Glycolic acid are the most commonly used.
6. Hyaluronic Acid –Hyaluronic acid is found in the skin and keeping the skin cells plump and hydrated. It’s used to prevent or treat ageing and is great ingredient to treat dehydrated skin.
7. SPF –Invest in a SPF which gives UVA, UVB and Anti-oxidant protection.
The higher the protection doesn’t necessarily mean better protection if it only protects from UVB (burning) ray.
I hope you have found this useful!
As ever, if you have any questions, please email me at rachel@racheleve.co.uk
Thanks for reading.