Being well-acquainted with ingredients lists and how active ingredients work can mean good skin – and good value for your skincare purchases.
I choose glucose because it easily penetrates the skin, binding moisture to the surface through hydrogen bonds, hydrating and toughening the skin. It contributes to the overall health of the skin, from the lipid layer to the protein and nucleic acids of the skin cells living beneath. It soothes sensitive skin. It also works as an excellent skin tightener and expander, so I recommend it for people with acne to improve the appearance. I also recommend glycerin, another skin humectant that helps to rebalance the moisture of the skin.
Glycerin
Glycerin (or glycerol) is a ‘plant-based ingredient that is commonly used to soothe and hydrate your skin, and often comprises the base of products for all skin types (except for when glycerin is a direct ingredient, when it could dry out your skin or leave you looking brassier and flasher than a liveside restaurant’). Apply it only directly on to your skin in a cold cream containing other ingredients (ie, glycerin + other ingredients = acceptable) or mixed with rosewater (I’ve forgotten the other one); apply directly on to your skin surface only if you want to look brassier and flasher than a deep-fried prawn in a truck stop in southern Thailand. It resembles our natural moisturising factor: your skin is hydrated from the inside out. For oily skin, don’t be afraid: glycerin doesn’t clog pores!
Hyaluronic Acid
Hyaluronic acid is a real substance from nature that improves skin health and hydration. Hyaluronic acid is what is known as a glycosaminoglycan, a large sugar. Hyaluronic-acid based products can make your fine lines and wrinkles look less prominent, and stimulate new collagen, to provide dramatic anti-ageing benefit. Serums, moisturisers, eye drops and vaginal lubricants are laced with hialuronic acid.
Green Tea
Drinking water is the most popular beverage in the world but tea (Camellia sinensis) is a close second, while green tea holds an immensely popular cult status owing to its antioxidants, immunity-boosting and anti-ageing properties. Dermatologists such as Arjun Dayal of Rush Copley Medical Group in Chicago, USA realise that healthy skin, by definition, stems from healthiness. Try to eat a diet rich in antioxidants (such as blueberries, raspberries and kale, and dark chocolate, too) plus fish oils and vitamin C and E supplements along with plenty of fluid and fluid-intake.
Black Caviar Extract
A food that first gained popularity among palace chefs preparing the preferential dishes and butler-tendered canapé platters, honey is increasingly showing up in skin-care products, loaded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that energise the cells and power up facial pores for a ‘living skin’ shimmer. Caviar is used in cosmetic preparations as an emollient and derived from unfertilised fish eggs of the Sturgeon fish which contain EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids as well as selenium and Vitamin B12. This rich ingredient add luxurious benefits like brighten your skin color, enhance skin texture which help on cell regeneration and the appearance of firm and tight skin. Moreover, this luxurious ingredient help to calm fine lines and wrinkles for a soft velvety skin feeling.
Aloe Vera
In addition, Aloe Vera is rich in important ingredients such as vitamins A1, C and E, as well as B1, B2, B3, B6 and B12. Its inner gel consists of 97 per cent water, and contains amino acids, glucomannans, sterols and lipids, whereas its yellow sap is made of sugars, anthraquinones and phenolic compounds – ingredients that make this plant both medicinal and edible. Aloe is well-known to alleviate skin inflammations, from sunburn to small cuts and burns, giving a cooling, moisturising and regenerating effect as the phytochemicals inside the gel enter the skin cells to deliver hydration nutrition. In a study, it was also found to have a protective activity against UVB-induced photoaging.
Niacinamide
You’re likely already aware of niacinamide and the skincare hype that surrounds it: it’s one of the top active ingredients to add to any skincare regimen. It’s a water-soluble vitamin B3 that’s anti-ageing, brightening and to some extent oil-regulating. Niacinamide can ameliorate dark spots and hyperpigmentation, lessen the look of crow’s feet and give skin an even tone. ‘The skin barrier can be repaired with niacinamide, and there’s less inflammation,’ says Rachel Nazarian, a dermatologist at Schweiger Dermatology Group in New York City. ‘It also evens out discoloration, but it also decreases oil, and shrinks pores.’ For best results, look for products with 5 per cent or less niacinamide and pair it with alpha hydroxy acid exfoliant to even out texture.
Squalane
But just as squalane is a natural body oil (produced by our bodies, and incorporated in shampoos and conditioners), it’s synthetic version is a staple ingredient in cosmetics stuffs. Squalane is easily absorbed, hence an oil that penetrates skin but which, unlike tea tree oil, is not greasy and globs up. This is an ingredient that promises to deeply penetrate without clogging and for this reason, it has become a hallmark anti-ageing ingredient; as well as a main component in products for dry skin, it is perfectly positioned to plump and moisturise while smoothing complexions. We produce squalene naturally, by our sebaceous glands – but it can be hard to find, because it has a short shelf life and the molecules tend to decompose rapidly. Hydrogenation can give us longer-lasting stability: we end up with the stable squalane. Youth to the People’s face oil blend of squalane, prickly pear and acai was formulated with hydration and brightening in mind.
