I bet most of us have bathrooms full of facial products. If you don’t, then you’re likely the person who just uses soap and water. If you’re happy with your skin and soap and water works for you, great! But many of us have at least one thing we would like to improve with our skin and for that we need ingredients that offer us real results.
Here are the skincare ingredients we love and can’t live without.
1) Glycolic Acid – as scary as the word acid sounds, this ingredient is far from scary. Used as a chemical exfoliator it helps to speed up cell turnover for a brighter, clearer complexion. Great for acne skins as it helps to unclog pores and reduce pore size whilst also regulating oil production. Don’t over use it though as it can make the skin feel a little dry if used too often.
2) Vitamin C – a powerful antioxidant that helps combat environmental factors such as pollution and sun damage. Essential for mature skins in the prevention of pigmentation. Best applied as a serum before moisturiser.
3) Hyaluronic Acid – an ingredient that is naturally produced by the body but depletes as we age. This ingredient helps to hydrate and plump the skin, keeping us looking more youthful.
4) Peptides – these chains of amino acids are essential building blocks for the proteins in our skin such as collagen and elastin. Peptides can help to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
5) Retinol – a strong ingredient, key for anti-ageing results. Retinol speeds up cell turnover, reduces the appearance of fine line, wrinkles and pigmentation and helps to reduce the occurrence of breakouts. This should be introduced to your facial routine slowly to avoid reactions as it is a very active ingredient. Results can take time, so allow at least 3 months to really see improvements.
6) SPF – if there is only one ingredient you absolutely cannot live without, it’s an SPF. This should be worn every single day, rain or shine. Just because it may not be sunny, doesn’t mean UV rays aren’t present. As good as it feels on our skin, sun is highly damaging. It stimulates melanin production which causes pigmentation (sun spots/age spots) and breaks down collagen and elastin leaving skin looking saggy and slack. SPF in your make up is not enough to protect your skin and instead you should apply an SPF prior to make up application. Choose a facial SPF, they are likely to be less greasy and have a slight tint making it easier to blend into your skin.
Sounds a bit too complicated or not sure what to use? Make an appointment with your local salon. They can discuss your skin concerns and offer recommendations on which products to use to achieve the results you want.
