A BEAUTY expert says it’s vital women know what they’re putting on their skin.
Many women apply a moisturiser once or twice a day for years on end – but never look at the ingredients.
If you read the ingredients list on your favourite cream you might spot components such as alcohol, mineral oil, iron oxides or xantham gum.
But do you know what they are and how they affect your skin?
Georgina Tang, the founder and CEO of multi-award-winning organic beauty firm YNNY has put together a guide to understanding what’s really in your skincare and what those scientific terms really mean.
And she reveals the surprising chemicals your skin will love and the ones you need to avoid.
The order of the ingredients list tells you everything
The main ingredient will be the first one listed, meanwhile the last few ingredients on the list will be present in tiny amounts at one per cent or less.
So if you see a long list of ingredients it could mean that most of them are added in such tiny amounts that they’re not very effective.
Choose products with a shorter, simpler ingredients list as they’ll be more targeted for your skin’s needs and you’ll better identify what’s working for your complexion.
Your face cream is mostly water
A standard moisturiser contains between 60 per cent and 75 per cent water (often listed as aqua).
CeraVe Moisturising Cream Pot with Hyaluronic Acid & Ceramides for Dry to Very Dry Skin is an example of using water as the main component followed by glycerin and cetearyl alcohol, a fatty acid that has moisturising, thickening and stabilising properties.
If the amount of water is reduced, it increases the concentration of beneficial active ingredients.
Flowers can make a difference to your skin
Herbs and flowers have benefits beyond adding pleasant fragrance to your skincare.
Some creams will include floral waters, such as rose, lavender or aloe vera, as part of the water component, or herbal tinctures, including calendula, turmeric or rooibos.
Rosemary floral water is great for people with combination and oily skin, as it helps to fight acne, anti-inflammatory and improve skin tone.
Only one group of oils will help turn back the clock
The most commonly used oils are ‘light oils’, a category that includes sweet almond oil, sunflower oil and grapeseed oil due to their lower price point. They’re also light and easily absorbed and won’t feel greasy.
However, if your skin is dry, look out for ‘heavy oils’, including olive, evening primrose or avocado oil in your moisturiser.
And if you have mature skin and want an anti-ageing cream opt for ‘medium oils’, a group that includes rice bran oil, camellia seed oil or rosehip oil as they contain high level of gamma linoleic acid (GLA), essential fatty acids and vitamins which promote collagen production.
Some face cream formulas will have a mixture of light, medium and heavy oils whilst others have light and medium oils to create a less greasy feel face cream catering for a wider customer base.
Shea butter provides low levels of sun protection
Cocoa, mango, macadamia and shea butters are considered solid oils, meaning that they’re solid at room temperature. Shea butter is a brilliant, multi-purpose ingredient. It’s highly moisturising, softens skin and protects it from drying out, making it a good choice for aged or damaged skin. It’s also effective and soothing for people with eczema and psoriasis.
Shea butter is the most popular solid oil used in face creams due to its benefits, plus it also provides a low level of protection from the sun.
Beauty products have a language of their own
Beauty products use a standardised system for naming ingredients (the International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients aka INCI) which uses their scientific and botanical names, many of which are Latin.
It also means that your cream may be packed with natural oils and extracts, but it will read like something out of a science textbook.
You might be daunted by the idea of slapping caprylic/capric triglyceride on your face – but it’s just the scientific name for a kind of coconut oil, which you wouldn’t think twice about using.
Your cream will be held together by emulsifiers
Emulsifiers are crucial for helping to keep a cream stable and preventing the oil and water from separating and make up three to five per cent of the formula.
The most common emulsifiers, which are found in many face creams due to their lower price point, include emulsifying wax, polysorbates, glyceryl stearate, cetyl alcohol, stearic acid, lecithin and polyethylene glycol (PEG), which is derived from hydrogenated castor oil. All except polysorbates are natural ingredients.
Some skin cream chemicals can soften hair
More expensive emulsifiers enhance the sensory properties of a cream, giving it a non-greasy or silk feel on the skin.
These natural emulsifiers include glyceryl stearate combined with sodium stearoyl lactylate, olivem 1000 with cetearyl alcohol, behentrimonium methosulfate (BTMS) and cetyl alcohol.
They can also bring enhanced moisturising and skin-conditioning benefits. BTMS is also a conditioning agent that provides a softening and smooth feel on the skin, and is also often used in hair conditioners.
Even expensive and luxury lotions are packed with preservatives
As face creams are water-based, preservatives are needed to stop bacteria from growing and to extend their shelf life.
Phenoxyethanol is the most widely used preservative on its own or together with other preservatives.
Q10 enzyme will reduce fine lines
Coenzyme Q10 is an incredibly good antioxidant, helping to combat free radicals that might accelerate ageing or damage skin cells.
It also helps promote collagen production, which reduces the appearance of fine lines.
It also helps to firm the skin and aid the skin’s natural renewal process. If you’re looking for an anti-ageing product other than a retinoid, look out for ingredients such as 3-O-ethyl ascorbic acid (a derivative of vitamin C), hyaluronic acid, olive squalane (a kind of oil) and a soothing compound called allantoin.
Avoid the wrong alcohol in your moisturiser
Alcohol denat is a volatile alcohol or solvent that helps to create lightweight fast-drying formulas. A cheap material, it helps other ingredients to penetrate the skin but it can be irritating and disrupt the skin barrier.
It can also strip the skin’s natural oils, causing dry skin, redness and sensitivity. If you have sensitive skin, rosacea or skin that’s prone to acne, avoid products with this ingredient.
