If you moisturise and cleanse regularly, apply sunscreen, and never go to bed with makeup on your face, you’ve got a sorted skincare routine. However, if you wish to improve results and take your skincare game up a notch, it’s time to search for cosmeceutical skin care products.
Cosmeceutical products are a subdivision of skincare products that consist of active ingredients, including botanical extracts, vitamins, and antioxidants. Such ingredients serve to elevate your skincare and produce noticeable results on your skin.
Now to dive into the essentialities of skincare based on cosmeceutical products!
Difference between Cosmetics and Cosmeceuticals
Cosmetics is an umbrella term to describe all sorts of makeup and skincare. Although cosmetics possess several beneficial ingredients, such as beeswax in lipsticks or moisturising cleansers, they typically don’t comprise active ingredients.
Cosmeceutical products are backed by scientific research and fulfil the purpose for which they’re meant. In simpler terms, cosmeceuticals are formulated to generate better results compared to cosmetics.
Advantages of Cosmeceutical Products
The outlined active ingredients present in cosmeceutical products provide benefits against several skin conditions, such as:
- Sun damage
- Pigmentation
- Acne
- Scarring
- Dullness
- Fine lines
- Dehydration and dryness
Even if individuals don’t have any issues with their skin, they can still resort to cosmeceutical skin care products to gain more vibrant skin.
Typical Active Ingredients in Cosmeceutical Products
It’s relatively simple to decipher whether a skincare product is a cosmeceutical or not by looking at its ingredients. Here’s an overview of the most common cosmeceutical active ingredients:
- Glycolic Acid: It’s a chemical exfoliator that gently washes out skin’s dead layers. Moreover, it can be applied to most skin types and is specifically beneficial for acne-prone skin and blackheads.
- Hyaluronic Acid: This ingredient binds with water, maintains optimum moisture, and hydrates the skin.
- Retinol: One of the most popular active ingredients, retinol functions to decrease the breakdown of collagen and increase skin cell turnover. Apart from being a highly concentrated version of vitamin A, it serves to prevent wrinkles.
- Vitamins: A significant amount of vitamins are present in most cosmeceutical products. Besides, while vitamin B enhances skin tone, vitamin C elevates skin brightness.
- Niacinamide: It contains potent anti-inflammatory properties and aids in reducing moisture loss and redness. Additionally, it’s widely known as B3.
- Antioxidants: This phrase is an umbrella term for minerals and vitamins that secure the skin from the action of free radicals. These elements include chemicals, haze and pollutants that damage the skin by rendering the collagen weak. Simply put, antioxidants are the soldiers that go to war for the skin’s complexion.
- Idebenone: This antioxidant is super-charged and found in top-quality skincare products. Moreover, it helps to protect from skin damage.
- Salicylic Acid: It’s an acne-preventing ingredient, also used to eliminate debris and pore-clogging oils. They also act to suppress breakouts quickly.
- Lactic Acid: Expertising in hydration and exfoliation, this active ingredient boasts gentle action on the skin by being sensitive-skin friendly.
- Peptides: These are analogous to the small building blocks of the skin. Primarily, they improve and repair the appearance of the skin while reducing wrinkles and fine lines.
Conclusion
It’s crucial to research the ingredients well-suited for your skin. Besides, it would help if you remembered not to layer up your cosmeceutical skin care until you observe and analyse the effect of each ingredient on your skin. Such products are far more powerful compared to regular cosmetics, so utilising them improperly can inflict damage on your skin.
Try, observe and stick to whatever works best for you!
