The skincare field is INUNDATED with new ingredients, like where did all of these things come from? How do you know exactly what you need? I get it, it’s overwhelming. Well, I have my tried and true ingredients that I always look for in my products. Most of the time, they come in serums as the mode of transportation onto your skin. Don’t skimp out on your serums. You want the good stuff because they will have higher concentrations of the active ingredients.
Hyaluronic acid molecule
1) Hyaluronic Acid (HA): HA is a sugar molecule that is actually produced by your body naturally. What’s it doing for you? Well, 50% of the body’s HA is found in skin where it helps form a matrix to keep your skin together. It also maintains a constant water content in your skin. It is also highly prevalent in joints, where it helps with connectivity of different bones. But we’re here for skin, right? Well, in the skin, the rate at which HA is broken down is fast—within a day, half of the HA is disposed of. As you age, the HA content in your epidermis (the part of the skin you can see) dramatically declines. How can we combat that? Our best bet is through the external application of high-quality hyaluronic acid to restore the HA content in your epidermis. That will help your skin look tighter (i.e. the structure that HA helps with) and fuller / plumper (i.e. the hydration).
Vitamin A molecule
2) Vitamin A (AKA Retinol): Retinol or retinoic acid (which is actually the biologically active form) should be added into your nighttime routine to reduce wrinkles, smooth out your skin, and provide even coloration. Why nighttime? Well, have you ever noticed they are always put in darker packaging? It’s because the molecule is light-sensitive. You want to make sure you’re using the product most efficiently, so apply it at night as it doesn’t break down like it would during the day in the sun. It will increase your sensitivity to the sun too, which is another reason to wear SPF and not use retinol during the day. But just know that you won’t see QUICK results. Dermatologists out there say it’ll be around 12 weeks before you start seeing effects. The delay is because retinol is encouraging your cells to produce more collagen, to regenerate, and to have more blood vessels throughout your skin (for more nutrients!). But I am a firm believer of skincare that is preventative because you have to beat aging as early as you can. So add this on so that your future self will thank you. It’s kind of like investing in a retirement plan. Do it now!
Vitamin C molecule
3) Vitamin C (AKA Ascorbic Acid): 80% of facial skin aging is due to UV damage. Is that not shocking to you?? And I know that if you are reading this, you’re already a skincare lover and douse yourself in SPF. But did you know that statistic before? I never knew it was that high! Well, the good news for you is that adding Vitamin C to your routine will synergize with your SPF (that you religiously apply daily anyway, right?). If you look at the structure of Vitamin C, you’ll see a ring with a lot of oxygen molecules coming off of it. These oxygen molecules are absolutely clutch when it comes to absorbing free radicals (i.e. highly energetic and destructive molecules that are generated from UV damage). Vitamin C can take on the energy from the free radical and redistribute that energy around its ring because of the oxygens and the extra double bond within the ring. That renders the free radical much less reactive now, and your skin will look so much more youthful because it is not being assaulted by the sun!
So next time you’re shopping for a new product or looking to spruce up your routine, keep an eye out for these three ingredients. They will make all the difference for you. What’s your favorite ingredient? Thanks for reading!
Here are a few references I used when putting this blogpost together:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3583886/
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/do-retinoids-really-reduce-wrinkles
https://www.worldofmolecules.com/antioxidants/vitaminc.htm