Skin Care Tip: Know Your Ingredients June 7, 2011

Let’s say you walk in to a spa looking for new skin care products…if you’re not a cosmetic chemist, how are you supposed

Don't get overwhelmed when shopping for skin care

to know what’s right for you? A wall full of products can be overwhelming. While skin professionals can help, here are a few tips to help you next time you visit the beauty counter…

Know the ingredients you should always stay away from

In our opinion, Mineral Oil is comedogenic and is never recommended. Stay away from SD Alcohol (overly drying) and artificial fragrance (high potential for irritation). Isopropyl Myristate is commonly used, but can be very irritating to the skin.

Not all oils are bad

Our oily skin clients often say they need oil-free products. This is not necessarily true! Some oils are good and help product to spread across the skin. Some good oils are Safflower Oil, Macadamia Nut Oil, Jojoba Oil, and Sunflower Seed Oil.

Not all alcohols are bad

We mentioned that SD Alcohol should be avoided, but some alcohols have benefits like stabilizing and helping with product consistency. Some good alcohols are Cetyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol and Stearyl Alcohol.

Check out our ingredient list

We’ve gathered a list of commonly used skin care ingredients and buzz words for you to read before your next product purchase!

A good general skin care routine is to cleanse (daily), exfoliate (2-3 times weekly), and moisturizer (SPF each morning and a separate night cream). You can add special treatment products according to your particular needs.

We also recommend:

Antioxidants

Vitamin A

Understanding Skin Care Ingredient Labels April 28, 2009

Have you ever read a product label and wondered what it all means? While you may have to be a cosmetic chemist to truly understand product formulations, we should still know what we are putting on our skin! The following describes the big INGREDIENT CATEGORIES that are found in most skin care products:

• Binding Agents – Ingredients that “hold” products together…some products have oil and water, which typically separate. Binding Agents keep products from separating.
  Example: Glycerine
  
• Emollients – Ingredients that lie on the surface of the skin to prevent water loss. They also fill in the lines of dry, dehydrated skin.
  Hundreds of emollients exist, but here are a few common ones you may run across:
  Example: Aloe, Cyclomethicone, Tocopherol, Urea, Shea Butter, Yeast, Retinyl  Palmitate, Algae Extract
  
• Humectants – Ingredients that draw moisture to the skin (usually from the air). They help soften skin’s surface and diminish fine lines caused by dryness.
  Example: Glycerine, Hyaluronic Acid, Lactic Acid, Propylene Glycol, Sodium PCA, Honey
  
• Solvents – The purpose of these substances is to dissolve other ingredients
  Example: Water, oil and alcohol 
  
• Preservatives – Ingredients that are designed to prevent growth of microorganisms. They kill bacteria and keep products from spoiling, thus extending shelf life.
  Example: Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Butylparaben (basically anything ending in “paraben”)
  
• Lubricants – These ingredients coat the skin, and reduce friction to allow the product to glide on smoothly.
  Example: Silicone, Dimethicone, Cyclomethicone
  
• Antioxidants – Ingredients that are commonly added to products because of their ability to “neutralize free radicals” (translation: they help prevent cell damage, thus keeping skin healthier). They also help maintain product freshness!
  Example: Ascorbic Acid, Tocopherol, Roobios, Green Tea, Grape Seed, Gingko
  
• Surfactants – Ingredients that help products to lather/foam. They help products to “glide” across the skin, and are often found is cleansers, soaps and shampoos.
  Example: Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
  
• pH Adjusters – Chemical-like acids (or buffers) that control the pH of formulas…our skin has a pH of 4.5 to 5.5, so we want most of our products to stay in that pH range (otherwise, skin can feel tight, dry and itchy). Exfoliants are an exception…a lower pH is preferred for an exfoliant to be effective.
  Example: Acetic Acid, Aminomethyl Propanol, Ascorbic Acid, Ethanolamine, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate
  

So….go grab your favorite product, read the label, and impress yourself with your new knowledge!

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