What is the Best Practice to buy good quality skincare products
If you want to learn how to buy high-quality skincare products you need to know the main active ingredients of the product and what they do for your skin. On a package, you will read that “product X” will fade hyperpigmentation and give you glowing skin. But what are the ingredients going to do that? Were they inside the ingredient list at the beginning or at the end?
What ingredients are good for your skin needs?
I decided to simplify and give you a quick overview of skincare ingredients.
But first here are tips on …
How to Choose High-Quality Skincare Products?
1. Find your skin concerns ex: age spots, fine lines, irritation, skin elasticity, dryness, big pored, etc.
2. From the list below wind ingredients will provide you a solution.
3. Look at where the active ingredients are located in the list. Preferably among the first 5 ingredients. Remember that ingredients are listed in descending order. If the active ingredient is toward the end, most likely % so low that you wouldn’t really notice the difference if it weren’t there!
4. How many ingredients are on the list? The longer the list, the lower their relative %, and the lower the benefits. Less is more.
5. You found a product that satisfies you. Try it out. See if it suits your skin.
P.S. If there are no active ingredients the product could be:
- a very poor
quality one, mainly composed of water. - a product that
doesn’t address any skin concern, and therefore is only meant to preserve a
skin already in good condition (it won’t do much for you).
What Are the Main Ingredients in Today’s Skin Care Products, And How Do They Improve the Skin?
I divided the most common ingredients into different categories. If you are not sure talk to your dermatologist or a skincare expert at a local beauty salon.
ACTIVE INGREDIENTS
This ingredient should be present in a bigger % of the formula.
This way you know that cream or serum will do for your skin.
HINT: They should be among the first 3-5 ingredients on the list.
1. Alpha & Betta Hydroxy Acids (AHA and BHA)
These are all chemical exfoliants with low PH. They exfoliate the surface layer of your skin. Both AHAs and BHA improve hydration, reduce wrinkles, stimulate collagen production, and firm skin.
- Glycolic Acid
- Lactic Acid
- Citric Acid
- Salicylic Acid
2. Anti-Aging
Cell “communicating” ingredients, help reverse the damage by signaling the skin to produce healthier, younger cells.
- Retinol
- Ceramides
- CoQ10
- Hydrolyzed Collagen
- Synthetic Peptides
- Lecithin
- Niacinamide
- Adenosine triphosphate
3. Antioxidants
Antioxidants are essential for skin, and the more included in your skincare the better. They fight free radicals in the skin. Free-radical daily damage our skin, give inflammation that destroys the skin’s ability to heal, to remain healthy, and to stay firm over time. Antioxidants help skin resist environmental assaults, helping skin heal and produce healthy collagen.
- Ferulic Acid
- Resveratrol
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin E
- Superoxide dismutase
- Beta carotene
- Glutathione
- Selenium
- Green tea
- Soy extract
- Grape extract
- Pomegranate extract
4. Sensitive skin
- Willowherb
- Sea whip
- Licorice root
5. Skin Lightening Agents
They will have an anti-pigmentation effect and will prevent melanogenesis or sometimes reverse pigmentation in the skin.
- Alpha-Arbutin
- Kojic Acid
- Licorice Extract
- Resveratrol
- Vitamin A
- Niacinamide
- Vitamin C
- Hydroquinone
MOISTURIZERS
6. Humectants
They draw moisture from the environment bind it and hold it against your skin. They can help to draw from the dermis to the epidermis. Evaporation from the skin can cause dryness.
- Algae Extract
- Hyaluronic Acid
- Aloe Vera
- Butylene Glycol
- Ceramides
- Hydrolyzed Collagen
- Glycerin
- Propylene Glycol
- Sorbitol
- Honey
7. Occlusive
Forms a protective layer on top of the skin to seal water in. They increase moisture levels in the skin by preventing epidermal water loss. They can feel greasy.
- Petrolatum
- Squalene
- Silicone
- Dimethicone
- Paraffin
- Waxes
8. Emollients
They provide softening and smoothing effect on the skin, by replacing absent natural skin lipids. Emollients like occlusive can form a barrier on the skin if applied heavily.
- Natural butter
- Natural oils
- Silicones
- Cetyl palmitate
- Isolanolin
- Isopropyl Myristate
- Mineral oil
- Squalane
- Sucrose Cocoate
- Glycol Stearate
- Cholesterol
Over the Counter (OTC)
8. Over-the-counter (OTC) drug ingredients
In the US they are OTC and in Canada, they are either OTC or natural health products.
- Anti-Acne Agents
- Antiperspirants
- Anti-dandruff Agents
- SPF Ingredients
ADD ON
9. Surfactants
SURFACTANTS = Surface Active Ingredients
They clean and build foam. You will find them in makeup removers, soaps, cleansers, and shampoos.
- Castile soap
- Coco glucose
- Coco betaine
- Decyl glucoside sodium lauryl lactylate
- Sodium lauryl sulfate
- Sulfosuccinate
10. Physical Exfoliants
They physically exfoliate your skin using small particles.
- Walnut shell powder
- Colloidal oatmeal
- Jojoba beads
- Rice bran beads
11. Emulsifiers
It helps to hold water and oil together in the product.
Water-in-oil Emulsifiers:
More oil and less water.
- Glyceryl stearate
- Lecithin
- Sorbitan stearate
- Glyceryl oleate
- Laureth-3
- PEG-8
Oil-in-water Emulsifiers:
More water and less oil as in lotions and creams.
- PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate
- PEG-40 Hydrogenated castor oil
- Polysorbate 20
- Cetearyl alcohol
- Ceteareth-25
- Glyceryl stearate citrate
- Stearic acid
- Stearyl alcohol
- Cetearyl and Stearyl alcohol are in fact
vegetable waxes.
12. Preservatives
They are very important in water-based products to prevent bacteria, yeast, and mold from growing.
- Benzyl alcohol
- Dehydroacetic acid
- Parabens
- Phenoxyethanol
- Sorbic Acid
- Gluconolactone
- Sodium Benzoate
13. Stabilizers
Generally, in the formulation to prevent discoloration or acidity of oils.
- ESTA
- BHT
- Sodium Gluconate
14. Thickeners
They thicken up water solution or some are like waxes and sicken up oil solution.
- Glucose-D
- Stearyl palmitate
- Tapioca starch
- Carbomer
- Acrylate copolymer
- Cetyl alcohol
- Guar gum
- Cellulose
- Sorbitol
- Xanthan gum
- Natural waxes
15. Solvents
They dissolve some active ingredients to get it into the formulation and for it to be stable. Sometimes it helps with the absorption of the ingredient into the skin better.
- Ethylhexyl palmitate
- Glycerin
- Isododecane
- Isolanolin
- Propylene glycol
16. pH Adjusting Agents
They will lower or increase the pH of the solution to get the desired pH of that solution.
- Triethanolamine
- Citric acid
- Sodium gluconate
- Magnesium hydroxide
- Sodium hydroxide
17. Fragrance and Aroma ingredients.
They can be listed as essential oils or essential oil components.
- Fragrance
- Perfume
Fragrance ingredients are proprietary formulations and don’t have to be disclosed.
Fragrance ingredients also can be solvents, antioxidants, and preservatives but they are just not listed out in their actual names.
Key Takeaways
I hope this little guide can help some of you to buy high-quality products for your skin concerns and problems. It can all be a little bit overwhelming at the beginning, which is why you should take your time and closely read every label before purchasing a new product.
If you would like to know more about a specific product, leave your requests and questions in the comments below! As always, I’d love to hear from you!
Have a fabulous week and take care!
Wow! This is such a super informative article. I’ve made a concerted effort to stay away from skincare products with chemicals in and now that I’ve read this article I’m glad I did so. I use only natural organic products now and my skin has been looking amazing because of it.
I am glad you found products that work for your skin.