Read on for the lowdown on five skincare ingredients we (and derms across the globe) can't help but champion. And for very good reasons…
While there’s nothing you can do to completely halt the aging process (sorry, folks, but it’s true!), there are some incredible skincare ingredients out there to help beautify the skin you were born with. Don’t get us wrong, no topical ingredient is able to perform miracles by completely eradicating your wrinkles or removing every trace of dark spot from your skin, but who really wants that anyway? Wouldn’t you rather show off your years of adventures and life stories to the world? After all, aging is a privilege not everyone is lucky enough to experience…
On that note, which skincare ingredients are best for showing off your incredible skin? And how do you sort the wheat from the chaff so you’re only ever using the most effective, tried and trusted ingredients as recommended by the best in business? Well, that’s what we’re here for! Read on for five stalwarts, proven to help improve and maintain your amazing skin – whatever its requirements.
1. The Powerful Kickstarter: Retinol
If ever there was an skincare ingredient worth of an Oscar, retinol would win, hands down. A fully signed up member of the retinoid family (topical vitamin A), this powerhouse is one of the most popular anti-aging and acne-controlling ingredients out there. But what makes it so good and why is it recommended by everyone who knows anything about skin?
As a family, topical retinoids have been clinically studied for decades. And their effect on the skin is indisputable. From acne and poor texture, through to dark spots and wrinkles, there’s very little retinoids cannot improve. How so? Well, they have an innate and very clever way of actually ‘communicating’ with your cells to make them turn over more efficiently. This naturally stimulates the production of collagen and elastin to boost skin renewal and keep your skin looking and feeling fresher, brighter, smoother and softer. It also simultaneously works on plumping your skin to reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles, while helping to keep your pores clean and clear (bye bye breakouts!). We told you – there's very little retinoids can't do!
There are many different types of retinoids, including prescription-strength retinoic acid. However, retinol is the most popular because it’s a much gentler derivative that plays way more kindly with your skin. And more good news: it’s never too late to introduce it to your routine. Just remember, always perform a patch test first, then go slowly to begin with – applying it every other night until your skin acclimates.
Want in? Yeah you do. Then try Retinol Facial Serum.
2. The Bright Spark: Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate (AKA Vitamin C)
It’s no secret that vitamin C is totally our jam here at TruSkin. Our first ever product was the award-winning Vitamin C Facial Serum and it still remains a fan favorite and our biggest-seller to this day.
Just like retinol, vitamin C has aced many a clinical study based on its awesome benefits on the skin. Proven to be a very worthy antioxidant, it works hard to reduce the damaging effects of environmental aggressors like UV radiation and pollution. And that’s super important stuff. Its acidic nature has also been shown to boost collagen and elastin production which keeps your skin strong and supple. Again, all good stuff.
Finally, vitamin C has been shown to inhibit tyrosinase, an enzyme in your skin that generates melanin synthesis. As you know, melanin is responsible for the color of your skin and, when exposed to sunlight, melanin production goes into overdrive – often in a slightly erratic way – resulting in patchy, blotchy skin known as sun spots. By controlling this, vitamin C helps keep your skin more even-looking and may even soften the appearance of existing dark spots if used consistently and regularly.
Vitamin C comes in many guises, but we’re all about sodium ascorbyl phosphate (SAP), a salt form of vitamin C that’s just as effective as the pure stuff and one of the most stable versions available in skincare. This means it keeps its potency for longer and remains effective when applied to your skin, but gives you less of the redness and irritation often experienced with pure vitamin C (l-ascorbic acid). Win win.
3. The Force Of Protection: Zinc Oxide
We’ll never tire of extolling the virtues of sunscreen because it’s the single, most important way to hold off the external signs of skin aging. Of course, slapping on SPF can’t stop time or prevent the internal aging process because, well, life, but protecting your skin from that big, bad ball of fire in the sky really does reduce external aging. And that’s the one you can control so it’s foolish not to at least try, right?
According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, regularly applying sunscreen with a sun protection factor of at least 15 reduces your risk of developing skin cancers by somewhere between 40 and 50 percent. Not only that but the sun is responsible for almost 90 percent of visible aging, breaking down all that precious collagen and aging you up lightning fast. So anything you can do to shield your skin from its harmful rays is super important for the health and look of your complexion.
There are plenty of ingredients that claim to protect your skin from UV radiation but we believe zinc oxide is up there with the best. And we’re not alone. In fact, the FDA regards it as one of the safest and most effective active ingredients in sunscreens.
Zinc oxide is a mineral sunscreen that forms a protective barrier on the surface of your skin to block both UVA and UVB rays, scattering them away before they get a chance to do any damage. We call it the ultimate beauty bodyguard and urge you to try our SPF 30 Mineral Sunscreen to see for yourself how fabulous it really is.
4. The Hydrating Wonderkid: Hyaluronic Acid
Hyaluronic acid become a huge household name a few years ago thanks to hundreds of skincare brands getting on board with it. And far from being a buzzy, ‘it’ ingredient that was super short-lived, it’s deservedly stood the test of time and is now widely seen as one of the best ingredients for your skin.
And we have to admit, we totally agree.
If you’ve always been a tad confused about this beloved skincare acid because it doesn’t exfoliate your skin like the glycolics and salicylics of our world, here’s the 411...
Hyaluronic acid is actually a humectant, which means it works like a sponge to draw water to the surface of your skin. In fact, studies show that just 1g of hyaluronic acid has the ability to absorb and retain up to 6 litres of water. And if you're not good with weights and measures, trust us, that’s a lot.
What does this mean? Well, simply put, hyaluronic acid is one of the best ways to hydrate your skin. It’s also a compound found naturally in your skin’s structure, so it’s very well tolerated and unlikely to cause you anything but good vibes. Try Hyaluronic Acid Facial Serum if you don’t believe us!
5. The Balancing Act: Tea Tree Oil
Oily skin can be awesome because it often results in less lines and wrinkles as you get older. However, ask anyone with an oily complexion and they’ll tell you in no uncertain terms, it can be a complete pain in the butt to deal with on a daily basis. After all, too much sebum is the stem of acne breakouts. And pimples are on nobody’s bucket list. Like, ever.
Enter tea tree oil which, unlike benzoyl peroxide, is a naturally derived ingredient that works like a dog to balance your skin and reduce excess sebum. With fewer side effects as a bonus.
Tea tree oil is an essential oil that’s steam-distilled from the leaves of the Australian tea tree. Used for centuries for its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, tea tree oil works by killing certain acne-causing bacteria on the surface of your skin while reducing redness and calming irritation at the same time.
It’s potent stuff, granted, but when its formulated correctly and at a safe concentration tea tree oil is a real gem for oily or acne-prone skin. We recommend trying our Tea Tree Super Cleanser+ which is refreshing, ultralight and formulated to help clarify, purify and cleanse all skin types.
