Scary-Sounding Skincare Ingredients That Are Surprisingly Good For Your Skin
Nature provides us with some of the most effective skincare ingredients around, but oftentimes complicated-sounding ingredients are just as good (if not better) for your skin. As long as you choose the correct ones, of course…
We pride ourselves on harnessing the power of nature’s finest ingredients as much as possible – using plant-based actives, wildcrafted extracts and essential oils across all of our skincare formulations.
However, not everything in nature is always good for your skin (cough, poison oak). Some ingredients like peppermint and lemon oils can be terribly harsh when applied to your skin and may cause redness, itching and dryness – especially if it errs on the sensitive side. So, don’t be fooled, nature is awesome, for sure, but not everything in nature is awesome for your skin.
In the exact same way, not all synthetic ingredients are bad. We’re proud to say our products avoid all the big nasties, such as parabens, sulfates, phthalates and PEGs, but we’re not 100 percent natural because we believe the best kind of skincare comes from a clever combination of both nature and science.
On that note, here are five ingredients that sound pretty scary… but really aren't. How do we know? Because we use them across many of our formulations and we’d never knowingly put anything into our products that could harm your skin. You're welcome.
1. Cetyl & Stearyl Alcohol
Some skincare brands would have you believe that all alcohol in skincare is bad. Not so. For starters, there are a gazillion different types of alcohol and not all of them sting or dry out your skin. Low-molecular-weight alcohols like denatured alcohol (alcohol denat) are the ones to be aware of. Alcohol denat functions as a solvent and is largely used to improve texture and encourage other ingredients in a product to be better absorbed by your skin. Basically, it makes a product feel nice. However, its naughty side far outweighs its nice side. Alcohol denat is extremely irritating and unbalancing because it draws out your natural oils, causing excessive dryness for many people, but also making oily skin even oilier as it tries to overcompensate for what’s been stripped away.
Best avoided.
On the flipside, high-molecular-weight alcohols like cetyl and stearyl alcohols are actually very skin-friendly. Also known as fatty alcohols, these are added to many skincare formulations to stop oil-and-water from separating. By stabilizing oil and water they give products a much smoother texture which allows them to glide over your skin way better.
Unlike alcohol denat which has the opposite effect, fatty alcohols help keep your skin moisturized because they have emollient properties which fill in cracks on the surface of your skin. They also leave a light oily seal to soften your skin, reduce irritation and decrease transepidermal water loss (TEWL).
We believe in cetyl alcohol so much, it's blended into all three of our Retinol and Vitamin C moisturizers.
2. Xanthan Gum
Xanthan gum doesn’t sound much fun at all, but this polysaccharide not only has zero negative effects on the skin, but it might actually be quite good for it.
Often derived from corn, soy, wheat or dairy, xanthan gum is a naturally derived ingredient that’s frequently used as a thickener or binding agent in kitchen ingredients such as sauces, salad dressings and almond milk. When it comes to your skincare products xanthan gum is used for similar reasons – to bind ingredients together – but it also helps products glide over your skin more easily and effectively.
Full disclosure: xanthan gum definitely benefits the texture and feel of your product more than your skin itself, but due to it being derived from sugar, many experts believe it to have hydrating properties when applied topically. We’ll take that. Find it in Niacinamide Facial Serum among others.
3. Methylsulfonylmethane
Methane? On your skin? No. Way. Actually, stop right there because methylsulfonylmethane is downright awesome as a skincare ingredient. Known as MSM to friends (that includes you) this organic sulfur compound works hard to neutralize free radical damage caused by things like pollution, the sun and cigarette smoke. It does this by boosting your natural levels of glutathione, one of your body’s most important, naturally-occurring antioxidants.
MSM also has plenty of other things going for it. It’s anti-inflammatory so helps reduce inflammation caused by the usual suspects of stress, no sleep and a diet packed with sugar and carbs. Oh, and it’s also been proven to help strengthen and promote collagen production to visibly reduce the appearance of lines, wrinkles, dark spots and sagging skin. Definitely a keeper.
You’ll find MSM in plenty of your TruSkin favorites, including Vitamin C Brightening Cleanser and our awesome Hyaluronic Acid Eye Cream.
4. Palmitates
Sure, ethyhexyl, cetyl and isopopropyl palmitates are tricky to spell and a bit of a mouthful, but we’re big fans.
Produced from a naturally occurring fatty acid called palmitic acid, palmitates are similar to fatty alcohols in that they come under the umbrella of emollients. Emollients are types of ingredients (whether natural or synthetic) that soften and moisturize dry skin by filling in and repairing cracks on the surface. This not only helps up your levels of lipids to reduce dryness and flaking, but it also works hard to prevent water loss and keep your skin healthy, hydrated and free from irritation. Check out our awesome moisturizers to get your fill of super effective palmitates.
5. Phenoxyethanol
Finally, we have phenoxyethanol. This synthetic preservative has received a lot of bad press over the years, but it’s backed by decades of clinical research and is used in extremely small concentrations (no more than 1 percent) in skincare to prevent products from spoiling or losing efficacy. Compared to many other preservatives, phenoxyethanol is way less likely to sensitize your skin or cause any kind of allergic reaction and is much more favorable to parabens.
One particular study also points to phenoxyethanol offering potential benefits to acne-prone skin, possibly improving pimples and reducing inflammation. But the jury’s still out on that one. In the meantime, think of it as an essential and safe way for you to maximize your skincare products, helping them last longer and maintain their potency to give you the best results.
We use phenoxyethanol in most of our active serums, including Tea Tree Super Serum +.
To conclude, all we can say is don't be afraid of complicated-sounding ingredients on your skincare labels; some of them are awesome for your skin. Just do your research, because others definitely have the potential to be as scary as they sound. For a list of some of the most harmful ingredients to avoid, check out our toxic skincare round-up, here.
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![What Is Salicylic Acid And Does Your Skin Need It?]()
Salicylic acid is right up there with glycolic acid for exfoliating your skin. But it also has an extra string in its bow. Listen up, oily skin folks, this one’s for you…
Salicylic acid is one of those ingredients that truly delivers. Forget your snail mucus and 24k gold flakes because they simply don’t live up to the hype. Along with skincare greats like retinol and vitamin C, however, salicylic acid does exactly what it sets out to do. And frankly, that’s all you can ask from a skincare ingredient, is it not?
If you’re not sure what salicylic acid is all about, not a problem, that’s what we’re here for.
So, read on for everything we know about salicylic acid: glycolic acid’s equally as effective, but really quite different cousin…
What Is Salicylic Acid, Exactly?
You’ve heard of AHAs and BHAs, right? Well, salicylic acid sits in the BHA camp. In fact, it’s really the only BHA you need to know about being the single most common BHA used in skincare and cosmetics.
BHAs, or beta-hydroxy acids are fat-soluble chemical exfoliants that break down the bonds between your skin cells to encourage them to slough away more efficiently. Physical scrubs have the same effect, but they use physical pressure alongside grains or textured surfaces to exfoliate your skin. Chemical exfoliants just harness the powers of acids like salicylic to do the same job, improving cellular turnover as a major part of the deal.
Salicylic acid, in particular, is extracted from the bark of willow trees and has amazing exfoliating benefits. But there’s more. It also has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial qualities (take that, pimples!) and, because it’s fat-soluble, it has an uncanny knack of penetrating into your pores and getting to work on your sebaceous glands. And that’s a big plus if you have super oily skin you find hard to control…
The Benefits Of Salicylic Acid In Skincare
Exfoliants are a crucial part of a healthy skincare routine. Not only do they boost cell turnover to help give you a smoother, softer and brighter complexion, but they also work hard to improve collagen synthesis. And as you mature, that’s really important since collagen degradation becomes a huge deal as you hit your 30s and beyond.
As we mentioned, however, salicylic acid differs to other water-soluble chemical exfoliants like glycolic, citric and lactic acids. And that’s because it’s fat-soluble which allows it to go deeper below the skin’s surface, penetrating through the lipid layers to really get into the pores. We mean no disrespect to the AHAs of the world, of course, because they’re incredible at what they do – which is to exfoliate at a more surface level. But, if you have oily skin or have trouble with breakouts, blackheads or blocked pores, salicylic acid can offer so much more.
Salicylic acid is almost unbeatable at preventing your pores from becoming clogged with dead skin cells and excess sebum, AND it gently exfoliates your skin by loosening the bonds that hold together those tough, outer layers of dead skin cells. This not only improves the tone and texture of your complexion almost immediately, but it stimulates collagen production helping to stave off premature lines and wrinkles as time goes by.
To summarize, the key benefits of salicylic acid are…
* Exfoliates the skin and removes dead skin cells* Improves cellular turnover* Balances and controls excess sebum* Detoxifies pores* Reduces acne breakouts* Calms inflammation5 Ways To Make Salicylic Acid Work For You
Like most active ingredients, salicylic acid must be given the respect it deserves. Here’s how to use it wisely and effectively...
1. Always Patch Test Salicylic Acid First
Most salicylic acid treatments are well-tolerated by all skin types and safe for daily use. However, there’s always a chance your skin could freak out by this potent, active ingredient, so patch test any new product before applying it regularly. And yes, we know patch testing sounds like a bit of a headache, but it’s really easy and will only delay your product use by a day or so... but it can save your skin a whole lotta pain.
To patch test your product, apply a small amount to a discreet area of your skin (we like to do it behind an ear). Then leave it for 24-48 hours to check for any negative reactions. Most likely, your skin will be fine other than mild redness or tingling which is to be expected with any active product. However, if you experience anything like burning, discomfort, swelling or itching, stop use immediately – this product is not a good fit for you.
2. Listen To Your Skin To Get Your Routine Right
Once you know you’re safe to use your salicylic acid formulation without any negative reactions, introduce it slowly into your routine. Your skin might be strong enough to take it every day… then again, it might not. Start with once a week and then build on that after a couple of weeks as your skin acclimates. And remember to always read the labels of your products as not all serums are built to be used daily, anyway!
Our Vitamin C Super Serum+, for example, is packed with potent ingredients and combines salicylic acid with other skin superheroes like retinol and vitamin C. Because of this we recommend you apply it just two or three times a week for the best results.
3. Get The Most From Salicylic Acid By Using A Leave-On Treatment
Salicylic acid can be used in pretty much any skincare formulation, from cleansers and toners, through to exfoliants, serums and moisturizers. To really maximize its benefits, however, we believe that leave-on products offer far superior results to anything you’re going to wash down the plughole. It’s common sense, right?
On that note, try our 6% AHA, BHA + PHA Liquid Exfoliant which is everything for brighter, clearer, smoother-looking skin. Apply it to clean skin, before your serum and moisturizer.
4. Combine It With Tea Tree Oil
Our Tea Tree Super Serum+ blends salicylic acid with tea tree oil to really hit breakouts from all angles.
Tea tree oil is extracted from the leaves of the Australian tea tree and it has awesome anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial benefits making it a shoo-in for helping to calm facial redness at a surface level. Meanwhile, salicylic acid goes deeper to improve cell turnover and help remove excess oil and dirt that can block your pores in the first place. Together they’re truly dynamite. What’s more, our serum has been crafted to be as gentle as possible while still providing all the benefits you could ever want.
As we said, dynamite.
5. Use Sunscreen Every Morning
All experts agree (us, dermatologists, the FDA, need we go on?) that salicylic acid must be used in conjunction with a broad-spectrum sunscreen in order to help protect the skin and avoid sensitivities to UV radiation. It’s basically non-negotiable, so make sure sunscreen is as much a part of your morning routine as cleaning your teeth and brushing your hair.
We like to keep our SPF30 Mineral Sunscreen with Vitamin C right there on the shelf next to our serums and eye cream. That way, we never forget.
What Is Salicylic Acid And Does Your Skin Need It?
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