5 Awesome Skincare Ingredients You Should Know More About

Getting your skincare products right can be hard. There are so many different ingredients on the market. It's complicated trying to figure out what will work best for your skin's unique needs. Here are five powerful skincare ingredients that you should consider using to achieve healthy, glowing skin!

1. Retinol

Retinol is a highly effective ingredient for improving the appearance of skin. Retinol is vitamin A, and is converted into retinoic acid when applied to your skin. There it helps stimulate the development of new cells, and breaks down old ones so that your skin has a smoother texture. Retinol also reduces inflammation thanks to its antioxidant effects. Finally, it stimulates collagen production, helping reduce the appearance of scars and wrinkles. 

It's important to note that retinol increases skin sensitivity to UV rays. This can lead to sunburn and cellular damage. Sunlight also reduces the effectiveness of retinol, so it won't work as well if you use it in the daytime. Instead, you should only apply retinol products at night. And whenever you're using skincare products that contain retinol you should always wear SPF, even if the weather is overcast.

2. Glycolic Acid

Glycolic acid is an alpha hydroxy acid derived from sugar cane. It works as a chemical exfoliant to increase the shedding of dead skin cells, revealing smoother, fresher skin. Glycolic acid also helps with the production of collagen to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and smooth out your skin.

Although glycolic acid is well tolerated by most people's skin, it does have some downsides. For starters, it can cause dryness and irritation for some people's skin. And like retinol, it also increases your skin's sensitivity to sunlight. Always wear SPF when using skincare products with glycolic acid.

3. Hyaluronic Acid

Hyaluronic acid is a natural humectant. That means it helps hydrate your skin. Amazingly, it can hold up to 1000 times its weight in water! Hydrated skin is plumper and firmer than dehydrated skin. This improves the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

Hyaluronic acid is one of the most popular humectants because it hydrates skin without leaving a greasy residue behind.

The chances of experiencing any negative reactions to hyaluronic acid are very low. However hyaluronic acid does boost the absorption of other skincare ingredients. If you have very sensitive skin, you might notice dryness and irritation after using a product containing hyaluronic acid. Often this is because of a reaction to another ingredient in the formulation.

4. Ceramides

Ceramides are a type of waxy lipid (fat) that occur naturally in skin cells. They work as biological moisturizers, helping to regulate water retention and prevent dryness. Because ceramides are natural, it's unlikely you'll have a negative reaction to them.

As we age, the amount of ceramides we produce starts to slow. Supplementing our ceramides through skincare is a great way of maintaining youthful looking skin. Ceramides help support the skin's protective barrier, so these products are often used to treat eczema or psoriasis.

5. Vitamin C 

Vitamin C is important for skincare because it contains powerful antioxidants. Antioxidants protect cells from damage caused by oxidative stress. They do this by neutralizing harmful free radicals. This helps keep your cells healthier, and it shows on your skin!

Vitamin C is also an essential for making collagen, which helps with skin's elasticity. As we get older, the amount of collagen we produce decreases. Giving our bodies all the building blocks it needs to make collagen ensures that we create as much as possible. Collagen is vital to the skin's supportive matrix, so the more collagen we have, the firmer and more youthful our skin appears.

In conclusion

Understanding what each ingredient does in your skincare products, and how they help support your cells, is vital to getting the right results. These five ingredients are super powerful at nourishing your skin from a cellular level, and are well tolerated by even sensitive skin.