By Stacey Colino, iVillage editor
To take care of the skin you’re in, you probably wash it, moisturize it, and protect it on a daily basis. But are your skincare products using the best ingredients? Here are 10 standout ingredients that are actually good for you:
1. Retinoic Acid: Get Younger
Retinoic acid, derived from vitamin A, comes in a mild, over-the-counter form (retinol) and a more potent, prescription-strength sibling (retinoid). These ingredients can minimize and prevent wrinkles, diminish fine lines and brown spots, and improve acne. Best of all, the prescription-strength version can promote the production of collagen (the skin’s essential support structure) and help the skin make more elastin (which gives skin its resilience), explains Ellen Marmur, M.D., vice chair of cosmetic and dermatologic surgery at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City and author of Simple Skin Beauty. These effects make the skin look younger, plumper, fresher, and more radiant.
How to Use Retinoic Acid
You’ll find retinols and retinoids in night creams as well as eye creams, serums, peels, and moisturizers. Since so many different formulations are available, almost any skin type can benefit from using retinols. But, if you have sensitive or very dry skin you may want to use retinol- or retinoid-containing products every third night until your skin becomes accustomed to the ingredient. Or you can apply a moisturizer on top of retinoic acid without diluting the effects, Dr. Marmur says.
Remember: Retinoic acid makes the skin sensitive, so it’s essential to use sunscreen every day, even when it’s cloudy.
2. Niacinamide: Clear Up Blemishes
A form of vitamin B3, niacinamide can reduce and prevent the formation of brown spots on the skin, improve the appearance of wrinkles, and reduce inflammation (which means it may improve acne, eczema, and rosacea). Niacinamide has also been found to increase the skin’s production of ceramides (a sort of fatty glue that holds the skin cells together) and other skin molecules which can improve the skin’s barrier function and prevent water loss, notes Leslie Baumann, M.D., a dermatologist in Miami Beach and author of The Skin Type Solution. As a result, this vitamin for your face can improve your skin’s luster, smoothness, and texture.
How to Use Niacinamide
You’ll find niacinamide in creams, cleansers, lotions, anti-aging serums, sunscreens, and acne and rosacea treatments. If you want to lighten brown spots, niacinamide is a mild, generally well-tolerated approach, says Dr. Baumann. But if you don’t get sufficient results, see your dermatologist, who can prescribe a prescription skin lightener. If you want to reduce signs of aging, be patient: A 2010 study found that women who used a regimen of lotions and creams that contained niacinamide showed just as much improvement in the appearance of their wrinkles after 6 months as those who used prescription creams.
Bonus: the niacinamide protocol was much better tolerated.
3. Hyaluronic Acid: Support Your Skin
Hyaluronic Acid (HA) is one of the skin’s vital support structures, and it tends to diminish with advancing age, sun damage and other environmental assaults. While HA in topical products can’t replace the HA that’s lost naturally in skin, it does have excellent moisturizing properties. HA attracts and seals water into the skin, which not only protects the skin but also helps camouflage fine lines. It’s also the active ingredient in injectable fillers like Restylane and Juvederm that are used to plump up facial wrinkles and sagging skin.
How to Use Hyaluronic Acid
You’ll find HA in serums, moisturizers, body lotions, ointments, eye creams, and some lipsticks. Because it helps moisturize dry, flaky, or subtly parched skin, HA increases overall hydration in the skin, which helps maximize the effectiveness of other ingredients, such as antioxidants, that you may be putting on your skin, Dr. Marmur says. After all, if skin is moist and supple, active ingredients can work their way more deeply into the skin, where they can be most effective.
4. Vitamin C: Prevent Wrinkles
When you eat a food that’s rich in vitamin C, it’s good for your immune function. Topically, vitamin C is also beneficial in a peel, serum, night cream, lotion, anti-aging gel or mask. It can help lighten brown spots and help prevent both uneven pigmentation and wrinkles from developing. Topical vitamin C has also been shown to improve the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines you may already have, says Dr. Baumann.
How to Use Vitamin C
When it comes to the effectiveness of vitamin C in creams, serums, moisturizers and other skin-care preparations, the biggest issue is its stability. “Not all forms of vitamin C are effective,” says Dr. Baumann. Vitamin C also becomes deactivated when it’s exposed to light, so it’s wise to buy a product that’s in an opaque container and keep it tightly sealed. Lastly, keep in mind: Vitamin C preparations can be highly irritating to sensitive skin or people with rosacea or eczema.
5. Alpha-Hydroxy Acids: Exfoliate
Alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) have an exfoliating effect. They occur naturally: Glycolic acid comes from sugarcane, malic acid from apples, lactic acid from milk and citric acid from citrus fruits. AHAs work on the outer layer of skin, removing layers of dead skin. “This gives the skin a smoother surface that reflects light better and looks more radiant,” Dr. Baumann says. AHAs also make the skin’s surface smoother and allow other beneficial ingredients to penetrate better. Plus, they help boost collagen production and help the skin hold onto moisture, which can reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
How to Use Alpha-Hydroxy Acids
AHA products will produce a slight chemical peel, exfoliating the skin’s outer layer of dead cells. “For someone with very dry or sensitive skin, lactic acid is the gentlest option,” Dr. Marmur says. Be sure to read the labels on the products you’re using: You want to avoid using an AHA-containing cleanser or moisturizer along with a retinoid, which can cause serious irritation and inflammation to the skin. Also, since AHAs remove the outermost layer of skin, they can make you more sensitive to the sun, which is why it’s essential to wear a broad-spectrum sunscreen religiously, says Dr. Baumann.
6. Peptides: Regenerate
Peptides are amino acids that “provide the building blocks and the stimulus for skin cells to produce more collagen and elastin,” Dr. Marmur explains. When peptides are added to topical products, they help repair and regenerate the structure and integrity of the skin. As a result, they can mend damage caused by sun exposure or pollution, improve the appearance of wrinkles and prevent more from forming, repair the skin’s natural barrier, and lighten skin discoloration. Meanwhile, because peptides retain skin’s natural moisture, products with peptides will effectively hold moisture in the skin, Dr. Marmur adds.
How to Use Peptides
Peptide-containing products are best used at night, when the skin goes through its natural regeneration process and doesn’t have to deal with environmental assaults while you sleep, Dr. Marmur notes. Because peptides can bind with water, make sure the product you choose contains glycerin or another moisturizing agent for optimal effectiveness. Peptides expire sooner than you think, so check the package’s expiration date and store the product properly between uses.
7. Salicyclic Acid: Get Softer
The most famous of the beta hydroxy acids, salicylic acid has a powerful exfoliating effect, thanks to its ability to remove dead cells from the surface of the skin and clean out pores, making the skin look and feel softer. Salicylic acid has an added advantage over other exfoliants, Dr. Baumann says, because “it can get down into the pores and unclog them, clearing blackheads.” And because salicylic acid is in the aspirin family, it has anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties, which contribute to its calming effects on acne and rosacea. “When used on a regular basis, salicylic acid can decrease the frequency and severity of acne eruptions,” says Dr. Baumann.
How to Use Salicylic Acid
Whether in facial washes, scrubs, peels, cleansing pads, moisturizers or acne care products, salicylic acid is a blessing for anyone with acne, oily or sun damaged skin, rosacea or a tendency to get clogged pores. However, if you have dry or highly sensitive skin, salicylic acid may be difficult to tolerate. In stronger concentrations used in peels at dermatologists’ offices, topical salicylic acid can fade brown spots, decrease roughness on the skin’s surface, and reduce fine lines. Since salicylic acid removes the outermost layer of skin, it can make you more sensitive to the sun so it’s imperative to use sunscreen daily, says Dr. Baumann.
8. Soy: Lighten Up
You know it’s good for you when you eat it—but did you know soy is also beneficial if you put it on your skin? The topical use of soy may reduce the appearance of brown spots, enhance skin elasticity, control oil production and moisturize the skin, says Dr. Baumann. Meanwhile, soy also provides antioxidant benefits, and can restore the skin’s barrier function and replenish moisture. Using soy-containing moisturizers and lotions also may help counteract some of the thinning of the skin and collagen loss that occurs after menopause, Dr. Baumann adds. Soy has anti-inflammatory properties, which is a blessing for people with sensitive skin.
How to Use Soy
You can use a soy-containing anti-wrinkle cream to prevent wrinkles and the formation of brown spots, a soy-containing cleanser to calm a sensitive or irritated complexion or makeup products that contain soy. Remember: Soy exerts some estrogen-like effects so you shouldn’t use soy-containing products if you have melasma (a skin-discoloration disorder) or if you’re at high risk for an estrogen-sensitive cancer such as breast or uterine, Dr. Baumann cautions.
9. Ceramides: Strengthen Skin's Barrier
Ceramides, the new kids on the block, are like the glue that holds the skin cells together. Moisturizers that contain them are designed to replace some of the skin’s natural oils and restore the skin’s natural barrier. Unfortunately, as you get older, the skin’s barrier gets drier and compromised and your skin has fewer ceramides and other natural fats, which can lead to dull, dry, or cracked skin. Research from Germany suggests that topical ceramides can also reduce the depth and appearance of wrinkles, and improve smoothness in sun-damaged skin, after four weeks of regular use
How to Use Ceramides
Many ceramide-containing skin-care products are geared toward those with eczema or dry skin, but they can be used by anyone. At night, try using a ceramide-containing night cream or eye gel to help fortify your skin’s natural barrier, Dr. Baumann says, since your skin is already in repair mode while you’re asleep. For daytime use, look for a moisturizing cream that will hydrate and strengthen the skin. Check the product ingredients list for ceramide, cholesterol (or sterol) and fatty acids (like stearic acid, olive oil, primrose oil, or borage seed oil) since these are found naturally in the skin’s barrier, Dr. Baumann notes.
10. Green Tea: Protect Skin from Sun
Feel free to drink the soothing brew if you like green tea, but for the sake of your skin, consider using products that contain this calming, protective ingredient. A powerful antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties to boot, green tea can protect against sun damage (and possibly skin cancer), neutralize overcharged skin molecules that are generated by sun exposure and prevent damage to skin cells, “Indirectly, this can lead to skin brightening and diminishing of pigmentation and fine lines,” says Dr. Marmur. Meanwhile, its anti-inflammatory effects may help calm rosacea and eczema.
Source: iVillage
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