THE MOST USED ACTIVE INGREDIENTS IN COSMETICS

You’re often hearing about active ingredients in cosmetic products, and what they’re offering to your skin, but do you know which are the most used ones? If not then spent some time reading the following to find out more!

ALLANTOIN

Allantoin comes from a root and is considered as one of the natural substances. A great advantage of its use is that it acts exfoliating dead skin, and in this way, it offers an easier penetration of substances. Also, it has healing and soothing properties, and it contributes to the smoothing of the skin and the rapid renewal of the cells.

BISABOLOL

This substance is derived from chamomile extract and it has protective and sedative properties as it helps to prevent and treat irritation and redness. It strengthens the natural shield of the skin, by strengthening the cells and giving the skin radiance and purity.

RETINOL

In other words, it’s a derivative from vitamin A. Retinol is mainly used in anti-ageing products due to its antioxidant properties. It fights against the free radicals that are created by the time and controls over basic cell functions.

PANTHENOL

Panthenol is a provitamin B5, that when it enters the skin, it is converted to vitamin B5. It increases and regulates skin hydration levels, and contributes to cell regeneration, as well as it helps in maintaining skin elasticity. In addition, it has soothing effects and mild healing properties.

TOCOPHEROL

Tocopherol or tocopheryl acetate is a derivative of vitamin E with antioxidant activity when it’s contained in cosmetic products. As an antioxidant protects the skin from free radicals and damages from sun exposure but it’s also considered to have an anti-inflammatory effect.

COLLAGEN

Collagen as you’ve probably heard so far, is a structural protein of skin’s connective tissue. Collagen is rich in amino acids, and it’s an ingredient that has strong moisturising and protective properties. It offers restoration of the proper elasticity of the skin, its proper hydration and promotes the rapid renewal of the skin cells. In few words it tones, tightens and rejuvenates tired skin. The increasing collagen levels will achieve initially minimising and finally eliminating the expression wrinkles that have developed over time. Collagen in our skin is derived from fibroblasts, which are found naturally in the skin, and maintains the skin’s elasticity. But unfortunately, collagen is reduced with age, either from normal ageing or from premature ageing, from hormonal imbalances as well as prolonged exposure to sunlight, that leads even to collagen degeneration. Cosmetic products that contain collagen are intended to replace the certain loss of our natural collagen that occurs either from hormonal, chronological, environmental, or pathological factors.

ELASTIN

It is an emollient with hydrating properties and is mainly used as a skin moisturiser. Elastin is an insoluble protein and comes from mammals. The purified elastin has a pale yellow colour, and has the form of a solution. It’s the only multiple-layer substance that retains “rubber-like” properties in the water, which means that it can swell without dissolving. A big advantage of elastin is that due to its low weight it easily penetrates the surface of the skin and it mainly helps prevent facial wrinkles by offering firming results. It can also fight stretch marks, and increase skin’s elasticity. By using a product with elastin, the skin instantly becomes firmer, smoother, with a youthful glow. It’s usually used as an ingredient in cosmetic anti-ageing products.

HYALURONIC ACID

This is a skin’s natural acid, that has a high moisturising action, providing permanent hydration, preventing water loss, and it stabilises the skin’s structure. Hyaluronic acid has the ability to “cover” temporarily injured skin, leaving it hydrated. This speeds up the regeneration and healing process of the skin, thus reduces the recovery time, minimises any side effects (scars, etc.) and makes the skin softer and smoother. It’s one of the most used substances in moisturisers.

LANOLIN

Lanolin is a fatty, wax-like substance that is used as a cosmetic ingredient for its emollient, emulsifying and stabilising properties. Lanolin is derived from the fat excreted by the glands of wool-bearing animals such as sheep. Its role is to protect animal’s wool and skin from environmental factors, so in human’s skin plays a similar role as it lubricates it and protect it, from losing its natural moisture.

GLYCERIN

It’s a substance with a high water capacity, that makes it an ideal moisturiser under normal atmospheric conditions. At low relative humidity, it absorbs more water from the lower layers of the skin and less from the air, which results in a dry feeling on the skin after it has evaporated. However, it’s very often found, as capable of trapping water from the atmosphere to the skin and can be used in skincare products, mainly in water-based creams, face masks, etc.

SORBITOL

Sorbitol is a substance that is often used in creams and other cosmetics, as it’s similar to glycerin, but more acceptable by the skin. It’s derived from glucose and extracted from fruits such as cherries, pears, etc. Sorbitol gives a velvety appearance to the skin, as a moisturising agent and therefore enriching the skin’s hydration, because it binds water.

FRUIT ACIDS

Fruit acids are chemically hydroxy acids, and are distinguished by their chemical structure into a-hydroxy acids (AHA) such as glycolic acid, citric acid, etc. and b-hydroxy acids (BHA) such as salicylic acid. They are organic substances found in foods and especially in fruits, which is why they got the name “fruit acids”. However, they are also found in the human body.

Are you often wondering which is their action? Well, the following facts will definitely answer this question.

– They reduce the cohesion of dead skin cells, as they break down the sticky substance that holds them and cause exfoliation. Therefore, the thickness of the skin’s surface decreases and the skin looks more radiant and fresh.

– They activate the cells of the epidermis to produce new cells and the fibroblasts to produce collagen. Therefore, by exerting a regenerative effect on the skin, they improve its wrinkles, contributing drastically to the anti-ageing treatments of the skin.

– They reduce the excessive size of the cells, returning them to normal, with the result that the cell functions are properly working and, among other things, retain their moisture, thus improving the dehydration of the skin.

– They reduce the pH of the skin and thus increase naturally the activity of certain enzymes that stimulate the renewal of skin cells.

There are still plenty and more of them out there in the market, that are widely used in beauty products, so if you have any questions about a specific active ingredient, don’t hesitate to leave a comment or simply contact us by email with your enquiry.