Top 2 Ingredients in Skincare Products: ‘Actives’ and ‘Sunscreen’

17 Sep Top 2 Ingredients in Skincare Products: ‘Actives’ and ‘Sunscreen’

Top 2 Ingredients in Skincare Products: ‘Actives’ and ‘Sunscreen’

Regardless of your age and skin condition, you are constantly searching for the best skin regimen, aimed to solve those specific issues that concern you. However, you can buy the most expensive skincare products and still face the same annoying skin problems over and over again, such as pigmentation, acne, wrinkles or dry skin.

The reason may be that you did not include the right “actives” in your skincare routine, which are powerful enough to help you achieve your goal face. Or you maybe are not careful enough when it comes to use daily sunscreen.

What are actives in skincare? 

If you’ve been looking for more information about skin care recently, you have probably come across more than once the term ‘actives’. So, what that means?

The active ingredient is actually that magic ingredient among the other ingredients in your skin care product that has been included in the formula in order to improve a specific skin problem.

There is a limited percentage of active ingredient allowed in a skin care product. The higher amount of  the “active” in the product, the more effective it is considered. They are usually applied on clean skin before moisturizer or sunscreen.

Nowadays you can get ‘actives’ both on prescription and over-the-counter. The difference is that the products with active ingredients on prescription, which are drugs, have always specified the percentage of the included active ingredient. Often they will be more concentrated than over-the-counter ‘active products’. However, with all the intensive changes that have taken place lately in the market for skin care products, you can stumble upon cosmetic over-the-counter with a sufficient amount of active ingredients that are marked on the label.

What skin condition can ‘active’ solve?

It is not enough to just buy any good active-containing product and hope it will do wonders for your skin. Is essential to know the right active ingredient which will work specifically with the skin issue you are interested to solve. Depending on your own skin condition you will choose to add certain active products to your skin care regimen. But being well informed about which one is good for your skin, you will surely know how to combine actives like a pro.

• Hyperpigmentation

If you struggle with hyperpigmentation, you will definitely be looking for concentrated ‘actives’ like, alpha hydroxy acids, vitamin C or hydroquinone to apply as a daily basis on your skin until you will notice the dark spots are fading away.

As an affordable and efficient combination to combat your dark spots you can consider the use of THE ORDINARY Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution along with THE ORDINARY Vitamin C Suspension 30% in Silicone.

• Acne

Whether you have only a few inflamed spots or your whole face is covered with pimples, this is proof that your skin is currently suffering from acne.While making sure you have an appointment with your dermatologist, you must adhere to an appropriate skin care regimen for this condition, which should definitely include those golden active ingredients that have proven their ability to cure acne.

The best known ‘actives’ to choose for that purpose are: retinoids, benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, azelaic acid and niacinamide.

In terms of topical ‘actives’ found over-the-counter, a great active products    recommended by dermatologists for night use are Avène TriAcnéal Expert (30ml),which contains retinaldehyde and for day, La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+ (40ml), with a great mix of beneficial ingredients , such as Salicylic Acid and Niacinamide.

• Dry skin

While some people may only experience this dry skin sensation during the cold season, others chronically suffer from a lack of skin hydration, no matter how many moisturizers   they use.

By simply adding some active ingredients, such as hyaluronic acid, vitamin E, urea or lactic acid, known for their powerful ability to fight dry skin, you can greatly improve the condition of your skin. As a result, you don’t feel the need to apply a ton of creams to reduce the unpleasant feeling of tightness. An excellent product that can instantly replenish skin hydration is the Japanese Hada Labo Gokujyun lotion, which contains a high percentage of hyaluronic acid.

• Aging skin

If a good cleanser paired with a moisturizer can be considered a sufficient amount of products that can be applied on your face in your 20’s, this approach to your skin care will definitely change as soon as the first signs of aging appear.

As you get older, the production of collagen and elastin in your skin slows down, and as a result, fine lines and wrinkles become more noticeable. At this point, you will consider incorporating certain ‘actives’ into your skin care in order to defeat the signs of aging.

One of the most beloved anti-aging ingredient is retinoids. However, the gold standard and the most powerful among the “retinoids family” is considered to be retinoic acid, which is available on prescription. Other active ingredients able to make a difference in aging skin are vitamin C, vitamin E and niacinamide.

If you are not familiar with retinoids yet a good point to start can be to combine THE ORDINARY Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion at night with the Paula’s Choice C15 SUPER BOOSTER for day.

Why is Sunscreen essential for your skin care?

While being aware of the necessity of using the ‘actives’ as a part of your skincare routine you should not neglect the importance of other steps, like moisturizing or sunscreen.

Studies have shown that 80% of visible signs of aging are due to UV exposure. More of that, many dermatologists tend to consider the sunscreen as a number one anti-aging ingredient. Therefore, to maximize the action of the active ingredients and help the skin resist environmental factors, it is necessary to apply a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 daily.