The Benefits Of Salicylic Acid And Why You Need It In Your Skincare RoutineRead time: 6 minutes
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Skincare Ingredients Edit
From antioxidants and vitamins, to AHA's and hydrators - your skincare is packed with a range of powerful actives and ingredients to help refine, rejuvenate, and replenish your skin.
Understanding ingredients can be a little daunting, but our helpful guides will enable you to choose the perfect ingredients for your skincare needs.
How To Choose The Right Ingredients
It's important to choose ingredients that work in synergy to help you achieve your skin goals without causing damage or irritation to your skin in the process.
For example, ingredients like salicylic acid are the most popular choice for treating acne and blemish-prone skin, whereas hyaluronic acid is a deeply hydrating ingredient for dry, thirsty skin.
If you're feeling a little confused and would like some guidance, our Skin Experts are always here to help you reach your skincare goals with bespoke advice. Simply complete our Personalised Skincare Consultation here and our Skin Experts will be in touch.
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How Do Antioxidants Help Protect Your Skin?
Antioxidants offer powerful protection for your skin. They work by stopping the skin-damaging oxidisation process that is caused by free radicals.
Free radicals are created by environmental factors such as UV radiation, air pollution, and cigarette smoke.
The most trending antioxidants include Vitamin C, Niacinamide, Resveratrol, Retinol, and Vitamin E.
How Do Free Radicals Damage Your Skin
When an atom becomes unstable, it tries to cling to a healthy atom to stabilise itself. When this happens, our cell DNA is damaged which can causse many issues from accelerating the ageing process to causing illnesses like cancer.
Antioxidants are able to donate an extra electron to unstable atoms which prevents them from destabilising in your skin cells, therefore preventing damage.
Why Are Vitamins Important In Skincare?
Vitamins are essential nutrients that your body needs in order to be able to function properly. Not only needed to help you stay healthy on the inside, vitamins are also important for healthy skin on the outside.
Vitamin A
An essential antioxidant, your body needs vitamin A to boost your immune function and stimulate cell growth.
Vitamin B5
Super hydrating, vitamin B5 is a humectant and an emollient. This means it can draw moisture into your skin as well as locking it in place.
Vitamin C
A powerful antioxidant, vitamin c is essential to aid with collagen production, cell protection, and skin repair.
Vitamin E
With moisturising and anti-ageing properties, vitamin E is a popular antioxidant.
Retinol
Derived from vitamin A, Retinol is multi-tasking vitamin known for its anti-ageing results.
What are AHAs and BHAs?
AHA and BHA stands for Alpha Hydroxy Acid and Beta Hydroxy Acid. They are two common skincare ingredients that are used as chemical exfoliants.
Alpha Hydroxy Acids
Alpha Hydroxy Acids are mostly derived from plants and work as water-soluble chemical exfoliants to remove dead skin cells from the surface of your skin.
The most popular AHA's in the skincare industry include glycolic acid, lactic acid, and mandelic acid which are well regarded for their excellent results.
Beta Hydroxy Acids
Beta Hydroxy Acids are oil soluble chemical exfoliants which means that they can seep deeper into your skin in comparison to AHA’s. BHA's are highly effective at deeply cleaning out your pores and helping to remove any excess oil. The most popular BHA is salicylic acid is which is most well-known for its effective treatment of acne and blemishes.
Nourish & Protect With Hydrators & Moisturisers
Hydrators
Hydrators are classed as humectants, they're moisture-magnets that can draw the moisture from the atmosphere into your skin and hold it there, keeping your skin hydrated.
Two of the most popular hydrators used in a lot of moisture-boosting skincare formulas are glycerin and hyaluronic acid.
Moisturisers
Moisturisers are oil-based ingredients that help your skin to look and feel soft and smooth. They help to protect your skin's natural barrier and seal in the vital moisture that your skin needs in order to stay healthy.
The industry-favourite ingredient for moisturising are ceramides. Known for their protective and moisture-boosting properties, ceramides can aid in protecting your skin from external damage, like UV radiation.
