Allergies and sensitivities: knowing the ingredients helps you to avoid substances that may cause an allergic reaction or irritate your skin.
Effectiveness: Different ingredients serve different purposes, such as moisturising, anti-ageing or acne treatment. Understanding which ingredients to use for each concern can help you choose products that are effective for your specific skin needs.
Safety: Some skincare ingredients can be harmful or toxic. Being Informed helps you avoid dangerous substances.
Skin type Compatibility: Certain ingredients work better for specific skin types (oily, dry, combination, sensitive). Choosing products suitable for your skin type can improve your skin health.
Ingredient interactions: Some ingredients can interact negatively with others, reducing their effectiveness or causing irritation. Knowing the components can help you to avoid
Cost-Effectiveness : Awareness of active ingredients can help you identify which products are worth the investment and which are not.
How to read the Ingredients list on your Skincare.
ingredients are listed in descending order of concentration. Eg the first third of ingredients make up most of the product, the second third approximately 4-12% of the product and the last third makes up a very small amount .
Ingredients present in concentrations less than 1% can be listed in any order.
Active ingredients: These are the components responsible for the products primary function eg; salicylic acid, glycolic acid, etc
Inactive ingredients: These support the formulation, such as preservatives, emulsifiers, and fragrances.
Understanding Names: Ingredients are listed by their scientific names or INCI
( International Nomenclature of cosmetic ingredients.)
Look for Key Ingredients: Moisturisers like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, ceramides.
Exfoliants Do your research as alpha hydroxy acids (AHA’s) glycolic acid, lactic acid Beta hydroxy acids (BHA’s) Salicylic acid.
Antioxidants such as Vit C, Vit E, green tea extract.
Anti-ageing like Retinoids ( retinol, retinyl palmitate) and peptides .
Check for potential irritants: Fragrances, essential oils and certain preservatives can cause irritation or allergic reactions.
Alcohols like ethanol can be dehydrating. but cetyl alcohol can be moisturising.
Natural ingredients vs Synthetic ingredients: Natural ingredients are not better , some can cause allergies and similarly synthetic ingredients are not always harmful and can be more stable and effective.
Hypoallergenic and Non -Comedogenic: Hypoallergenic means the product is less likely to cause allergy and Non-Comedogenic means the product is less likely to clog pores.
Do your research:
Use resources like the Environmental Working Group’s Skin deep database or The INCI Decoder to look up unfamiliar ingredients and understand their safety and functionality.
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