Do you know the ingredients in your skincare products? And do you know if they do what they’re supposed to—or are even safe?
There’s no reason to live with mystery ingredients and skin that’s not looking its best. When you’re making your next beauty product purchase, look for all-natural, effective ingredients like these five to help you safely nail your beautiful skin goals for 2020.
1. Activated charcoal
This super-magnetic ingredient is being used more frequently for its detoxing properties. Activated charcoal helps pull or purge impurities from the skin while gently exfoliating. This removes buildup on the surface of the skin, helping you achieve supple, glowing skin.
2. Vitamin C
Sure, it’s best known as an important nutrient for overall health. But it also does wonders for your skin as an essential component in the body’s natural production of collagen. Topical vitamin C serums and creams help protect the skin from sun damage and reduce the appearance of dark circles and age spots. Topical vitamin C also assists in improving your overall complexion, creating brighter, healthier skin.
3. Hyaluronic acid
Increase skin moisture, improve elasticity, and diminish the appearance of fine lines with hyaluronic acid. It’s being incorporated into antiaging beauty products and is often recommended for those who suffer from dry skin—and yes, you can get vegan hyaluronic acid products! This powerful ingredient’s moisture-locking properties help skin appear and feel smoother, dewier, and more refreshed.
4. Vitamin E
One of the best-known antioxidants used for overall skin health, vitamin E can be found in many skincare products for its rich moisturizing and conditioning properties. Vitamin E protects the skin from harmful effects of solar radiation by acting as a free-radical scavenger. It helps repair and improve the appearance of damaged skin and is commonly used to target dark under-eye circles.
5. Tea tree oil
This stuff is basically nature’s first aid treatment for skin. Tea tree oil has increased in popularity in soaps, hair care products, and topical ointments. This essential oil has antifungal and antibacterial benefits that encourage healing and help prevent infection. Many beauty pros use it to help reduce itching, acne breakouts, and dandruff. Tea tree oil is a great substitute for benzoyl peroxide and can treat acne without the negative side effects of peeling and redness.
Achieving your skin goals this year doesn’t have to be complicated, expensive, or toxic. Using a little bit of nature’s goodness does the trick.
CBD in skincare: We’re just getting started
Cannabidiol (CBD) skincare barely existed five years ago, and it’s exploding now. Why?
Studies have shown CBD (a non-psychoactive component of hemp) may reduce inflammation, treat acne, and soothe conditions such as eczema and psoriasis. While CBD skincare and beauty products are already numerous—we’re talking everything from pain-relieving lotions and soothing bath bombs to serums and lip gloss—the range of CBD offerings will only keep expanding.
So what should you look for?
“When using CBD skincare, you want to be sure you’re getting a product with full-spectrum CBD oil,” says Nicoletta Makris, who grows hemp for CBD skincare products on her Oregon farm. A whole-plant extract has all the beneficial elements, she explains.
– Lisa Truesdale
A version of this article was published in the January/February 2020 issue of alive USA with the title “Skin Goals.”