We’re finding ourselves increasingly attracted to miracle ingredients that will give us glowing skin overnight. Skincare actives promise faster, targeted action rather than the slow impact delivered by natural skin care. The ingredients that used to be buried in the back label of your skin care products have slowly worked their way to the front. With skincare product names right out of a chemistry textbook, beauty shelves can almost be mistaken for those at a pharmacy. All this jargon around active skincare ingredients can make navigating it quite overwhelming. Don’t worry, we’re here to break it down for you.
The key to curating an effective skincare routine lies in understanding active ingredients, and how to correctly use them.
“Any molecule or chemical that targets a problem and is biologically active is considered an active,” explains Dr Akber Aimer, Director of Aesthetic Medicine at Maya Medi Spa in Bengaluru. “They’re biologically active because they work directly on your skin. You will find active ingredients listed separately on top of the normal list of ingredients.”
The active all-stars
Niacinamide that targets pigmentation. Vitamin C that brightens. Retinol that irons out fine lines. Alpha hydroxy and beta hydroxy acids that slough away dead skin. Ceramides that heal your skin and repair your barrier. And, of course, the holy grail of active ingredients—hyaluronic acid that saves your skin from much-dreaded dehydration. We don’t need that degree in chemistry to use them. Maybe just a disclaimer, or two.
The active soulmate – sunscreen
The one rule of thumb when dabbling with actives is to always use sunscreen. What’s the point of painstakingly nurturing great skin only to have UV rays take you back to square one?
Dr Aimer recommends using mineral sunscreens with titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. “They reflect off the radiation immediately,” he says, adding that they can have healing properties, too.
Not without your doc
Before experimenting with any actives, don’t forget to consult your dermatologist. Actives in skincare are potent chemicals, and although we want nothing more than to fix every concern, we must tread with caution.
Retinoids and benzoyl peroxide can be tricky to incorporate into your routine, which is why a lower concentration is always safe to start with. If not used correctly, “you may have severe dryness, or it can cause trauma on your skin,” says Dr Aimer.
The crowd favourite vitamin C is also one of the most volatile actives—it oxidises very quickly and using it in an oxidised state can lead to pigmentation and do more harm than good. Another tricky active is retinol, the over-the-counter alternative for retinoid, which is prescription only. Even as the safer derivative of vitamin A, it can be sensitising for those with a compromised skin barrier. Also, vitamin C being acidic and retinol alkaline shouldn’t be used together.
Once you confirm if they can be combined, layering actives can do wonders for your skin. Start with the thinnest formulation and layer up to the thickest.
Information is power and we recommend that you use all that’s available to you to familiarise yourselves with these superhero ingredients.
