Active ingredients
24 January 2023
You might have heard of the term “actives” or “active ingredients” in skincare tossed around liberally on social media- but what does it really mean? Here’s a guide to understanding one of the fundamentals about skincare- so you can adopt a more directed approach to choosing your skincare!
Put simply, active ingredients are the ingredients in our skincare that address particular concerns, such as acne, dark spots and wrinkles. These ingredients are biologically active- meaning that these ingredients are capable of amending the structure or function of the skin. These effects result in changes, both beneficial or adverse, on the skin, depending on the active ingredient.
Active ingredients are present in almost all forms of skincare- cleansers, serums, moisturisers, sheet masks and sunscreens..etc to achieve their therapeutic purposes.
Choosing skincare based on their active ingredients for your skin concerns is a strategic approach to addressing them. For example, comedonal acne can sometimes be managed with over the counter retinols; and the symptoms of dry and irritable skin can be ameliorated with active ingredients that strengthen the skin barrier. Besides potentially improving the conditions of your skin; you might even find this more cost effective than using and layering skincare for the sake of it.
Some of the factors affecting the effectiveness and efficacy of your skincare product are, besides the presence of active ingredients, are the concentration of these ingredients and whether it is biologically active. Just like a drug or medication, one factor that affects the effectiveness and efficacy of an active ingredient its its concentration or dose. An active ingredient needs to be present in a sufficient dose or concentration to deliver its therapeutic effects. Some skincare companies indicate the concentrations of the active ingredients; but not all state the concentrations of these ingredients.
Some of the most popular active ingredients in skincare are listed here. They’ve also all been explained in detail in their individual blogposts:
• Hyaluronic acid to moisturise the skin
– Everything You Need to Know about Hyaluronic Acid
• Sunscreen filters in sunscreen
• Vitamin C to lighten dark spots
– Topical Vitamin C: One of the Best Ways to Protect Your Skin
• Acids (AHAs & BHA) for exfoliation
– A Complete Guide to Acids in Skincare & Chemical Exfoliation
• Retinoids for acne and anti-ageing
• Ceramides to moisturise and strengthen skin barrier.
– Ceramides: A Relief for Dry & Sensitive Skin
• Niacinamide-an all rounded antioxidant that reduces sensitivity and oiliness
• Niacinamide: A Versatile Ingredient Your Skin Will Thank You For
• Azelaic Acid- an anti-acne active ingredient that also lightens dark spots
• Azelaic Acid: A Multi-Tasking Skincare Active to Know
Choosing your skincare based on the active ingredients can help you to address your skin concerns. These are some of the recommended combinations of active ingredients:
To lighten dark spots:
• Vitamin C + Sunscreen
• Vitamin C + Vitamin E + Ferulic acid
• Alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs) + Vitamin C
Related blogpost:
How to Lighten Dark Spots with Skincare
To reduce acne and signs of ageing (e.g fine wrinkles):
• Retinoids + Niacinamide
• Retinoids + Azelaic acid
• Retinoids + Hyaluronic Acid
• Retinoids + Ceramides
• AHAs or Beta-hydroxy acid (BHA) + Sunscreen
Related blogposts:
Acne: Types, Causes & Treatments
5 Skincare Ingredients for Acne & Acne Prone Skin
Acne & Diet: Foods to Avoid for Less Pimples
The Complete Guide to Back Acne & Treatments
To brighten dull, rough skin:
• AHAs or BHA + Hyaluronic acid
• AHA or BHA + Hyaluronic acid
• AHA + Vitamin C
• AHAs or BHA + Sunscreen
• AHAs or Beta-hydroxy acid (BHA) + Sunscreen
Do not combine:
• Retinoids + AHAs or BHA
• AHAs or BHA + Scrubs
• Retinoids + Benzoyl peroxide
• Retinoids + Vitamin C
• Use active ingredients on clean skin to enhance their penetration. For a guide to layering your active ingredients, please read How to Layer Skincare in the Correct Order.
• Combining active ingredients can improve your skin condition; but the risk of interactions between the ingredients; and side effects also increase. Limit the number of active ingredients in your skincare routine to a maximum of three to minimise these risks
• Some active ingredients, especially in high concentrations, can transiently compromise the skin barrier and cause irritation. If this happens, hold off using the offending skincare and focus on barrier recovery. How to Repair Your Skin Barrier will share how to do that.
•Give enough time for the therapeutic effects of the active ingredients to be seen. The duration required for individual active ingredients to work is variable- for example ceramides’s moisturising effects are almost immediate; but retinoids can take 6 weeks for fine wrinkles to be reduced.
• While active ingredients in skincare can be very helpful in improving your skin condition- there can be circumstances where the results are less than ideal, even with your best efforts, especially for conditions such as acne, dark spots and wrinkles. Usually this is because over the counter skincare is not sufficient to treat these conditions alone and you can consider consulting your doctor to learn about treatment options such as lasers, chemical peels and Botox.
Related blogposts:
10 Things to Know About Getting Lasers for Hyperpigmentation
