What Are The Best Ingredients For Skincare Products?

When it comes to skincare, you want to include only the best ingredients in your products. Skincare is an incredibly important part of self-care these days and consumers are looking for the highest quality ingredients in their products.

The best ingredients for skincare differ completely depending on the problem that you're targeting; a good ingredient for dry skin may not be a good ingredient for oily skin. With such a huge variety of products to treat a range of conditions, it can be hard to know what to pick.

We have been taking a look at the best ingredients you can use in your skincare products and have summarised them all below. Take a look now to find out the best skincare ingredients for different skin concerns. 

What Are The Best Kinds Of Skincare Ingredients?

Before we get into the best skincare ingredients for different concerns, let's look at what makes a good skincare ingredient.

There are a few kinds of skincare ingredients that we love and these are those with antioxidant properties, those that replenish the skin, and those that restore the skin. In recent years, skincare has seen a shift toward much kinder ingredients. We're no longer using harsh ingredients but trying to repair the damage that has been done to our skin's barriers.

Antioxidants are great for skin cells because they are protective. They protect the skin against oxidative stress and free radical damage as well as UV rays. They have anti-aging and anti-inflammatory properties too, making them useful in products for mature skin.

Antioxidants are found everywhere in nature, meaning they're pretty easy to get your hands on. Vitamin C and vitamin C derivatives, like l-ascorbic acid, make for great skincare ingredients. Vitamin C products are known to brighten dull skin and may protect against the visible signs of aging.

Other ingredients that can bring antioxidants to your skincare include blueberry extracts, green tea extracts, and vitamin A.

Skin replenishing ingredients are used to repair and protect the skin's surface, allowing it to properly lock in moisture. They help the skin feel firmer, plumper, and softer, helping you to look more youthful and refreshed.

Skin replenishing ingredients include hyaluronic acid, ceramides, glycerin, fatty acids, amino acids, salicylic acid, and glycolic acid.

Skin restorative ingredients are used to create an even skin tone and to repair a damaged skin surface too. The aim is to brighten skin and work to reduce the visible signs of aging, alongside antioxidants.

Skin-restoring ingredients include retinol and retinol-containing ingredients, niacinamide, peptides, and linoleic acid.

The Best Ingredients For Skin Care Products

The best skincare ingredients are the ones that treat the targeted concern. This means that the best ingredients will change per the product you're creating. Below, we've summarized a few good products for each concern.

Ingredients For Moisturisation

When it comes to moisturizing the skin, you want ingredients that penetrate deeply and lock in moisture to hydrate and replenish the skin. While different skin types will benefit from different ingredients, there are a few heroes of skin hydration to consider. These include

• Hyaluronic acid - If you haven't heard of hyaluronic acid then you must have been living under a rock. Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring acid that is used in skincare to promote collagen synthesis, improve skins elasticity, boost firmness, and keep your skin moisturised. It is perfect for moisturising skincare.
• Glycerin - This ingredient acts as a humectant when used on the skin, meaning it helps the skin to retain moisture. Glycerin is a good choice if you're creating a product to relieve dryness.
• Oils - Different oils come with different benefits, but all of them can help to replenish moisture. If you're creating a product for oily skin, you'll need a non-comedogenic oil (this means it won't cause clogged pores). Examples of non-comedogenic oils include rosehip oil and hemp seed oil. For dry skin, opt for oils like olive oil or jojoba oil. 

Ingredients For Exfoliation

Since microplastics and plastic beads have been banned in lots of countries, chemical exfoliants have increased in popularity. Chemical exfoliants work to remove dead skin cells, just like physical exfoliants, but without physical scrubbing.

Chemical exfoliants fall into two categories; alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs) and beta-hydroxy acids (BHAs). Alpha-hydroxy acids are best for surface level concerns, like acne, and work best on dry skin. Beta-hydroxy acids penetrate more deeply, moving through the sebaceous glands, and are much better for oily and acne-prone skin.

Examples of AHAs include; lactic acid, glycolic acid, and malic acid (from apple juice extracts).

Examples of BHAs include; salicylic acid.

Ingredients For Evening Out Skin Tone

From filters to foundations, we spend a lot of our time faking an even skin tone so wouldn't it be nice if we could find skincare products that worked to fix uneven skin tone easily? There are some ingredients that are total champions at this and they include:

• Niacinamide - A hero of skin tones, niacinamide is known for brightening dark spots and helping to prevent hyperpigmentation. It may also help to stimulate collagen production to improve skin elasticity.
• Turmeric - Ingredients that utilise turmeric and turmeric extracts are thought to reduce inflammation, help with acne scars and even out skin tone.
• Vitamin C - A powerful antioxidant, vitamin C and vitamin C derivatives are fantastic for helping to brighten a dull complexion and reduce uneven skin tone caused by redness, free radical damage and loss of elasticity in the skin. Vitamin C products are the powerhouse of the skincare world.

Ingredients For Acne-Prone Skin

Skin that is prone to acne breakouts needs a different set of ingredients for skin that is on the drier side. Acne is usually caused by a build-up of sebum and dead skin cells which clogs pores, resulting in blemishes, blackheads, and whiteheads.

Ingredients for acne treatment skin care products need to help to remove excess sebum and keep pores clear to reduce the chances of a breakout. They may also contain properties that help to treat acne breakouts by reducing inflammation and redness.

Many over the counter products now offer just as much success as prescription options for acne. Below are a few ingredients you should consider putting in your skincare products for acne.

• Salicyclic acid - A BHA, salicylic acid penetrates deeply into the skin to unclog pores and prevent sebum build-up that leads to outbreaks.
• Charcoal - A cleansing agent, charcoal is great for drawing impurities out of the skin making it particularly effective when chosen to treat acne.
• Lactic acid - A good choice for those who suffer acne breakouts but have sensitive skin types. Lactic acid is an AHA and is used to remove impurities and dead skin cells from the surface of the skin. It doesn't penetrate as deeply as a BHA but is still effective.
• Tea tree oil - A naturally produced oil, tea tree oil has antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties that help to soothe and reduce breakouts.

Ingredients For Sensitive Skin

Sensitive skin is a difficult skin type to treat because it needs extremely gentle ingredients. If you're looking to create skincare products for this skin type, you need to focus on calming and soothing ingredients.

Good ingredients in skincare products for sensitive skin types include:

• Hyaluronic acid - This moisturising acid is a bit of an all-rounder. It's highly moisturising and can be used on all skin types to help the skin retain moisture.
• Glycerin - Another deeply moisturising ingredient, glycerin is a good choice for those prone to skin irritation.
• Green tea extracts - Filled with powerful antioxidants, green tea can help to soothe as well as protect the skin from oxidative stress and free radical damage.
• Aloe vera - Known for its calming and soothing properties, aloe vera is a great choice if you're looking to treat inflamed or irritated skin. 

Ingredients For Anti-Aging Skincare

For more mature, aged skin there are some ingredients that can do wonders to reduce visible signs of aging like fine lines and wrinkles, sagging skin, and sun damage.

One of the best things you can add to skincare products to slow the aging process is some form of sun protection (this can also protect against skin cancer), but there are also other ingredients that work wonders. These include:

• Antioxidants, like CoEnzyme Q10, green tea extracts, vitamin C, and caffeine - All of these ingredients will help to protect the skin from oxidative stress which results in accelerated aging. They may also offer anti-inflammatory effects to reduce puffiness.
• Exfoliants, like salicylic acid and glycolic acid - Both AHAs and BHAs can help to exfoliate the skin and reduce the signs of aging, like fine lines and wrinkles. Oilier skin benefits from BHAs as they penetrate more deeply.
• Liquorice root - It's anti-inflammatory and has antioxidant effects to reduce the signs of aging and calm the skin.

Final Thoughts

The perfect skincare ingredients change depending on skin types, skin concerns, and the kind of product that you're making and so picking the right one isn't always easy! Make sure your skincare ingredients are working towards what the container says and ensure they're always helping and not hindering healing!

If you're looking for custom formulations for your skincare brand, suited to your business needs, then check out our custom formulations page now.