Beauty & Personal Care

5 Ingredients You Need in Your Skincare (Clean Beauty Friendly!)

ErinApril 18, 2023

When it comes to clean beauty, we talk a lot about ingredients we need to avoid, but are there ingredients you should be looking for? YES!! The answer is a resounding YES! Not only are there many beneficial (and non-toxic) ingredients available to us now, but they are so well known for their efficacy that you’ll find them in conventional products as well! Whether you have mature skin, or are looking to build a preventative regimen, these 5 ingredients are must-haves when it comes to filling your toolkit.

So, without further ado, let’s get to the good stuff!

Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate

This scary sounding ingredient is simply vitamin C. BUT, all topical vitamin C products are not created equally, and this form is definitely the mac daddy of them all (showing my age with that one, aren’t I?) . First, let’s chat about why we should all be using topical vitamin C and then I’ll explain what makes THD the form you definitely want in your skin care.

Because sun exposure and environmental toxins deplete our skin of its vitamin C stores, we need to apply it topically. Adding vitamin C under your sunscreen flips the Uno reverse card on sun damage. Topical vitamin C actually boosts the sun protection benefits of the sunscreen! Add some vitamin E and the sun protection benefits are doubled!

Vitamin C also helps boost your skin’s collagen production. Collagen is what keeps your skin smooth, firm, and wrinkle free. If that’s not enough of a reason to use it, topical vitamin C can also help fade pigmentation and brown spots by inhibiting the enzyme in your skin (tyrosinase) that produces the spots. (Can I please just bathe in orange juice? Will that work?)

Now, let’s get to the nitty gritty: why Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate over any other form of vitamin C? Typical (and cheaper) forms of vitamin C are wildly unstable, they oxidize easily when exposed to air or sunlight. They do not penetrate the skin easily, and can be irritating to sensitive skin. Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate runs circles around these other (cheaper) forms. THD is fat soluble, which means it can penetrate the skin more deeply than other forms, but it is not irritating. In fact, it’s so gentle that it’s the form of vitamin C recommended for those who suffer from Rosacea. Once THD gets down into the layers of your skin, it works synergistically with the vitamin E that is naturally present there. In other words…it’s more bioavailable. THD is also the most stable form of vitamin C available today. This means that it won’t degrade in the bottle, or on your skin as quickly as the other forms. So why do companies use any other form of vitamin C if they are actually pretty useless? You may have guessed the answer to that question already…it’s cheaper. Too many companies care more about their bottom line than actual quality.

Squalane:

Squalene is produced naturally by your skin, but as you age you produce less. It is also found in plants. When Squalene is extracted for use, it becomes unstable. In order to make it more stable, it is converted to Squalane.

Squalane is more stable, will oxidize less rapidly, and has a longer shelf life. There are certain oils that naturally contain squalene, and because the squalene itself isn’t being extracted, you don’t have to worry about it becoming unstable or unsuitable for use.

But what purpose does it serve?

Squalane is an incredible antioxidant. It can help strengthen your skin’s barrier and protect your skin from free radical damage that can speed up the aging process. Its powerful anti-inflammatory properties can help reduce redness, soothe irritated skin, and even help with acne issues. This makes it a super helpful ingredient to have in eczema relief creams and serums! Squeezing into the spaces between your cells, Squalane plumps, hydrates, and eliminates the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. It can also help fade dark spots and even out skin tone. Not only can Squalane do all of these amazing things for your skin’s surface, it can also help below the surface by increasing your collagen production which will give you more firm skin. Because it is converted from Squalene which occurs naturally in the body, Squalane is a biocompatible ingredient, meaning skin instantly recognizes it and knows how to use it. Bonus? It is a lightweight moisturizing ingredient that is gentle enough for all skin types! It won’t clog your pores if you have oily skin.

PS. It’s also fantastic in hair serums! It will add moisture and shine without being greasy.

Hyaluronic Acid

Next on the unsung heroes list, we’ve got Hyaluronic Acid. This gem is a must have in skincare not just for your face, but all over! Just like Squalene, Hyaluronic Acid naturally occurs in our bodies. It’s found in many areas including the skin, eyes, connective tissue, and synovial fluid of the joints.

Over time, your body’s stores of hyaluronic acid decline. Age is one reason, environmental pollutants also play a part. As we age, our skin loses the ability to retain moisture the way it could when we were younger. Dry skin shows wrinkles more. Hyaluronic acid draws moisture in and plumps the fine lines and wrinkles.

How well does it work? Well, hold onto your hat, because Hyaluronic Acid is capable of binding over one thousand times its weight in water. To give you a better mental picture of what that looks like, a quarter-teaspoon of hyaluronic acid can bind about one and a half gallons of water. Mind blowing, right? “But what if I have oily skin?” you might ask…have no fear, it’s not going to make it worse! It won’t over produce moisture, so you’re safe using it no matter your skin type! It is generally well tolerated by all skin types and it does not frequently cause allergic reactions or irritate sensitive skin.

This gem of an ingredient does far more than simply draw moisture in…it also strengthens and helps to rebuild your skin’s unique microbiome, it can help wounds heal faster and reduce scarring. Hyaluronic Acid also revitalizes the skin’s outer surface layers, so they look and feel softer, smoother, and more radiant. It instantly improves the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. In fact, one study (here) showed a 10%-20% decrease in the depth of orbital wrinkles in its test subjects. Skin firmness increased significantly in all test subjects, rising by 13 to 30%. It’s no wonder this ingredient is popping up all over the place! Just remember that a product is only as strong/clean as its weakest ingredient so you still need to check that whole ingredient list out!

Niacinamide:

Another scary-sounding ingredient that is actually incredible for your skin!

Niacinamide is the most well-studied topical form of vitamin B3. It can easily penetrate the skin without irritation, and it can help to improve your skin’s texture and reduce the appearance of your pore size. It is a powerful antioxidant that can prevent oxidative stress that comes with the natural aging process and it can help reverse sun damage.

Topical Niacinamide can enhance your skin’s barrier functions….meaning: it makes your skin stronger, protecting it from damage due to environmental stressors. If your skin’s barrier is compromised, you are more susceptible to bacteria and pollutants in the air because they can penetrate your skin more easily. Niacinamide can help strengthen your skin making it less sensitive.

Like Tetrahexydecyl Ascorbate, Niacinamide can also brighten your skin and help reduce age/sun spots. Over time and with consistent use, it can reduce fine lines and wrinkles as well. How? It increases collagen production in your skin’s dermal layer (the inner layer of skin just below the surface). Niacinamide also helps build keratin which is a protein that helps your skin stay firm! Magical, right? Cue my inner infomercial host because… WAIT, there’s MORE! It’s also an anti-inflammatory making it super beneficial for those who suffer from acne and eczema.

Peptides:

If you’ve made it this far, congratulations, because I saved the best for last! I’m so excited about this one, because until recently, it hasn’t been available in a form that is clean beauty friendly! Traditionally, peptides have always been accompanied by PEGs to help increase absorption. This made them a “no-go” for true clean beauty use as PEGs are, more often than not, contaminated by carcinogenic 1,4-dioxane. I am so excited that there have been advancements made in the clean beauty industry and we now have access to these incredible ingredients!

Peptides are short chain amino acids that act as building blocks of proteins. For skin specifically: collagen, elastin, and keratin. This is amazing because as we age, our naturally occurring collagen, elastin, and keratin breaks down and this is what causes thin, weak, sensitive skin, and wrinkles. Collagen, Keratin, and Elastin are the foundation of our skin and responsible for texture, strength, and resilience. Topical peptides trigger your skin cells to build and restore all three. These benefits continue to increase with long-term use!

On the topic of long-term use:

Peptides perform similar functions as retinols, but without the photosensitivity that comes with those. In spite of being that potent, you don’t have to get a prescription for peptides the way you do for Tretinoin. Why? The FDA considers it a cosmetic ingredient because these benefits are slower-acting than the prescription form. The benefit of the slower action is that peptides are less irritating or drying to the skin. Retinols can be drying and cause sensitivity; not only do peptides not cause irritation or dryness, they actually have anti-inflammatory and moisturizing benefits. When you start using a good peptide product, give it 90 days to really start seeing some results and then watch the results continue to build and grow with continued and consistent use.

There are hundreds of different kinds of peptides, some are better suited for the eye area, some face, and some the body! A good skincare company researches and will find and utilize the appropriate peptide(s) for each product and its intended application.

So there you have it! My 5 must-have ingredients for an incredible skincare routine! A friendly reminder-just because these ingredients are in the product doesn’t automatically make it safe/clean. Because these ingredients are so powerful, many conventional brands also use them. Be sure to read your labels start to finish to get the whole story. Fragrance? It goes back on the shelf. PEGs or other toxic preservatives? Deal breaker. But, how exciting is it that we no longer have to compromise our health for our beauty or our beauty for our health!?!?

As always, I’m here to help and answer any questions you may have! Don’t forget, my handy-dandy safe-swap guide is available for free download and has all of my favorites on it!