Skincare Glossary A-F

Beta Hydroxy Acid

Sister of the infamous alpha hydroxy acids, this popular skin-care ingredient is used in exfoliants and peels to treat acne, pigmentation and fine lines.

Collagen 

One of the ingredients your body naturally produces and loses as you age, collagen is a protein that keeps skin firm. A way to counteract this loss as we get older is eating amino-acid rich foods, or having skincare infused with amino acids. Like…a face mask? 

Not pushing any one thing in particular, but I’m just saying. 

DMAE

DMAE (Dimethylethanolamine) is an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory organic compound used to help improve muscle tone and skin tone. DMAE can be found in several types of fish. If you’ve heard of fish referred to as brain food, you can thank DMAE. This substance is naturally produced in the brain, but DMAE is also present in anchovies, salmon, and sardines. DMAE boosts the production of acetylcholine, which is important for proper mental functions. DMAE in skin care products shows remarkable effects when applied topically to skin, resulting in the reduction of fine lines and wrinkles.

Emollient

This is any ingredient that increases water levels in the epidermis, which is the outermost layer of the skin. So it’s effectively a moisturizing agent. 

Ferulic acid

Ferulic acid is an antioxidant found in the cell walls of plants such as rice and oats and the seeds of apples and oranges, where it plays a key role in the plants’ protection and self-preservation.

Do you like our Skincare Alphabet? Stay tuned next week to see what’s in store from G to L!