Cleaner, clearer skin seems like an unobtainable goal as a teenager and young adult. While you spent hours poring over magazine articles to learn all the greatest tips and tricks, the truth of healthy, glowing skin was always within your reach: natural ingredients.
There are plenty of natural ingredients that support healthy skin. While we can’t cover all of them in one post, the five natural skincare ingredients below provide an excellent starting point.
Hyaluronic Acid
Hyaluronic acid is all the rage in hair and skin care, and no wonder!
Hyaluronic acid is naturally produced by the body. It’s a sugar molecule that holds up to 1,000 times its weight in water. This makes it an effective moisturizing agent.
When applied to the skin, hyaluronic acid does two things:
- It increases the skin’s ability to retain water;
- It traps moisture against the skin, preventing it from evaporating into the air.
The best way to apply hyaluronic acid is when your face is damp. Apply a few drops to your fingertips and pat on your damp skin. This will trap the water creating an effective barrier against dry air.
Retinoids
The golden child of skincare, retinoids are a Vitamin A derivative that provides seemingly endless benefits to the skin.
Vitamin A is a micronutrient. This means the body needs it to function. While we don’t produce it naturally, we do get it from food sources. The body is then able to synthesize this vitamin into retinoic acid.
One place to get natural vitamin A in skincare products is beef tallow, which Flares founder Kelsey Jones swears by. It sounds gross at first, but her favorite balm from Toups & Co. has no “beef” or meat smell and is a great, thicker balm that helped her through topical steroid withdrawal.
The main function of retinoic acid is cell turnover. That is, it ensures cells are growing, developing, and dying as they are programmed to do. This is critical for all components of our health, including our skin.
Retinoids applied to the skin bind with retinoic acid receptors. They keep your face looking healthy and youthful by optimizing cellular turnover and increasing collagen production which is important for elasticity.
Vitamin B3
When it comes to skincare, moisture retention is important. Alongside hyaluronic acid, vitamin B3 is a great moisture-retention ingredient to add to your routine.
Vitamin B3, also known as niacinamide, is a water-soluble vitamin. Its main role in the body is in supporting the function of fats and sugars. This – in particular, its support of fats (or lipids) – is most important when it comes to its role in skincare.
Niacinamide has numerous skin benefits, including the maintenance of a lipid barrier that helps the skin to retain moisture and the regulation of oil production. It’s also been shown to promote keratin synthesis, the building blocks of skin, hair, and nails, which keeps your skin firm.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin that’s found in sebum (skin oil). It acts as an antioxidant, which is a substance that protects cells from damage and degradation.
Levels of vitamin E naturally decrease with age and UV exposure. This makes supplementation with vitamin E a must as you age.
Unlike the drastic benefits seen with hyaluronic acid and retinoids, vitamin E’s benefits are more subtle. The evidence suggests it has more generalized benefits for aging skin, especially when combined with vitamin C.
Vitamin C
Another antioxidant, vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin found in the body’s tissues. Its main role is in the growth and repair of tissues.
As it relates to skin care, vitamin C has numerous proven benefits, including:
- Protection against photoaging
- Increase in collagen synthesis
- Stabilization of collagen fibers
- Reduction in hyperpigmentation
While both vitamin E and vitamin C are beneficial on their own, they’re even more so beneficial for the skin when used together.
Conclusion
The above list of natural skincare ingredients is far from exhaustive. However, it offers a great starting point for those who are looking to simplify their skincare routine.
To recap, the above five ingredients are all-natural and crucial for healthy skin. They are:
- Hyaluronic Acid
- Retinoids
- Vitamin B3
- Vitamin E
- Vitamin C
Which of the five natural skincare ingredients will you add to your skincare routine next?