Facial Cleansers-What you should Know about Ingredients in Face Cleanser

At the end of each day, when your face is rife with pollutants of all kinds, it’s best to clean up with a reliable facial cleanser. But with a vast range of facial cleansers in cosmetics shops, how can you know which one to go with?

One way of finding out is to read the product label which comprises all the ingredients that go to make up the product that you’re holding in your hand. If you read the following names, you’ve got a really good product:

Glycolic Acid: A natural derivative of sugar cane, this is part of the class of ingredients known as Alpha Hydroxy Acids or AHA. Glycolic Acid is a natural exfoliator. It removes the outermost layer of dead skin cells that lie on the skin surface and make room for fresh skin to reach the surface. If you are looking for anti-aging benefits through Glycolic Acid, you can be sure of this. It also contributes to discoloring the skin of damage such as sun spots. You can find Glycolic Acid in different kinds of cleansers such as moisturizers, eye creams, serums and face peels.

Coenzyme Q10: This ingredient is known for its ability to reverse the signs of aging by fighting free radicals and reducing the extent of their skin cell havoc. By choosing this ingredient in your face cleanser, you give yourself the chance to reverse aging signs, present clean and tight skin and improve your skin’s look. It also helps expedite cell repair and produces enough energy to grow and maintain skin cells. It is also an effective ingredient of face cleansers because it penetrates seven layers of skin to tone them, freshen them up, smoothen them out and keep them damage-free.

Coenzyme Q10 also stimulates blood circulation and works as an antioxidant. Each time we are exposed to the sun, it is eliminated from our skin surface and replaced by environmental pollution. So, it’s necessary to replenish the skin with this wonderful ingredient every day.

Acetyl Hexapeptide-8: This ingredient of face cleansers is unique for being an amino-peptide developed clinically to lower the amount of facial wrinkles and diminish the premature signs of aging. Just like its cousin Acetyl Hexapeptide 3, it is economical, a good alternative to injections and surgical procedures and temporarily restrains an overproduction of neurotransmitters that control the depth of facial muscle contractions. This action restricts the development of wrinkles that give one a prematurely old look. When used along with Acetyl Hexapeptide 3 and 30, Acetyl Hexapeptide 8 lowers the number of wrinkles and age lines.  

When this ingredient is made part of face creams or wrinkle creams, you get immediate results in terms of reduced wrinkles because Acetyl Hexapeptide 8 penetrates the skin immediately and gets down to the work of relaxing the facial muscles. This results in facial wrinkles and fine lines being immediately reduced.

Other ingredients to look out for are:

·         Kaolin: It absorbs oil and pulls out dirt from the skin.

·         Active Manuka Honey: It is rich in antioxidants and encourages the immune system to withstand diseases.

·         Macadamia Oil: It is absorbed into the skin easily and protects skin cells from premature aging

·         Shea Butter: It is a natural moisturizer.

Ingredients in face cleansers to avoid: Just as there are ingredients in cleansers that you should look out for, there are harmful ones too that you should avoid. Some of them are:

Parabens: This ingredient is used as a preservative in all cosmetics. It comprises Butyl, Ethyl, Propyl, Methyl and Parahydroxybenzoate. Good facial cleansers will not use Parabens as they are known to lead to breast cancer and cause harm to the male reproductive system. They also cause skin rash and allergic reactions in users of these products. Parabens are used in face and body moisturizers, cleansers and body washes.

Pthalates: This group of ingredients is also known to lead to cancer and several kinds of health problems in regular users of products that include them.

Fragrances: Fragrances that are used in face creams or cleansers are artificial and made of either coal or petroleum or coal which are bio-degradable and lead to skin irritations. They are made with cheap synthetic substances with similar fragrance of products that are already in existence.

Other ingredients to avoid: These include triclosan, mineral oil, dioxane, petrolatum and nitrosamines, apart from any other alcohol-based product which cause skin irritation. If the product label you’re looking at has any of these ingredients, drop it and move on to something else.