December 19, 2023
2 min read
3 Essential Ingredient Every Good Moisturiser Should Contain
Moisturising is, without a doubt, the most important step of your daily beauty ritual. While toner and face serum may not be obligatory (even though it’s definitely beneficial to include them in your skin care routine), applying moisturiser every morning is essential for anyone who wants to have healthy, beautiful skin.
To help you pick the best moisturiser (one that really does its job!), we’ve selected 3 ingredients that we think should be included in the formula of every hydrating face cream that claims to be effective.
1. Hyaluronic Acid
Ever wondered why skin care manufacturers, beauty editors and skin care gurus worship hyaluronic acid? Well, the answer is simple – because it works!
The magical molecule of hyaluronic acid (often abbreviated as HA) has outstanding water-binding properties and it is, hands down, the best moisturising agent out there. To illustrate how important and potent hyaluronic acid is, we’ll give you some numbers:
- 50% of the hyaluronic acid, naturally present in the human bodies, is found in the skin
- Hyaluronic acid levels decrease with age; adults have 1/20th the amount of hyaluronic acid of a baby (which is why, to replenish the losses, we need to turn to external sources of HA)
- Hyaluronic acid molecules have the ability to attract and retain approximately 1,000 times their own weight in water (now, that is impressive!)
Hyaluronic acid restores and maintains water balance, helping our skin look plump, glowing and fresh. Apart from that, HA keeps the skin elastic, smooth and wrinkle-free.
So, next time you are looking for moisturiser, make sure that sodium hyaluronate (the most common form of HA used in skin care products) appears on the ingredient list – preferably among the first 5-6 ingredients.
2. Vitamin C
Regardless of your age/skin type, if you want to keep wrinkles at bay, products that contain antioxidants must be part of your skin care routine. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals and prevent oxidative stress, keeping your skin healthy and youthful.
Speaking of antioxidants, one of the best ones is, without a doubt, vitamin C. With added benefits like boosting collagen synthesis, evening the skin tone, reducing hyperpigmentation and reversing sun-induced damage, vitamin C is an ingredient your skin will definitely love.
Since vitamin C comes in different forms, below are some that are proven to be effective and stable when added to skin care products:
- ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate
- ascorbyl palmitate
- magnesium ascorbyl phosphate
- ascorbic acid
- L-ascorbic acid
- sodium ascorbyl phosphate
- retinyl ascorbate
- tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate
3. Vitamin E
Vitamin E (Tocopherol) is another potent antioxidant and skin-conditioning agent, worth including in your beauty routine. Vitamin E protects cells from ultra violet light, pollution, drugs, and other environmental factors that cause free radical damage. Apart from that, vitamin E is believed to support collagen synthesis, improve skin’s elasticity, and enhance the formation of new, healthy cells, allowing the skin to heal and restore itself more rapidly. Last but not least, vitamin E is an excellent moisturiser + it lubricates the skin, giving it remarkable softness.
