My Top 7 Favorite Natural Skin Care Ingredients

There has been a great deal written lately on what product ingredients to avoid when purchasing bath and skin care products. While this information can prove helpful, some of what is written is misleading. For instance, it’s been suggested, if you can’t pronounce an ingredient’s name, chances are you don’t want it on your skin.

However, cosmetic ingredients are required to be listed by their INCI (International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients) names, which may sound or look ominous, but are not. For example, Butyrospermum parkii is the name for shea butter, and Avena sativa is oatmeal.

The key to using products safely is your own knowledge and finding brands you can trust. Many companies are making a concerted effort to reduce and remove potentially harmful, toxic-like ingredients from their products, and consumers should be able to easily find brands who are conscious of their customers overall health.

Just as you most certainly have a favorite brand of jeans or running shoes you know you can always trust when needing a replacement, the same can hold true for your skin care needs. Find companies who use natural, organic, botanical, herbal ingredients with gentle preservatives. These are the companies you’ll be able to purchase from with confidence, knowing your body’s health is being considered in the ingredients they choose to use. Now, you’ll be assured that whatever you choose from that brand is a product you can trust to be safe and effective.

As I mentioned, much has been written regarding what ingredients to avoid in skin care. However, what about specific ingredients you may want to look for and include in your skin care? I thought I’d share my top 7 picks of natural, effective, and even forward thinking ingredients you can try to include in your cleanser, moisturizers or treatment products.

Keep in mind, beautiful skin is a result of healthy skin. Skin needs to be cared for on the surface and from within, through proper care of your whole body. How your skin appears on the outside is a reflection of your inner health, and not just a result of what skin care products you are applying topically to your skin. It’s a joint effort, in which you can achieve beautiful results.

My Top 7 Picks, in No Particular Order:

Vitamins A, C & E – often available together, these are all proven, powerful antioxidants which fight free radical damage. Our greatest exposure to free radicals comes from our environment through exposure to oxygen and harmful UV rays from the sun. These free radical molecules are believed to be a major contributor to the development of aging because they damage skin structure. Vitamins A, C and E help to fight this free radical damage.

This antioxidant cocktail (or any combination) has also shown effectiveness in the reduction of wrinkles, treatment of acne, improvement in age related skin conditions, and has demonstrated anti-aging effects. They help to improve the vitality of the skin. Vitamin C increases collagen production in the skin when used topically, and can reduce the effects of sun damage.

Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs) – the most effective and most commonly used AHAs are glycolic (from sugar cane) and lactic acid (from milk). AHAs help to remove dead skin cells through the process of exfoliation to reveal fresher, younger looking skin and more youthful appearance. They can work synergistically with other antioxidants enhancing their activity and can stimulate collagen production, improves skin texture and is also considered an antioxidant.

I like to think of Cleopatra and her milk baths. She discovered the lactic acid in her milk baths gave her skin a beautiful glow and kept it smooth and soft. She’s known throughout history for her beauty and her use of natural ingredients to maintain and enhance it.

Hyaluronic Acid (topical) – when included as an ingredient in a topical cream, hyaluronic acid can help plump the skin and acts as a super-moisturizer to hydrate the skin. It attracts moisture to the skin giving temporary improvement to fine lines and wrinkles in the face, resulting in a more youthful appearance.

Skin aging is due to the loss of collagen and moisture (water). This combination results in fine lines, deeper wrinkles, fold and even skin sagging as we age. Hyaluronic Acid has the ability to hold one thousand times its weight in water, thus its ability to temporarily plump wrinkles as it inflates and fills them with water.

Hyaluronic Acid degenerates with aging in the body and from sun damage. It’s useful in anti-aging creams as levels are diminished with lower estrogen and from menopause. A woman’s number one complaint after menopause is dry skin. Therefore, for women in their late forties and beyond, hyaluronic acid can provide that super moisturizer their skin will be craving.

Green Tea Extract: Including White or Red – they all contain tannin, which is soothing to the skin. The polyphenols in the tea are responsible for its powerful anti-inflammatory and anti-irritant properties. The alkaloid caffeine in the tea also provides anti-inflammatory, tonic properties when applied to the skin. Green tea has been shown to have protective effects against UV radiation damage. These unique benefits may allow tea extracts to provide anti-aging and other protective skin benefits; therefore, it’s a top pick.

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) – this is a vitamin-like substance with excellent antioxidant, and free radical quenching properties. CoQ10 provides skin protection by protecting cell membranes from free radical damage and provides an anti-inflammatory effect. It is considered an anti-aging ingredient as it helps to diminish fine lines and wrinkles with continual use and give the skin a younger appearance.

A recent German study has shown individuals had an average of a 23 percent reduction in fine lines when using a cream containing CoQ10 for six months. It’s the perfect vehicle for anti-aging cream as it is also nontoxic and has a natural affinity for free radicals.

CoQ10 is found in every cell in our bodies and is especially concentrated in our cell membranes. This is important because it’s believed the amount of CoQ10 in a cell may tell us how fast or by what mechanisms cells grow old. By the age of 40, CoQ10 levels begin to decline in the body and continue to do so as we grow older.

The CoQ10 molecule is quickly depleted when the skin is exposed to oxidative stress from ultraviolet radiation or other environmental insults, and is thought to contribute to skin aging.

Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA) and DMAE – I’ve grouped these together because they are often combined in products, as they work synergistically, but they are powerful alone or in combination. Alpha Lipoic Acid is an antioxidant which enhances the appearance and health of skin. It reduces under eye puffiness due to its anti-inflammatory powers. It can give the skin a healthy glow within 5 days of continual use due to increases in the blood flow to the skin.

Alpha Lipoic Acid also assists in reducing the appearance and number of enlarged pores, diminishes scars, rosacea, fine lines and wrinkles, deep furrows, improves sallow and dull skin, and dark under eye circles. It acts as a free radical scavenger when applied to the skin. The best creams will include ALA with other antioxidants like CoQ10 because it also makes the other antioxidants more powerful. It’s not known to cause allergic reactions.

Free radical damage is the biggest cause of skin aging. Therefore, it’s important to have a mixture of antioxidants, as this antioxidant-network combination offers much better protection from oxidation. Antioxidants represent one major protective measure to prevent accelerated skin aging.

DMAE improves the appearance of sagging skin. When combined with other antioxidants or used with other topical antioxidants, it gives an added boost to their effects, resulting in the reduction of lines and increase in the smoothness and brightness of the skin. DMAE is an antioxidant stabilizer and provides protection from free radicals.

With continued use, it continues to firm the skin over time, not just at the time of application. The improvements to sagging skin results in an increase in skin tone, producing tighter more youthful looking faces. Long-term use can improve the muscle tone of the face making it look firmer and more defined.

Aloe Vera – reduces inflammation and improves wound healing, including sunburn, due to its emollient, natural healing and soothing, anesthetic properties. It is a useful and effective ingredient for general skin maintenance products. When present at a concentration of 10 percent and greater, aloe Vera can provide beneficial moisturizing effects on the skin.

Gel extracted from the inside of the aloe leaf is useful as a natural healing salve due to its antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal and anesthetic properties. These unique properties are what allow skin ailments such as burns, insect bites, cuts, rashes, itching, eruptions, acne, etc. to heal, while reducing risks of infection.

Aloe Vera also aids in the skin’s ability to replenish skin cells. This cell regeneration slows the aging process, helps keep the skin moist, and speeds overall healing. It’s an ideal ingredient for those with sensitive skin and is non-toxic.

In conclusion, skin wrinkles and sags as the body ages; this we know. However, by using a beauty system which treats the skin from both the inside, through supplementation, and from the outside, through topical application, provides the best combination for the beauty and longevity of the skin.

Topical products provide local direct skin therapy right where it’s needed most. The skin can be utilized as a transdermal supplement delivery system and using these seven functional ingredients will provide you with an arsenal of functional, natural skin care. Natural skin care incorporates botanical extracts and powerful anti-aging ingredients to give you healthy, glowing, beautiful skin.

Tami Abiuso is the owner of essensu holistic skincare. You can also connect with essensu on twitter @essensu or visit her blog The Holistic Diva.