Good, bad and ugly ingredients for acne
Whether you are 13 or 31 you still have to think long-term: your skin will be the barrier to protect you from the environment for the rest of your life (which I hope it will be long and happy).
Because you have to think long term, you have to be careful when you buy an anti-acne product. Why? Because many companies don’t think long term about your skin when they formulate their products. Many companies only think of making money fast and their interests are unlikely to fit with yours.
What should be your objective? To control acne without damaging your skin or aging it prematurely. And yet, many ingredients used by the industry are the “fast and furious” kind that will alleviate acne temporarily but will worsen acne and age your skin prematurely.
Here is a list of some good, bad and ugly ingredients used in the acne control industry:
The bad:
Benzoyl peroxide kills bacteria fast but also kill your own skin cells, increasing DNA mutation and oxidation of skin lipids
Some products use antibiotics no longer effective against the infection but have side effects on the skin
The ugly
Ethanol cleans your skin with solvents that remove bacteria while drying your skin and removing lipids vital for the preservation of the skin barrier. Denatured ethanol is cheaper to the manufacturer but contains a variety of chemicals that can be allergenic.
Tea tree oil kills bacteria but is allergenic and may cause hyperpigmentation. Natural does not mean good for you!
The good.
We choose good ingredients by looking into the biochemistry, physiology, and bacteriology of acne and using chemicals to control acne without damaging your skin. Look at our acne-control products: several actives working nicely together, used at concentrations that are effective but not irritating.
Nobiletin inhibits synthesis of the type of fats (triglycerides) that is food for the acne bacterium. It also has antibacterial and fungistatic activity.
EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate from green tea) decrease sebum secretion and suppresses the growth of acne bacteria that feed on it. It also inhibits 5-alpha-reductase activity and helps keep pores open, preventing the formation of comedos. A great active, it also has antioxidant activity. It also disrupts bacterial biofilms, allowing bactericides to reach and kill bacterial cells.
And here is more:
Fucoidan, wild yam, and niacinamide have anti-inflammatory properties.
Wild Yam Diosgenin may also help stabilize hormonal microenvironment.
Niacinamide also helps decreases skin sensitivity.
Salicylic acid, salicin, and retinyl acetate normalize keratinization.
Retinyl acetate (vitamin A) will also accelerate skin renewal to help keep pores clear.
Willow bark extract (salicin) is also anti-inflammatory.
Nobiletin, coleus, galangal, and granulysin diminish acne bacteria.
Granulysin is a special active developed by Skin Actives to target blemish-prone skin. It is a member of lysosomal proteins and it will help keep at bay the bacteria, Propionibacterium acnes, by creating holes in the target cell membrane.
Zinc, nobiletin, and EGCG help decrease sebum secretion.
Green tea extract (EGCG) also helps keep pores open and is an antioxidant.
Yeast beta-glucan is an immune response enhancer, meaning that it will train your immune system to be on guard against bad bacteria.
Saw palmetto, zinc, and EGCG act as inhibitors of 5-alpha-reductase activity.
DISCLAIMER: These claims have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent any disease.
Please read more:
How Skin Actives T-zone serum helps control oily skin and acne