Skincare can feel like a bit of a minefield, we get you. Keeping up with the latest buzz-ingredients, knowing what they all do and the order to apply them – it can be a lot. We spoke to three skincare professionals about the skincare they actually use, the hero ingredients to look out for and why you should give them a go too.
By Beth Ludolf
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1 Hyaluronic acid
According to Luma from Kalma Spa, London, there’s a good reason everyone talks about hyaluronic acid. “Hyaluronic acid has an unrivalled ability to hydrate our skin, it’s the key component involved in skin’s moisture and has unique capacity to retain and bind water molecules (holding up to one thousand times its own weight)”, she says. And like any true skincare hero, it’s universal, “Everybody’s skin needs moisturise to remain healthy and look glowing, especially with so many external factors – weather, central heating, stress (to name a few) – that leave skin parched”. Hyaluronic acid is used in different products to penetrate different layers of the skin. Luma explains, “it has intensive moisture-binding effects, acts a natural filler to smooth wrinkles and boosts cell renewal”. You really can’t go wrong.
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2 Vitamin C
“I always look for Vitamin C,” says Giorgia Senesi, skin specialist at Lacquered + Stripped, London, “our body doesn’t naturally produce it, so we have to ingest it as part of our daily diet or apply it topically to the skin”. Vitamin C is a key ingredient for anti-ageing, “it’s a really powerful antioxidant and helps protect against free radical damage which can cause the cells responsible for skin elasticity and collagen production to breakdown”. It also improves the appearance of the skin, revives dullness and brightens dark spots. Giorgia recommends avocado extract for incorporating Vitamin C into your skincare routine, “it’s a great source of minerals, Vitamin C and E, I apply natural avocado oil at night (cells regenerate faster at night) and rinse in the morning”. You had us at ‘anti-ageing’.
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3 Zinc Oxide
Zinc Oxide is the most important ingredient in any skincare routine for Cinzia from Beauti Skin Clinic, London. “Zinc Oxide is a safe, micro-fine mineral found in mineral sunscreens that offers broad-spectrum from both UVA (ageing) and UVB (sunburn-causing) rays”, she explains. While most skincare ingredients work to reverse damage to the skin, protecting skin from the sun prevents that damage from ever occurring in the first place. “The sun is responsible for 90% of visual ageing including wrinkles, uneven tone and poor texture, by protecting against the sun, it not only prevents further damage but allows the skin to prioritise repairing damaged cells”, she says. Basically your skin will be far healthier overall – now and in the future.
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