A Few Common Skincare Myths and Fallacies

It's expensive so it must be good!

You don't always get what you pay for because cost doesn't equal efficacy.  The new, "Super Cream" may contain scientifically proven actives, but not in the minimum concentrations required for them to actually work.  For example, L-Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) must have a minimum concentration of 5% within any formulation to become an, "active".  This means that a product containing 2% L-Ascorbic Acid effectively contains no L-Ascorbic Acid at all.

Some actives must aso be within a formulation of a certain pH to remain active.  Glycolic and L-Ascorbic Acid cannot penetrate the epidermis unless they're within a highly acidic environment.  Buffered to a neutral pH, these actives become inactive or virtually inactive and of little or no benefit to the skin.  Many skincare companies completely neutralise their Glycolic and L-Ascorbic Acid based skincare because acidic products have a tendency to sting or redden sensitive skin.  This light stinging and flushing usually fades quite quickly, but if a certain percentage of customers believe they have experienced an allergic reaction to the products, it reduces their customer base and can potentially damage their reputations.

If you're using a Glycolic Acid based cream or lotion with pH higher than 4, you're wasting your money.  The same applies to L-Ascorbic Acid with a pH above 3.5.  It's also important to note that L-Ascorbic Acid degrades very quickly when exposed to UV; if you're buying your Vitamin C serum or cream in clear or semi-transparent bottle or jar, it will have degraded to the point of becoming inactive by the time you've begun using it.

It has DMAE and Argireline!

Putting certain actives togething in the one product is sometimes nothing more than a marketing ploy.  DMAE (2-dimethylaminoethanol) increases muscle tone to tighten facial skin whilst Argireline (Acetyl hexapeptide-3) relaxes muscle tone to reduce dynamic wrinkling on the areas to which it's applied.  These two actives directly oppose one another's actions, so putting them together in the one formulation is absolutely pointless.

Products containing Argireline (Acetyl hexapeptide-3) should only be applied to areas of dynamic wrinkling.  Do you want or need the skin around jawline loosened?

It's 100% Natural!

"Natural" Hyaluronic Acid is extracted from rooster combs and, "natural" collagen from fish, so as you can see, "natural" isn't necessarily better!  In most cases, synthetic ingredients have been created to either mimic naturally occuring ingredients which are difficult or impossible to source from nature in the quantities required or as a much improved version of what can be found in nature.  Matrixyl (palmitoyl pentapeptide-3), one of the best and most scientifically proven anti-aging actives available today, is a synthetic peptide.

Buying high-quality and effective skincare doesn't have to be an expensive game of hit and miss.  If your beauty therapist or retail assistant can't or won't tell you which actives are in their products, in what concentrations, and how these actives actually work, put away your wallet until you can find someone who can and will.