For most, the first thing that likely comes to mind when thinking about vitamin C is either an image of citrus fruits or its ability to keep your immune system healthy. But this popular vitamin has several benefits for skin when applied topically, too.
So what exactly are they and why should you be using vitamin C on your skin? Below, answers to all your questions about vitamin C and how to include it in your skincare routine (spoiler alert: a good vitamin C serum is our favorite!).
If you’ve ever indulged in a glass of red wine after a long day and thought to yourself, “it’s okay, because red wine is good for you,” that’s thanks to one specific antioxidant: resveratrol. This super potent antioxidant is also found in red grapes, peanuts and berries like blueberries and mulberries.
“Like any antioxidant, resveratrol neutralizes free radicals produced by environmental damage such as radiation, cigarette smoke and air pollution,” says Geeta Yadav, M.D., M.H.S., F.R.C.P.C., a board certified dermatologist based in Toronto. “This kind of cellular damage accelerates the process of aging by increasing the oxidative stress on skin.”
We were just getting used to putting probiotics (like kombucha and kimchi) in our bodies when topical probiotic ingredients came along. Using fermented oils and other probiotic ingredients in skincare is a fast-growing trend. As someone who appreciates what fermented foods and drinks do for our digestive systems and immunity, I wanted to know all about the benefits they provide when applied to our skin, so I turned to the experts.
Layers founder Rachel Behm and founder of Humanist Beauty Jennifer Norman both use fermented ingredients in their products. Ahead, they to breakdown the functions of fermented oils in skincare. Read on to learn why your beauty products might be better if they are fermented.
Glow Recipe is the K-beauty-inspired brand that formulates natural, fruit-powered skincare designed to help bring out your inner glow. All of its products are 100% natural and cruelty free, which makes it easy to look good and feel good simultaneously. From watermelon PHA+BHA toners to plum serums infused with hyaluronic acid and retinol-based avocado sleeping eye masks, it’s clear to see why the brand has so many cult beauty favorites.
When Glow Recipe founders Christine Chang and Sarah Lee were living in New York and working in the beauty industry, they noticed global brands looking to Korea for the latest advancements in skincare and ingredients. As a result, ‘’the whole industry was intrigued, but the K-beauty brands didn’t tell the whole story behind the approach,’’ Lee told Byrdie.
For some, skincare is a 20-step process, morning and night. Which occasionally makes us wonder: Are we going overboard with the products? Cue skin fasting, a rising trend over the past few years, and your skin’s very own version of a detox cleanse.
We tapped one dermatologist, Dr. Lindsey Zubritsky, MD, and two estheticians, Natalie Aguilar and Karen Fernandez, to get the lowdown on all things skin fasting. Read on for what they had to say.
Reading the ingredient list on beauty and hair products can sometimes feel like you’re taking a chemistry class. While it can feel overwhelming, understanding what is in the products you use every day is important, and can help you figure out what active ingredients provide you with the most benefit. As you start to get more familiar with these labels, one ingredient you’re guaranteed to see listed time and time again is xanthan gum.
Used in everything from conditioner to cookies, xanthan gum is utilized across industries and product lines. It has managed to fly under the radar despite its inclusion in every step of our haircare routines. But for something most of us are using (and eating) every day, do we really know what xanthan gum is?
I am very results-driven when it comes to my life, as well as my skincare routine. If something isn’t working, it’s gone. All this to say I’ve tried and cut many formulas from my arsenal over the years—it’s an occupational hazard—and I’ve only stuck with the ones that work. And by work, I mean do what they claim and make my skin look healthy, supple, glowing, and even.
It’s a tall order, even for the best products, and while I can be discerning, I also fall hard. I am here to tell you I have absolutely fallen for Orora’s duo of skin-loving products. A serum and moisturizer that work best as a pair, the brand’s Bioactive Collagen Serum and Cream have changed my skin and nurtured it in all the best ways. Below, find out more about the products I’m shouting about from any rooftop I can find.
When talking about antioxidant skincare ingredients to fight free radical damage (what causes fine lines, wrinkles, and hyperpigmentation), your mind most likely jumps immediately to popular, powerful choices, like vitamin C, vitamin E, ferulic acid, or maybe even resveratrol. But if you’ve never heard of quercetin or don’t know much about it, now’s the time to get to know its name (which, by the way, was derived from the oak tree—a tree known for its endurance and longevity, according to cosmetic chemist Barbara Olioso of The Green Chemist).
To find out more about this anti-aging ingredient, we turned to Olioso and board-certified dermatologist Caroline Robinson, MD, the founder of Tone Dermatology. Together, the experts explain what the ingredient is, how it works, and how to best use it in your daily routine for the most skin benefits.
Our skin went through a lot of changes during the pandemic (hello, maskne!), as did our philosophy on beauty. Many of us have shifted our routines to accommodate changes in our skin and took the time to acknowledge what exactly we’re putting onto our faces.
Boots Ingredients took note of the shifting skincare expectations and created a line to accommodate what consumers need now. “As we look forward to a return to the ‘normal,’ the desire for simpler, more efficient but equally efficacious regimens is growing stronger,” explains Anisha Raghavan, No7 Beauty Company’s chief marketing officer. In other words, the brand’s single-ingredient products aim to help us achieve our best skin yet with straightforward formulas that truly do what they’re supposed to do—but that’s not all.
If you came of age during the era of Bonne Bell Lip Smackers, there’s an excellent chance that physical scrubs were your introduction to exfoliation—and you used them a lot. Between the rough texture and yummy smell, it felt like you were doing your skin a favor, scrubbing away whatever skin issues you had back then (hello, acne) to reveal better, brighter skin underneath.
But our beauty routines have come a long way, and now we’re well aware that a harsh, abrasive scrub certainly isn’t doing breakouts any favors, to say the least. But are apricot and walnut scrubs actually good for anyone’s skin? We tapped two dermatologists, Dr. Dendy Engelman and Dr. Orit Markowitz, to find whether or not apricot and walnut scrubs are actually bad for you.