But first things first- what is an active ingredient? Simply putting, it is an ingredient in skincare or beauty product that targets specific problem/ concern; an integral part of product formulation, something that lets us understand how it is working and is it working at all. The best example of an active ingredient that few years ago blew up is Hyaluronic Acid. When you see it written on the bottle of a serum or cream you instantly know- hydration, plumping. Similarly, if you have blemishes or acne and want something to will help with it- you might look for products that contain Salicylic Acid.
So here is the question- can you use too many “actives” at once and how do you know if you are?
For example, if you eat too many sweets (if that's ever possible) you might feel a little queasy or have a sugar hangover (a real thing). Does this same principal apply to skin care? Can we overdose on active ingredients?
The answer is- absolutely. If you think about it, our skin is designed to protect us from the environment, pollution and it's renewing itself every 28 days. This drops to about 84 days in mature skin. Therefore, everything that we put on our skin have effect on its natural performance and balance. Every good dermatologist will tell you- less is more when it comes to skin care. 9 step skin care routine is every skin specialist nightmare! It makes me squirm especially, when I see young girls following this trend as it might be actually dangerous. Why? Because it stimulates the skin and the hormones, which makes it rely on these products and with time might slow down the skin natural production of all these amazing things that keep the skin looking...young. Using anti-ageing creams and serums that are age inappropriate can actually damage the skin. It will not make your skin looking “young” for longer, because those ingredients like retinols, peptides, collagens etc. are way too powerful for a 25-year-old.
You must understand ingredients before you start piling on more and more. Like, combing heavy chemical exfoliants (like AHA's or BHA's) with retinols...
A few good rules of thumb worth following as you put together your daily routine: Use a cleanser and either an antioxidant, like vitamin C, an exfoliant, like glycolic acid or Hyaluronic Acid in the morning. At night, keep things simple with a cleanser, a retinol or whichever ingredient would feel your skin needs, and a hydrating mask.
Drink plenty of water, go out for a walk to get that Vit. D, eat those greens.
Remember, you cannot buy a healthy skin- you have to look at everything holistically.
Oh, and one more thing in case you forgot.
Less. Is. More
With love,
Alexandra
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The word "Sustainable" means able to be maintained at a certain rate or level.
Not very sustainable then, when we see more new beauty brands than ever! It may seem that everyone these days can start their own beauty brand. You are not a real celebrity if you don't have your own makeup or a skincare range, right?!
Also, then comes the packaging- recycled plastic, glass, amber glass or aluminium. How does an everyday consumer even begin to make a conscious choice? And when you finally receive your package, it is wrapped in 3 different boxes with 5 leaflets and a tissue paper. How do you know that this product is really sustainable or is it just a Greenwashing marketing trick?
It is something to think about...
There has been a lot of controversy around the beauty industry and waste. Rightly so, because it produces a whooping 120 billion units of cosmetics packaging each year and from that 79% ends up in a landfill.
Sadly, it's not only the packaging that we should worry about- but what's in that packaging. I remember around 10 years ago when I used to work in the beauty industry, there were separate sections in the stores for the smaller "natural" brands, that were using terms like- No Parabens or No Mineral Oils on their packaging. Moreover, you could spot the "organic customer" from a mile. Most people didn't really care, they wanted to know if the product works and if it looks nice in their bathroom cabinet. Thankfully a lot has changed, and we expect our skincare product- not to have parabens or use mineral oils.
However, does a product that claims to be "natural" and "sustainable" really that, when it's formulated with 50 ingredients? You just need to look at the back of the packaging to see all the exotic names, which travelled from all over the world- that surely cannot be sustainable you'd ask.
Now, unfortunately it doesn't end there. I experienced first-hand working for over a decade in the beauty industry that there is a problem that no one seems to talk about and that is a waste which comes from warehouses, damaged packaging, refunds, unused products which have passed their expiry date and unsold products. There is no data about it anywhere, however it is predicted that it can be as high as 20- 40% of cosmetic products that end up as a waste.
Zooming out, I believe that there needs to be a shift in people's mindset. Companies respond to what the consumer wants. You want sustainable? Great, let's put the cream in a glass jar, throw away the leaflet, add one or two of the "it" ingredients and call it sustainable. There is a lot of work to be done, from the supply chains to manufacturers. It is much easier for the small indie brands to make better choices from the start, than for a large company to implement the smallest change.
How many products are in your household? Do you use them all? Sustainable starts with the question every time you place a product in your basket "Do I need it?".
Let me know your thoughts,
With love,
Alexandra
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