Natural Skin Care Products Ingredients
Glycolic Acid & Lactic Acid. These two natural acids are also called Alpha-hydroxy acids (AHA). They are naturally occurring acids, derived from sugars in certain plants or in milk. Some examples are Glycolic Acid (Sugar Cane), Citric Acid (Citrus Fruits), Lactic Acid (Milk), Tartaric Acid (Grapes), Malic Acid (Apples), and Mandelic Acid (Bitter Almonds). These acids act at the very base of the stratum corneum, dissolving the cement that holds dead skin cells together. This allows for an elevation in cell turnover and influences the structure of new stratum corneum being made.
Salicylic acid acts from the uppermost layer of the skin, dissolving skin layer by layer. Salicylic acid is a chemical compound with the formula C6H4(OH)CO2H, where the OH group is adjacent to the carboxylic acid group. This colorless crystalline organic acid is widely used in organic synthesis and acts as a vegetal hormone. It is probably best known as a compound that is chemically alike but not identical to the active ingredient of aspirin. The name comes from the latin word for the willow tree (Salix), from whose bark it can be obtained.
Commonly called beta hydroxy acid (compare to AHA), salicylic acid is the key additive in many skin-care products for the treatment of keratosis pilaris, corns, callouses, stretch marks, psoriasis, acne and warts. It treats acne by causing skin cells to slough off more readily, preventing pores from clogging up. This effect on skin cells also makes salicylic acid an active ingredient in various shampoos meant to treat dandruff. Use of straight salicylic solution may leave hyperpigmentation on unpretreated skin for those with darker skin types (Fitzpatrick phototypes IV, V, VI), just like the lack of use of a broad spectrum sunblock.
Facial cleansers also contain Camphor. This is a natural ingredient extracted from wood of the camphor laurel (Cinnamonum camphora), a huge evergreen tree found in Asia (specially in Borneo) and some other similar trees in the laurel family, notably Ocotea usambarensis. Camphor is readily assimilated through the skin and gives a feeling of cooling comparable to that of menthol and acts as slight local anesthesic and antimicrobial substance.
Cleansers also contain a little Phenol, which is an organic chemical with the formula C6H5OH. Its composition is that of a hydroxyl group (-OH) linked to a phenyl ring; it is thus an aromatic compound. It has antiseptic and anesthesic properties.
When an alpha-beta facial cleanser is applied to clean oily skin the result is a more elastic, smoother skin, and a more even skin tone.
A natural and chemical-free skin care product is the latest answer to all your skin ailments, from acne to major surgical scars.
- Marlyn Whipple
:: Aug.28.2008 :: 1250 ::
