How many active substances used in moisturizers do you know?
Undoubtedly, actively moisturizing agents are the most popular substances used to improve our physical appearance. Their main task is to deliver water and hold it inside skin, which translates into resilience boost. Do you know what moisturizers your favorite beauty products contain?
Active substances used in beauty products
These ingredients are divided into three main groups:
- hydrophilic substances hold water inside epidermis and work in deepest skin layers
- hydrophobic substances have an occlusive effect, which means that they create a protective layer on skin
- substances that modify the outer layer of the skin
Moisturizing hydrophilic agents
Their main task is to attract and hold water in skin. What’s interesting, there are a few ways that hydrophilic substances uses to penetrate skin: some of them are able to reach dermis, wheres others remain on skin surface. The most popular examples of moisturizing hydrophilic agents are: collagen, hyaluronic acid, sorbitol, pyroglutamic acid. The hydrophilic agents that are able to reach deepest skin layers include: glycerin, panthenol, lactic acid and urea.
Moisturizing hydrophobic substances
Instead of bonding with water inside skin, these substances create a kind of barrier that blocks water from going through it. This means that cosmetics containing these moisturizers create an occlusive layer on skin that doesn’t allow water to evaporate. This in turn prevents skin dehydration effectively. The common forms of moisturizing hydrophobic substances include: mineral oils, vegetable fats, vegetable oils, waxes and silicones.
Substances that modify epidermis
Here we should mention lipids that occur in our skin naturally, and they are: ceramides, cholesterol and fatty acids. The number of lipids decreases when skin starts ageing. This in turn might have its consequence in disturbing the natural protective functions of skin, which later may lead to skin dehydration. Skin can be supplied with ceramides, cholesterol and fatty acids through application of various skin care products.
