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Skin Moisturiser: Make Up Of A Good Moisturiser

By: Stephen Cauldry


This article was authored by a non-health professional.


Posted Tuesday, January 22, 2008



For most skin care consumers, attempting to decode the ingredients on the back of a skin moisturiser product can be a little overwhelming. Fortunately for those of us lacking a degree in chemistry, all moisturisers are pretty much structured in the same fashion. Moisturisers mimic the skin's own moisturizing capabilities by utilizing ingredients that either impede the loss of water or attract water from the dermis layer to the skin's surface.

Ingredients found in moisturisers can be divided into two categories: occlusive agents and humectant agents. Occlusive agents create an oily barrier on the surface of the skin in order to lock in the skin's moisture. Paraffin, beeswax, cocoa, and petrolatum are common occlusive ingredients used in moisturisers. Occlusives can be very heavy and cause breakouts in acne-prone individuals. As an alternative, some moisturisers replace the use of occlusive agents with silicones which produces the same oily feel but without the pore-clogging properties of oil.

The second type of ingredients, humectant agents, increase the skin's water content by attracting moisture from the underlying skin tissue. Many humectant agents, such as lactates and urea, found in the top moisturisers occur naturally in the skin. These agents can hold up to 1000 times their weight in water making them extremely effective at increasing water content to the surface layer of skin.

Occlusive and humectant agents are not the only ingredients that make up a good moisturiser. Emollients fill in tiny crevices between surface skin cells making the skin softer and smoother. Preservatives are essential to thwarting the growth of bacteria and reducing the risk of product contamination. Emulisifiers allow non-mixable solutions to blend rather than separate into layers like oil and water commonly would. Solvents dissolve ingredients resulting in easy absorption into the skin. And finally, fragrances are added to disguise unpleasant odors and give the product a pleasing aromatic scent.

Moisturisers fall into two groups: water-in-oil and oil-in-water formulas. These moisturisers are commonly known as night and day creams, respectively. Day creams are light and easily absorbed. Night creams are heavier and more oily than their counterpart allowing it to stay on the skin surface for an extended period of time.

Developing a good moisturiser is a matter of using the proper balance of the above mentioned ingredients. A recommended alternative to applying a seemingly infinite number of skin care cosmeceuticals is an anti aging cream called LifeCell. This all-in-one treatment is not only a moisturiser but an age-spot reducer, corrective eye treatment, lip-plumper, and make-up base. Now that you have the knowledge, dare to read the active ingredients label before purchasing your next moisturiser.

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