1. When it comes to skincare products, they usually fall into 3 categories: cosmetic, cosmeceutical and cosmedical. A cosmetic may feel nice on your skin (it will probably smell great too); however active ingredients will be in such a low concentration that’s

insufficient to create any change in the skin. These are the sorts of products that have been around for years available on supermarket shelves. Then came along cosmeceuticals; these became the next step up from cosmetic products. Cosmeceuticals generally contain a higher portion of active ingredients and are usually sold after a skin therapist assesses your skin. Now we make way for cosmedicals – these are the heavy weights of the skincare industry! Cosmedicals are the newest and arguably the most effective category of skin care products that can be purchased without a prescription (hint: they are often described as an advanced cosmeceutical). Cosmedicals work to feed the skin with the best possible ingredients in a format that is biologically active (so the skin can absorb the nutrients). Most importantly, cosmedicals contain proven technology that is clinically tested with active ingredients to ensure the best possible skin care results. Cosmedicals are usually prescribed by a skincare professional after they have assessed your skin.

So now you’re wondering, what about all those products in your bathroom cabinet – are they the bee’s knees of skincare? There are a couple of easy ways to determine if you are using a high quality product, simply ask yourself these simple questions:

1. Is it changing or improving your skin?
2. How dramatic is the result?
3. What is the colour of the product?

The third question may sound strange, surely the colour of a product can’t determine efficacy!? Well think again. When it comes to certain skincare ingredients the colour (or colour change) of your product can be a dead giveaway for ingredient stability. Ingredients like Vitamin C or Retinol need to be in high quality formulations to maintain their stability and effectiveness. For example, Vitamin C should always be clear or white in colour (not yellow or brown). Regardless of the total % of vitamin C in the product, if the product itself is brown this is a surefire indicator that your Vitamin C has oxidized meaning there is little benefit to your skin. Retinol is another ingredient that is highly sensitive; a brown or darker orange colour is a no-no when it comes to Retinol. Instead make sure your serum is always pale yellow to guarantee stability.

Many skincare products out there will undoubtedly contain some of the latest and greatest ingredients that are all over the media, but are these ingredients used in sufficient volume to exert a benefit on the skin? The best thing about a cosmedial skincare product is that all ingredients are used within a therapeutic threshold, this means the amount of the ingredient used has scientific data to show:

  • That the proportion of the ingredient is safe and well tolerated on the skin
  • That the amount of the ingredient used in enough to deliver the benefit

A few things to know when switching to cosmedicals

  • Always follow suggested use directions– using more will not deliver a better or faster result, in fact it may impair results
  • Expect to see change in the skin within the first few weeks, possible changes could include:

– Dryness or flakiness
– Mild congestion

  • When noticing these changes it’s a sign that the ingredients are working and unhealthy skin is coming to the surface and is being replaced with healthy skin

Always remember that Cosmedical products need to be used in specific dosage amounts and are not applied liberally to the skin like traditional cosmetics or cosmeceutical products. Used correctly cosmedical skincare products can transform the skin back into optimal skin balance however due to the nature of the active ingredients a period of change is expected. This usually occurs during the first two weeks and is a sign that the ingredients are working and that you have a good quality cosmedical product. This settles over a couple of weeks revealing your best skin ever. The beauty of cosmedical skin care is that the skin becomes stronger unlike a cosmetic that merely masks underlying conditions such as dryness.

So if we consider the fact that 80% of our skin health is derived from topical nutrition, it stands to reason that for a gorgeous complexion you need to feed your skin the right
nutrients.

To do this, MM loves Skinsitut as her go-to cosmedical skincare. This is because Skinstitut is formulated by leading cosmetic chemists and pharmacists to ensure effective use of active ingredients, delivery systems and biomimetic formulations to deliver results and products that really work. The main point of difference with Skinstitut is the quality and stabilisation of the active ingredients. Based on scientific formulations and a clinically proven blends of AHA’s, Retinoids, Vitamin C, Peptides, Antioxidants and SPF technology, Skinstitut Cosmedicals are not only reliant on potent active ingredients but utilise penetration enhancing formulations and encapsulation technology to deliver benefits as deep as possible into the skin to help produce powerful results.
Not sure where to start with your cosmedical regime?  Book a skin consult at Skinstitut salon Bare Bella Beauty at Greythorn Shops Balwyn North

 

source: https://www.skinstitut.com/blog/post/science-and-skincare-do-you-know-whats-really-in-your-products