Skin Care Ingredients
As stated numerous times on this site, the things to look for in a good skin care product are the ingredients and the concentrations. Price, brand name, and what your co-worker says works for her are not factors that should influence your decision.
Science isn’t sexy, but science shows us what really works and what doesn’t work. If you choose to ignore the facts and buy into the hype of big brand names, that’s up to you. But chances are you’ve done that before and have been disappointed.
This “Ingredient Matrix” shows you most of the major anti-aging skin care ingredients used today to fight wrinkles. We’ve grouped them according to how effective they’ve been shown to be.
Below the matrix is a more detailed description of each ingredient, in alphabetical order.
| Proven to Work | Worth Trying | Don’t Bother | Ideal Concentration | |
| Adapalene* | X | |||
| AHA | X | > 7% | ||
| Alpha Lipoic Acid | X | |||
| Argireline | X | |||
| Ascorbyl Palmitate | X | |||
| Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate | X | 1% - 2% | ||
| Beta-Hydroxy Acids | X | |||
| Coenzyme Q10 | X | |||
| Colostrum | X | |||
| Copper Peptides | X | |||
| DMAE | X | |||
| Estrogen | X | 0.01% | ||
| Furfuryladenine | X | 0.1% | ||
| Green Tea | X | |||
| Idebenone | X | |||
| Lycopene | X | |||
| Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate | X | > 2% | ||
| Niacinamide | X | 2% - 5% | ||
| Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-3 | X | > 4 ppm | ||
|
Tazarotene* |
X | 0.1% | ||
| Tretinoin* | X | 0.025% - 0.05% | ||
| Vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) | X | > 9% | ||
| Vitamin C (w/o water) | X | |||
| Vitamin E | X |
*prescription only
Marketed under the name Differin, adapalene is a retinoid (retinoids are a form of retonic acid). The most famous retinoid is tretinoin, but as those of you who have used tretinoin may know, it irritates your skin. Scientists have thus studied other retinoids to see if they can have the same anti-wrinkle properties of tretinoin but without the irritation.
When it comes to retinoids, it seems irritation is directly proportional to effectiveness. Tretinoin works, and thus it irritates. Adapalene is less irritating… and less effective. It works to a degree, but a much lesser degree. Adapalene is more effective at fighting acne than wrinkles, but if tretinoin really irritates you, then it’s a viable alternative.
AHA’s come from plants, and are one of the few skin care ingredients scientifically proven to work. AHA’s help fight acne and have also been show to reverse aging by thickening skin and collagen.
The problem with AHA’s is that most products that contain the do so in concentrations too small to make a difference. Your dermatologist can prescribe you strong AHA creams, but alas, they might irritate your skin (and irritation speeds the aging process). You can still buy AHA creams over the counter, but make sure the concentration is more than 7 or 8 percent.
AHA’s also act as an exfoliator, and thus you should alternate using the cream every season. That is, use for 3 months, then stop for another 3 months. Then repeat. And when you do use it, do it daily. Unless, of course, you experience irritation. In that case, use should stop immediately.
If you’re interested in trying some AHA’s, consider C + AHA, AHA Face Cream 2.5oz, or NeoStrata AHA.
Lipoic acid, the former media darling, has shown great promise in its ability to fight wrinkles. Not only that, its side effects are far less numerous than those of tretinoin. With time, it may turn out to be the next generation wrinkle eraser.
Here’s the catch: the only studies on lipoic acid were spearheaded by Dr. Perricone, who also sells products that contain, you guessed it, lipoic acid. Take that for what you will.
It might take a few years before more studies deliver the final verdict on lipoic acid. But given its minimal side effects, it could be worth trying. Just beware that everyone reacts to products differently, and what works for one Perricone customer might not work for you. And it’s pricey.
ALA’s are popular, and if you want to attempt to find out why, give it a try. The most popular seems to be the N.V. Perricone Advanced Face Firming Activator.
Argireline is another name for acetyl hexapeptide-3. It “works” by stopping your body from releasing the neurotransmitters that promote facial tension, thereby “relaxing” your facial muscles. This is similar to Botox, which works to paralyze some of your facial muscles.
But while Botox has a high success rate, the evidence on Argireline doesn’t quite make the grade yet. Besides, Botox targets specific muscles, while Argireline may not. This means other facial muscles might relax, and you may not want them too. The result? Facial sagging. If your face tends to sag, please think twice before using Argireline. In fact, the rest of you should think twice before using it too.
This is simply modified vitamin C, or more precisely, a vitamin C derivative. Derivatives are more stable than vitamin C, and also won’t irritate your skin as much. This particular derivative works well to protect against free radicals, but is not as effective at building collagen than plain ol’ vitamin C. But it’s more friendly to your skin, so if vitamin C irritates you, then ascorbyl palmitate could be a feasible option to consider.
What goes for ascorbyl palmitate (see above) basically goes for ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate… except that it’s far better at building that all-important collagen. That makes it the perfect ingredient right?
Maybe. More research is needed, and even if you wanted it, it’s somewhat hard to find. But don’t worry; if it proves to be effective, the market will be flooded with products.
BHA’s are for pimples, not wrinkles. If it’s wrinkles you hate, then don’t buy BHA’s. If it’s pimples you hate, buy BHA’s. But this site is about wrinkles, not zits. Save your money.
Co-Q10 is a vital antioxidant that your body needs. Your body loses it as you age, and theoretically, supplementing your body with Co-Q10 would delay the aging process.
But theoretical, ideal scenarios don’t always play out that way when it comes to wrinkle cream ingredients. Co-Q10 might very well work, but at this point it would be wishful thinking until further research answers some basic questions. You can try it, but do so knowing that you’re using something that is far from a sure thing. If you’re up for the challenge, try Super Skin A + Q10 Cream.
Colostrum is a form of cow’s milk, but not quite the milk you drink with your cereal (it’s more enriched). Colostrum has been purported to fight wrinkles, but no reliable research exists to prove it. It’s also hard to find, but if you do decide to try it, it should be relatively safe.
Copper peptides are mainly used to promote skin healing for various wounds and scars, for which it is proven to be effective. Since wrinkles are technically a “wound,” copper peptides may diminish them while encouraging normal skin to heal and regenerate.
While not as thoroughly researched and proven as retinoids or other proven ingredients, copper peptides show good promise and are fairly low risk. If you decide to try them, apply them daily but take a break from use every week or so. More is not better, and if you use peptides in conjunction with another cream that irritates you, make sure you apply one in the morning and the other at night, or vice versa.
Good products to try are Creme De La Copper and Advanced Perfecting Elixir.
DMAE is a respectable skin care ingredient used to firm up facial sagging. It’s a safe and stable substance, though it’s quite expensive. While it cannot compare to a full-on facelift, it appears to be a suitable alternative with modest, but noticeable, results.
DMAE will do nothing for your wrinkles, but if sagging is more of a problem for you than wrinkles, then DMAE might be a smart buy (short of a facelift, which is a lot more expensive).
Try Alpha Lipoic Night Cream or AlphaDerma CE.
For you women in your 40s and 50s, menopause is either in your future, or part of your past. And with menopause comes a rapid decrease in estrogen levels. The result? You start wrinkling… fast.
What to do? Give your body its estrogen back. Topical estrogen is one of the few proven skin care ingredients to fight wrinkles and improve collagen synthesis.
Two problems persist. First of all, it’s very hard to find estrogen cream designed for facial applications. To get it, ask your doctor, and he can arrange to have it prepared for you. Secondly, no one knows yet if estrogen cream will work for women who have not yet hit menopause (or men, for that matter). Logic says it would work just the same, but science isn’t always logical.
If you feel this is an avenue you’d like to explore, talk to your doctor and tell him/her the purpose you want to use it for.
With tretinoin so irritating (yet effective), companies are constantly looking for something that works just as well, but without that pesky irritation. Furfuryladenine is one of those such hoped-for miracles.
Most of the research supporting its anti-aging prowess is biased (that is, the sponsors of the studies are selling furfuryladenine). Still, if you find tretinoin irritating for your skin, it could be worthwhile to try it.
Most of you probably know about green tea’s potent anti-oxidant capabilities. The benefits of green tea get a lot of good press, but the benefits relating to anti-aging if any, are not yet fully known.
Green tea has a great track record, so there’s hope. The negative is that anti-oxidants are notoriously unstable, and they stop working once exposed to air. Until more progress is made, you’re better off avoiding green tea creams.
Idebenone is an anti-oxidant with similar qualities to Co-Q10. The similarities make it a good warrior against free radicals, but the difference are enough to where we can’t throw a parade for idebenone yet.
Idebenone was somewhat rushed to the market once manufacturers learned it had success in some trials similar to Co-Q10. Too many questions remain about idebenone, but I’d only suggest trying it if you’ve had no success with some of the more proven ingredients.
You may have heard of lycopene before, as it’s a powerful antioxidant found in some fruits and vegetables (such as tomatoes and watermelon). Lycopene has been shown to help fight prostate cancer and other diseases, and it has also been shown to fight free radicals and block some UV rays.
Lycopene’s ability to block UV rays is rather modest, and probably not enough to make a difference for your skin. You’re better off using regular sunscreen until more studies prove the anti-aging benefits of lycopene. And remember, antioxidants begin to lose their luster when exposed to air. Those lycopene creams on the market may work to some degree, but not for very long.
Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate (MAP)
A vitamin C derivative, MAP has proven to be as effective as vitamin C at fighting wrinkles… without the irritation or notorious instability. In other words, it’s better than vitamin C in many ways.
If plain ol’ vitamin C irritates your skin, you should strongly consider products with MAP. Just be sure of 2 things. #1, it must be highly concentrated (see the ingredient matrix above for proper concentration). #2, it’s still going to lose power once exposed to air (not as quickly as vitamin C, though). Buy small batches one at a time, and keep it in a cool, dark location.
Niacinamide is a form of vitamin B3 that may be a good bet as a future anti-aging compound. It’s safe, keeps well, and has a long history of skin benefits.
Preliminary research on niacinamide is promising, but still scant. However, the odds look good. If you’ve tried other ingredients to no avail, I see no major downside to using niacinamide-based products (aside from the cost and your willingness to try something before it has been further proven).
Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-3 (Matrixyl)
PP-3 is hyped as a collagen synthesis stimulator, and preliminary studies show it to be effective at this without the usual side effects. This would be great, except the studies have all been done by the manufacturer. This doesn’t make it hogwash, but it should at least make you skeptical.
PP-3 can be an alternative for you if nothing else has worked. Skin products aren’t cheap, and PP-3 is no exception. That said, your money should be wisely spent. Only if some of the other ingredients listed here don’t work for you should you consider PP-3 at this point. One day it might be further proven.
A prescription-only cream, Tazarotene (Tazorac) is another alternative to tretinoin. It has been shown to produce almost identical results to tretinoin, and perhaps a bit better when it comes to fighting wrinkles. The side effects are the same, and even if it was worth it, more studies are needed.
Tretioin, which is available via prescription as Retin A (and also Renova and Retin A Micro), is usually the first choice anti-aging medication recommended by doctors. The reason for this is simple: tretinoin has been proven to work in several different independent studies.
That doesn’t mean it will work for you, however. No single wrinkle cream works for everyone, though everyone usually does respond to at least one product. In addition, tretinoin is often very irritating to the skin, with reports of dryness and other symptoms. And for some of you, it might be embarrassing to ask your doctor to write you a prescription.
To deal with the irritation, you have a few options. You can decrease the concentration (0.025% may work just as well as 0.05%), apply it less often, or use a micronized form of tretinoin called Retin A Micro.
Tretinoin is an effective wrinkle fighter, but it’s not for everyone. If you decide to go the over-the-counter route, you do have comparable options.
This antioxidant powerhouse benefits the body in many ways, and that includes the skin. Vitamin C has been clinically proven to reduce wrinkles, fight free radicals, and stimulate collagen synthesis.
But getting these benefits isn’t so simple. Antioxidants start to lose their power rapidly once exposed to air, so it’s very possible your vitamin C-enriched wrinkle cream is useless by the time you’ve started using it. Vitamin C is highly unstable, so manufacturers must throw in stabilizing ingredients (and charge you for them). Even then, stabilization is shaky. Watch that expiration date, and make sure you store the cream properly. And be extra sure that your cream has enough vitamin C in it to be effective. Without proper concentration, it’s worthless.
No, you cannot take vitamin C pills and expect a younger face. You’d need dozens and dozens of pills per day to get any benefits to your skin, and that would be highly toxic. Use a cream instead.
As with any skin product, results vary by individual. If vitamin C creams don’t work for you (or cause irritation), try either a dry form or one of its derivatives (listed on this page as ascorbyl palmitate, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, and ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate).
The problems with vitamin C (see above) are the same as with vitamin E. Most creams don’t have enough of it, and it’s too unstable to be truly effective. Plus, vitamin E is not as effective as vitamin C when it comes to fighting wrinkles, although it does have some effect.
There are better options out there than vitamin E creams, most of which are listed on this page. When you see all those creams at the store singing the praises of vitamin E, now you know the truth. And the truth shall save you a lot of money.