Choosing a Skin Care Product: What Really Matters?

Written by Vilma Lulu Musuku

Cosmetics are products applied on the body for beautifying, altering appearance or just basically cleansing. The skin being the largest organ of the body protecting all the other organs and muscles needs a lot of care and attention. This has brought about the production and distribution of a wide range of products differing in all angles there by making it difficult for consumers to choose. Here are some of the the things to consider when making a choice. 

THE INGREDIENTS

The ingredients have a lot to say about how the commodity works. This is because they are what make up the product and so they determine the results when used. They are listed primarily at the back of the product and are arranged in descending order of concentration with the highest right at the first top and least right below. The ingredients with the highest concentration often defines how the product works but numerous of them are very effective even in the lowest quantities. For example just 2% of hydroquinone automatically makes a product to be termed as lightening.

Someone must be able to identify the type of ingredients to use depending on their skin type or skin concerns. They are basically five skin types namely; normal, oily, dry, combination and sensitive skin. Most of the conditions people get to deal with are acne, black spots, uneven skin tone and signs of aging such as fine lines and wrinkles.

Oily skin

Someone with oily skin or acne prone skin can use water based cleansers and products with ingredients such as petrolatum, butylene glycol, jojoba oil, sorbitol and glycerine which are non comedogenic and hence cannot clog up the pores. Salicylic acid and sulphur are some of the other ingredients to look for because they help to remove the layer of built up dead skin cells, thereby treating and preventing outbreaks.

Dry skin

For dry skin, it is generally advisable to use products that will add enough moisture to the skin, and so there would be no need to reapply every now and then. These can be hyaluronic acid and coconut oil plus exfoliators such as lactic acid and citric acid.

Sensitive skin

Treating sensitive skin can require ingredients such as ceramides, fatty acids and cholesterols, whilst avoiding fragrances and products containing retinols, AHAs, alcohols and preservatives.

Normal skin

Normal skin does not need moisturizing from time to time and so ingredients like milk, yogurt, urea, glycerine and some AHAs and BHA for exfoliating.

Combination skin Combination skin might require you to treat the different parts of the skin separately depending on the level of moisture needed. For example, the T-zone would require a milder moisturizer in comparison with the rest of the face.

All in all, someone must use the products with the right ingredients to get the adequate results.

THE PACKAGING AND SMELL

Someone might go for a lotion or soap simply because it would look good on the bathroom shelf. Yes! It feels great to get something that makes your heart glitter when you look at it and use it. But sometimes the packaging might be tricky. It is not always that a good looking bottle contains the best products inside.

You might open the bottle and be welcomed by a nice smell. That shouldn’t be the only basis of you getting the product. You might as well get a nice perfume to cover up the scent of a good working product with ‘not very good’ smell. Nevertheless that doesn’t mean that all products that look and smell good aren’t always effective.

THE PRICES

People tend to think getting an expensive product will automatically have then covered. Unfortunately it is not always that expensive ones yield the best results. Occasionally, the products are just highly priced because of the packaging materials used or maybe just due to the fact that they are being endorsed by someone very famous. This does not imply that getting an expensive product is inappropriate. Some of them are genuinely expensive because a lot was invested into the research about the ingredients and the improvement of the formula and so they work exceptionally great.

THE BRAND

It is highly thought that using products of the same brand are worthier because they tend to work better as a whole set. That is from the cleanser to the sunscreen. In as much as this might be legit the opposite might also be true. This entails that it is not always that a brand will have the best of everything, there might be flaws in some of the products. The brand might have a well formulated toner but the cream might need a lot to be desired. One can get to mix the brands up depending on what works best for their skin.

THE LABELS

The labels on the packaging might be deceiving sometimes; these labels can include "dermatologist recommended", natural or hypoallergenic. According to Charlotte Cho a board certified aesthetician; "dermatologist recommended" might sound legit and official but this phrase can be used even if only one dermatologist gives the product a thumbs up and that dermatologist could have been paid for the endorsement. The assurance we get that the product has been backed by a doctor undoubtedly has some influence but don’t be tricked into thinking it means the product is magical or somehow right for you.

Natural and hypoallergenic are some of the other commonly used terms. Even though they sound really delightful and catchy as most people want to go natural, it doesn’t mean the products are pure, clean or perfect. Every so often, the label can be used even when just a little strand of a natural ingredient was used. Some of the natural ingredients might be irritating to the skin and be contaminated by bacterial, pesticides and other chemicals used to improve the yield.

PREFERENCES

Consequently, one must weigh their preferences when choosing their products. This will enable them to get the best outcomes possible. It is advisable to search for reviews on the product before purchasing it. These can come from the internet, a profound cosmetic shop or maybe just people around who have used the product. But one has to bear in mind that what worked for someone else might not work for them and it takes time to see most of the results and so one must exercise some patience. Depending on the type of condition being treated and the products being used, improvements can be seen within days or even weeks. For example acne can improve within a few days if it is not severe and if the right products are used. But stretch marks would even take up to 3 weeks to notice the difference. Apparently, many are being tricked in buying products with the belief that they will work overnight which is merely impossible.