2019-01-01

Back to basics - the simpler the better

Lately internet seems to be full of reports of harmful cosmetics. On the other hand, cosmetic companies convince us about the need for creams and the role of moisturizing. It's easy to get lost and get stuck at the shop shelf full of beautiful boxes, jars and bottles. How to choose a perfect cosmetic to achieve the maximum benefits and not to harm the skin?

At the beginning it is good to remember that on the box of the product, the manufacturer can promise almost everything, for example, that the cream works even like a laser or botox. But he also has a duty to list all the ingredients used, and here we can unmask him.

INCI, or International Nomenclature of Cosmetics Ingredients, must be on every cosmetic and it is the list of cosmetic ingredients used in an exact product. Ingredients are given in descending order; at the end we usually find preservatives and fragrance composition.

The base of the product is at the beginning of the composition list and form the largest part of the product. It is mainly water, alcohols or fats. The ideal product, after the base, should contain active ingredients, that makes the cosmetics to have active properties. To those we will include vitamins, lipids, moisturizers, plant extracts, acids, peptides, and antioxidants. In addition to the base and active compounds, each cosmetic also contains ancillary ingredients, and among them are the most harmful compounds. Some of them are needed, like preservatives, to ensure safe use, but most of it is redundant ballast - dyes, perfume, improvers of the texture. They often make the cosmetics beautifully presented and can delight from the first application.

Our skin does not particularly like all these wonderful smells and colors. The truth is that, they are not only unnecessary for the skin, but often they weaken its protective properties, being responsible for allergies and dryness. In addition, those substances may interfere with the process of penetration of the active compounds and block their action.

The INCI nomenclature is a very useful tool, but it is difficult to require a cosmetic user to have the knowledge to recognize them properly. There are, however, some simple rules that can be assimilated without a PhD in Chemistry and that will help you to make the right choice:

1. Short composition (up to 10 ingredients) gives you a better guarantee that your cosmetic is not stained with unnecessary additives.

2. Highly active substances in the composition, preferably just after the base substances - such cosmetic will surely fulfill the promises of the manufacturer. If acids, peptides or vitamins are found at the end of the INCI list, behind the preservatives and perfume / fragrance, they have no right to act because the amount of those is simply too small.

3. Avoid products heavily dyed and strongly perfumed. Preservatives, dyes and fragrances should be at the end of the composition. It is best to choose cosmetics with shorter shelf life and fragrance free.

In response to the above points, Liqpharm goes back to basics and launches the LIQC Dermocosmetics range with minimal composition and maximum potency.