Know Your Ingredients: Rosemary Extract

What it is
Rosemary Extract is derived from the perennial herb rosemary (Rosmarinus Officinalis).

What it does
Rosemary Extract is used in a wide variety of beauty products for its antioxidant properties. In addition, it is also has antimicrobial properties and can therefore be used as a preservative. In this case, it works by preventing the oils and fats in your skincare and cosmetic products from oxidizing (become rancid when exposed to oxygen).

Side effects
Rosemary Extracts contains some aromatic components that can cause irritation and sensitization.

Know Your Ingredients: Avena Sativa (Oat Extract)

What it is
Avena Sativa is oat extract.

What it does
Avena Sativa has anti-inflammatory and anti-irritant properties. For this reasons, it is used used to soothe skin and treat conditions like eczema, dermatitis, blemishes, acne and itches.

Side effects
Avena Sativa is generally considered safe but it could cause negative reactions to people who have oat allergies.

Know Your Ingredients: Collagen

What it is
Collagen is a group of proteins (there are more than 25 types!) that supports bodily tissues like skin, muscles and bones. Collagen, together with Elastin, gives skin structure, flexibility and strength. The type used in cosmetics comes from animal sources or from plants derivatives that act as collagen.

What it does
When used in topical products, collagen can’t stimulate collagen synthesis. That’s because its molecules are too big to penetrate the skin which is what it’d have to do to produce collagen.
Instead, collagen sits on top of the skin and moisturizes it. It is a good water-binding agent that holds moisture in and hydrates skin.

Side effects
Collagen is considered to be safe. However, it can’t replace the collagen the skin lost or stimulate its production, like marketing claims imply.

Olive Oil in Skincare

Being Italian, Olive Oil is a part of my daily diet. I use it all the time to cook and it makes every food so delicious! But olive oil is also great for your health. Rich in antioxidants and fatty acids, this oil can help to prevent diseases like cancer and heart diseases when eaten. Because of its benefits, recently skincare companies have started to add this ingredient into their products to moisturize skin, make it glow and provide antioxidant properties. But is Olive Oil really as good as touted?

Olive Oil is a good moisturizer
Olive Oil is a good moisturizer because it contains fatty acids like oleic, palmitic, and linoleic acids which are very beneficial for dry skin: it hydrates skin, making it soft and smooth. You can use olive oil on its own, or mix a few drops with your favourite night cream to enhance its benefits. In addition, olive oil can also be used to moisturize and soften hair.

Olive Oil has antioxidant properties
In addition to being a good moisturizing agent, olive oil also has antioxidant properties. The oil is rich in rich in polyphenols, a group of substances that fights free radicals, thus slowing down the aging process.

Olive Oil cleanses skin
Olive Oil can also be used as an eye and face makeup remover. Just pour a few drops on a cotton wool and wipe away all traces of makeup. In addition, Olive Oil is one of most used types of oil for the OCM (oil cleansing method) because not only it removes makeup but thanks to its moisturizing properties, leaves skin soft without causing breakouts.

UVB protection and anti-inflammatory properties
A few animal tests show that topical application of Olive Oil can protect skin from UVB damage. However, Olive Oil protects only from some, not all, UVB rays and so should never be used as a replacement for sunscreen. In addition, Olive Oil, both when ingested and applied topically, has anti-inflammatory properties.

Olive oil side effects
Olive Oil is generally considered to be a very mild irritant. However, it was reported that it can cause contact dermatitis, an inflammation of the skin, in some people.

Is Olive Oil the best moisturizer and antioxidant ingredient?
Although Olive Oil is a powerful antioxidant and has good moisturizing properties, it is not the best ingredient out there. There are lots of other antioxidants and skin conditioning agents that works as well. Olive Oil is just one of the many, and effective, choices that are available to you.

Keep in mind though, that not all types of Olive Oil are equal. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) is by far the best type of Olive Oil because it contains the highest concentration of antioxidants. Unfortunately though there is no way of knowing what type of olive oil is used in skincare products.

That’s why, as far as my skincare routine is concerned, I prefer to use the EVOO I cook with to cleanse or moisturize my skin rather than rely on a cream that includes who knows what type of this oil in small concentrations. In addition, include Olive Oil in your diet and often cook with it. It’s good for your overall health and indirectly will benefit your skin too.

Do you use Olive Oil in your skincare routine?

Source: Monica Arellano-Ongpin

Know Your Ingredients: Allantoin

What it is
Allantoin is a white powder. It can be found in plants, like comfrey and horse chestnut, and in the urine of most mammals. The type that is most commonly used in cosmetics and skincare products though derives from urea and glyoxylic acid.

What it does
Allantoin has anti-irritant, soothing and healing properties: it calms down irritations, helps shed the upper layers of dead skin cells and promotes the growth of healthy tissue. That’s why it’s effective at treating wounds,eczema, psoriasis, burns and other skin conditions.
In addition, Allantoin is a skin conditioning agent: it softens and smooths skin as well as allowing it to bind in moisture better.
However, there’s no scientific evidence that it has any anti-aging effects.

Side effects
Allaintoin, used in concentrations ranging from 0.5% to 2%, is considered safe.