CONFESSIONS OF A BEAUTY ADDICT It’s all about the chemistry! BY ALEX ORFILA
‘A
cid’ is not a word you would typically associate with skincare. Nor is it an ingredient you would ever dream of slathering on your face. This is true of the traditionally harsh and corrosive chemicals of the acid family - stay well away from those! When you break it down, acid is just a word to describe a type of chemical substance; this month we're focusing on the safe waterbased acids which are found in our skincare products, as well as other active ingredients which you may not have heard of since your Year 10 science class, but which are making serious waves in the beauty world. Each have a different purpose and can target a variety of skin concerns from acne, open pores, dryness, dullness and wrinkles. Basically everything. Perhaps I would have displayed more interest in chemistry class if I had known it would teach me which ingredients would help plump and smoothen my skin, but GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE MARCH 2020
alas my dalliance with skincare begun well after my school days! When incorporating any - or a selection - of these active ingredients into your skincare routine, research is key, and some caution is advised. It is important to know how to layer products; some of these ingredients complement each other wonderfully, whilst others don’t get along at all and combining them could be counterproductive or even damaging to your skin. A company which has revolutionised skincare particularly in recent years is Deciem (which most will know as The Ordinary). This brand has stripped back their products to the bare bones, they do not focus on advertising, branding, fancy names or any of the other factors which contribute to making beauty products all the more expensive. In fact, their products
are very inexpensive, with prices starting from as little as £5. Their serums and creams are quite literally labeled with the chemical component contained in the bottle along with a percentage relating to the strength. For example, The Ordinary’s Hyaluronic Acid serum is quite literally called Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5, so you get the idea. These chemical components can seem quite daunting to the untrained eye, for this reason The Ordinary’s website offer detailed guidance as to how to layer these products - which is absolutely key to ensuring their effectiveness.
I saw results pretty much from the first time I used it.
The Ordinary’s success has been so groundbreaking that even beauty giants Boots have recently released their own range of stripped back products which also focus on these key ingredients. They have quite literally – and some would say rather cleverly named their range ‘Ingredients’. 59
