Top 5 Most Effective Anti-Ageing Ingredients

“Anti-ageing” is probably the most searched beauty term, we are all quite obsessed in looking for the most potent ingredients that will help slow down the ageing effects on the skin.

Ageing happens whether you want it to or not. But this doesn’t mean we have to look our age, so with that in mind I am going to share with you the top 5 most effective anti-ageing ingredients and ways you can add them to your skincare routine.

Top 5 most effective anti-ageing ingredients

Finding and maintaining an effective skincare routine is your first step to combating the first signs of ageing. By ensuring your skin is kept clean and nourished with the best ingredients for treating your skin type and any concerns you may have.

The skin encounters daily skin damaging free radicals, such as, overexposure to UV rays, bacteria and pollution to name a few and if left unprotected your skin can begin to show signs of premature ageing, such as, fine lines and wrinkles. To give you a little guidance, here is a simple skincare routine that you can use on a daily basis that will keep the skin’s microbiome healthy and functioning with the correct levels of water and oils, both of which are vital at keeping your skin remaining glowing and youthful.

1. Cleanser- This can be in gel, cream or oil formula that best suits your skin type. Cleansing the skin of any makeup, dirt and bacteria will give the following steps the ability to penetrate the skin.
2. Acid toner- These usually contain an AHA or BHA (more on those later) and can slough away any build-up of dead skin cells.
3. Serum- This product is considered one of the most important steps in your regime as the formulas contain high levels of active ingredients that can reach the lower layers of the skin
4. Moisturiser- Ideal for offering a protective coat to the skin from the elements and other skin stressors.
5. Sun Protection (AM only)- Offers protection from the skin damaging UV rays experienced from sun exposure, we will discuss the importance of SPF in a bit more detail.

The quality of the skin ingredients play an important role in ensuring your routine delivers the best results and combat any signs of ageing and other benefits your skin can experience from using them. The following are the top 5 ingredients that will make a notable impact on any of the signs of ageing of the skin.

Vitamin C

One of the most commonly used active ingredients in skincare products, vitamin C is packed with antioxidant properties that can protect the skin against any damage occurred from exposure to free radicals. These are one of the main causes of premature skin ageing and if left will continue to damage the skin leading to a breakdown in collagen production and loss of firmness to the face. Other skin concerns that are usually a result of skin ageing are dark spots, which thankfully are also combated by vitamin C. The most effective concentrates to apply on the skin vary between 5%-20% this depends mainly on the product and formulation, and which concentrate would be the beneficial for your skin type.

• Vitamin C is packed with antioxidant properties that can help counteract the damage caused to the skin by free radicals which lead to the first signs of ageing
• Vitamin C can restore brightness and glow back to the complexion
• Vitamin C can reduce the appearance of dark spots, which is another sign of ageing

Although this ingredient is loved by many, it is known for being tricky to use correctly with some side effects, like an increase of skin sensitivity to sunlight with some people experiencing some skin irritations. There is also the matter of the shelf-life of active vitamin C is quite short and to reap the full benefits ensure the product is kept out of direct sunlight in opaque packaging. There is another blog post that shares more details on the skincare benefits of vitamin C over on the website that you can take a closer look at.

Vitamin A (Retinol)

Vitamin A, also known as retinol and retinoids, is a considered the superhero ingredient when it comes to combating ageing. It is able to increase the daily cellular turnover of the skin, allowing it to have a continuous smoother, brighter and glowing complexion. This also results in fine lines, wrinkles, dark spots and even breakouts are significantly reduced.

When using retinol there are a couple of precautionary measures needed to take when introducing it to your routine. Retinol comes in a number of formulas, from prescription to over the counter, all of which contain a variety of strengths ranging from 0.25% up to 1%. This is an important part to take into consideration as the skin needs to build a tolerance to the ingredient. We have shared some tips on the skincare benefits of retinol on a previous blog post if you are wanting to find out more.

• Retinol increases the speed of the cell turn-over of dead skin cells giving the skin a brighter and younger appearance
• Retinol can help tackle issues like fine lines, wrinkles and dark spots
• Retinol can increase the production of collagen making the skin look more plumped, firmer with some bounce
• Retinol comes with a number of drawbacks, such as dryness, rashes and flaking so should be introduced to the skin slowly and correctly

As mentioned retinol comes with some side effects so it is best to follow the instructions of applying a low percentage once a week allowing the skin to build a resilience, if you have any concerns you should seek the help from a dermatologist or skincare expert before applying the product to the skin.

AHAs and BHAs

Alpha hydroxy acids (AHA) and beta hydroxy acids (BHA) are chemical exfoliants and are usually found in products such as cleansers, acid toners, serums and masks. AHAs work on the upper layer of the skin and are able to breakdown the bonds of dead skin cells that can build-up and result in the skin looking dry, flaking and older. Some of the most popular AHAs blended into skincare formulas are glycolic acid and lactic acid, both of which are able to reduce signs of ageing, like hyperpigmentation, fine lines and wrinkles with lactic acid being used by those who have a more sensitive skin type.

Salicylic acid is the only BHA known to benefit the skin, though it is known mainly for its benefits at combating problematic and blemish-prone skin types, salicylic acid has the ability to boost the production of collagen reversing any signs of loss of firmness to the face.

• Both AHA and BHA are able to slough away any debris and traces of product that can cause damage to the skin resulting in premature ageing
• AHA and BHA unglue the bonds holding dead skin cells to the top layer of the skin that can build-up and age the skin with signs of fine lines and wrinkles
• AHAs can help restore glow to the complexion and reduce dark spots
• BHA can boost the production of collagen giving the skin a firmer and youthful complexion

There is a rather large and extended family of AHAs and BHAs making it a little confusing at times to decide on one would work best for you, check out our blog post about what they are and how they benefit the skin.

Sunscreen

It feels as though I am also chiming on about wearing a daily SPF, but it really is a vital step in protecting your skin against premature ageing. I can even be as bold and say, if you only wanted to use one skincare product, then make it sunscreen. Exposure to UVA and UVB rays can cause a number of skin concerns and damage to the skin, most serious being skin cancer, and other such as causing the breakdown in collagen and elastin production which in time can cause sagging to the skin with wrinkles becoming more prominent. Dark spots are also a result of sun damage which can easily be combatted by wearing a SPF of 30 and above every day, even on those cloudy, grey days. 

• Sunscreen can protect the skin against damage caused by UVA and UVB rays
• Sunscreen can stop dark spots becoming more pigmented and prevent any new ones developing
• Sunscreen will protect the skin and help the production of collagen and elastin functioning
• Sunscreen provides a protective barrier for the skin allowing your products to penetrate and benefit the skin

 Luckily with marked improvement in the formulas of sunscreens they are no longer too heavy and chalky on the skin, instead the lightweight products are easy to apply and do not clog pores without any greasy residue making them ideal for everyday use.

Hyaluronic acid

Naturally found in the body and known as one of the most used humectant, hyaluronic acid has the ability to draw in moisture from the air and skincare products locking in hydration into the skin. This quality means signs of ageing, particularly fine lines, are reduced making them look less visible. The overall appearance of the face once you have applied hyaluronic acid is youthful, plumped and smooth meaning this beloved ingredient is formulated into an enormous amount of products across the beauty industry, with an equal amount of admirers with it.

• Hyaluronic acid is a humectant meaning it can draw in moisture to the skin
• Hyaluronic acid can lock hydration into the skin making the face appear smoother with visible less fine lines and wrinkles
• Hyaluronic acid is gentle enough to use every day
• Hyaluronic acid is naturally present in the body meaning it does not cause any side effects

With an ingredient such unwavering results its no wonder hyaluronic acid is adored by almost anyone who uses it, you can find out the full skin benefits of hyaluronic acid over on our website.

There you have the top 5 most effective anti-ageing ingredients, finding products that contain the best quality and amount of concentrates of these ingredients is important so always ensure you check the inkey list f ingredients at the back of the packaging. By including these into your daily routine you can expect to see results in the overall appearance of your complexion in about 4 to 6 weeks.