African American Skin Care – Decoding Formulas and Ingredients  in Lotions and Serums

If you look at the labels of most of the ingredients on the shelves, you’ll see one ingredient that is consistent in all formulas.  It’s water and the most common emulsion is that of oil and water.  There are oil based products and water based products and we’ve all been taught that oil and water don’t mix, or does it?

In a water based product, water will have the highest concentration as an ingredient.  Your moisturizers might be petrolatum and glycerin.  Petrolatum (petroleum) will provide a barrier to your skin that allows it to trap the moisture and keep it from leaving your skin.

Glycerin is the humectant in your moisturizer and it attracts moisture to your skin and binds it into the top layer.  Hyluaronic acid is also a humectant and will bind moisture to your skin as well.

Emulsifiers are what keep your formulas stable.  Emulsifiers have to be made with the right concentration, if it’s too high, the result could be skin irritations.  If it’s too low, the formula will separate.  Guess what?  Most emulsifiers that are not vegetable based are produced from pig fats.

A cream or lotion must have an emulsifier, there’s no way to mix oil with water without one.  The best natural emulsifiers that will withstand  the commercial availability or shelf life is derived from coconut oil and palm oil.  Grape seed has been added to the list.

When you see words like: phenoxyethanol, caprylyl glycol and potassium sorbate, you’re looking at the preservatives of the formula.  Vitamin E is a natural preservative.

When you see the words: carbomer, crosspolymer, polyacrylamide and gum, these are root words and you’re looking at the thickeners in the formula.

Lotions & Cream Formulations for African American Skin

Does it smell and feel good?  We all know that if you don’t like the way it feels on your skin or appeals to your sense of smell, you’re not buying it.

Whether it hydrates or is used for acne or anti-aging it’s important to look for the natural emulsifiers and moisturizers in the top 5 ingredients.  For most, the formula will work best and be most efficient if it’s water based.

You’ve been trained to think that a thicker cream or lotion is always more effective. Thicker does not always mean better.  Sample the product if you can and use your better judgement.

Serums and African American Skin Care

A typical serum will address a specific skin issue such as hyperpigmentation, lines and wrinkles, sagging skin, tone, texture, acne and irritation.

Although a serum will address these issues, in order to improve collagen and elastin, the serum ingredients would need to penetrate the deeper layer of your skin.

If the serum is needed to lighten your skin, the ingredients must penetrate no more than the inner layer where the color producing cells exist and the epidermal meets the dermal layer.

There are ingredients that will artificially tighten your skin temporarily and reduce fine lines but these products include ingredients that contain a specific seaweed.

For true skin improvement a serum takes between 30-90 days before your skin begins to see signs of real progress.

Finally …

When caring for African American skin, keep in mind that it’s sensitive and will not handle just any ingredient.  The more natural the better.

You don’t have to become a chemist to know how to read your labels but the more you know, the better choice you will make when purchasing your products.

Dedicated To Your Beauty

Juliette Samuel

Esthetician/Author/Publisher

Nyraju Skin Care