The Left Brain laments…
One loyal UK Beauty Brains tipped us off to this interesting article in the UK’s Newspaper the Daily Mail. In it, the reporter attempts to define and clarify some common “sciencey” terms often found in skin care 
products. While she does a good job defining terms, she does not give a good evaluation of what works and what does not. We’ll attempt to clear up the science.
Alpha Hydroxy Acids:
AHAs are functional ingredients and there is science to demonstrate that they help improve your skin. But you don’t have to spend >$100 for a product that works. Try something like this Alpha Hydox AHA Souffle or another store brand and see if it works for you.
Antioxidants:
The reporter is correct that antioxidants stop damaging free radical reactions in skin, but she fails to mention UV exposure which is one of the key causes. Plus, there is no proof that antioxidants delivered from commercially available skin products actually have any additional benefit. Since antioxidants are expensive and consumers can’t tell whether they do anything or not, companies can simply put tiny amounts in their formulas and claim they are in there. The consumers just assume the antioxidants make the formulas work instead of the true functional ingredients like petrolatum, mineral oil, and other compounds. Don’t waste over $200 on antioxidant containing creams when the Bliss Body Butter with antioxidants will work just as well for much less.
Beta Hydroxy Acids:
BHAs like salicylic acid do work to stop acne. They are part of the FDA monograph and have been proven in double blinded studies. But the amount of Salicylic acid in the formula is the important thing. You can get some great products at your local grocery store. Or try out the Revlon Eterna moisturizing cream.
Ferulic Acid:
The Daily Mail article is short on details but you can learn more here about ferulic acid (it’s found in plants and derived from the metabolism of phenylalanine and tyrosine). Ferulic acid has lots of potential as indicated in this peer reviewed report from 1992, but it hasn’t been proven to be effective from a skin cream so I’m skeptical. You would think in 16 years someone would’ve created a formula that was significantly better than the creams you can get now. And the claims in the article that it will protect you from DNA mutations is just silly. Anything that helps block UV will do that and it won’t be nearly as expensive as these formulas. But if you want to give ferulic acid a try, check out this DS Laboratories product.
Peptides:
While the reporter got the definition of peptides right, she completely misses on what they do in skin care. She parrots back a load of marketing BS. Peptides have have no function in skin care products. They do not increase collagen or prevent DNA damage. They are story ingredients that make people feel better about the products they are using. There’s nothing bad about them in your skin product. They just don’t provide much benefit. But if you want to try something with peptides in it don’t waste your money on pricey products, try the Olay Regenerist product instead.
Hyaluronic Acid:
While hyaluronic acid is a good moisturizer (it binds moisture to the surface of skin when applied topically) it is not superior to things like petrolatum and glycerin. It is a reved-up version of a humectant. It makes a good story but not much else. However, if you’re inclined to buy into it, try the Aqua Glycolic face cream which is reasonably priced.
Omega 3 and 6:
While these essential fatty acids might be good for your diet, they haven’t been shown to have any significant effect over traditional skin ingredients when topically applied. It’s certainly not worth spending >$60 for a omega-infused skin cream. If you want to dabble, try the more reasonably priced Garnier Nutritioniste Ultra-Lift Anti-Wrinkle Firming Serum.
Humectants:
You don’t need seaweed or honey to get humectants. Look for any product that contains glycerin or 
propylene glycol. These are all the humectants you need. Also, these ingredients are not highly functional and are only secondary moisturizing ingredients. They actually are more important for keeping your product from drying out than for keeping your skin moisturized.
Niacinamide:
Oh my. Niacinamide might help microcirculation in your body but it’s not going to do it when delivered from a skin cream. This reporter must’ve taken her information right from the P&G marketing website. But you can be certain that Olay products are some of the best formulas for skin care. They were developed by some of the smartest, best paid cosmetic chemists in the industry. You can order some Olay products here if you want.
Polyphenols:
I think the reporter made a mistake here. She is talking about polyphenols not polyphebols. But this ingredient follows the basic theme of the others. It has proven important in your biochemistry and has shown benefit when ingested. It just hasn’t shown added benefit when slathered on your skin. Unfortunately (or fortunately) your skin does not absorb most ingredients into your body!! But if you’re inclined to try out some of these polyphenols try this Avalon Organics Moisturizer.
Zinc Oxide:
Zinc oxide is a good, proven effective UV blocker. It’s the basis of many sunscreens.
Retinol:
This ingredient has been shown to be effective, but the stuff that really works can only be prescribed by a doctor. Anything that works this good would be classified as a drug and has to be suitably tested and obtained from a doctor. Products that don’t require this probably don’t have enough retinol to be effective. Go get a prescription from a derm if you want an effective retinol product.
Vitamin C:
The reporter is right that vitamin C is not stable in cosmetic products. So, don’t bother getting products that use vitamin C. But if you enjoy the story of Vitamin C, consider trying this Vitamin C Serum
Beauty Brains Bottom Line
While there are some great skin care products out there, most of the ingredients you hear about are not the things that make them good. They are there to build a marketing story usually based on a preliminary finding from some peer reviewed research. But moving some discovery from the university lab to the store shelves is much more complicated than skin care marketers let on.
Did we miss your favorite ingredient? Leave a comment below and we’ll take a look at it in an upcoming post.
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Hey LB, While I truly appreciate a heavy dose of skepticism, I think you underestimate the ability of topicals to deliver real benefits. There’s trans-dermal delivery for a wide variety of drugs, including hormones and the nicotine patch. There are hundreds of FDA approved drug and OTC creams and lotions. Let’s not just ignore the REAL effects of many of the things dismissed here. There are peer-reviewed clinical studies that prove the effects of some of the ingredients you mentioned. The real questions are 1)Is there a good scientific basis for the inclusion of X ingredient in this formula? and 2)Has this product been formulated in a way that ensures that the ‘active’ ingredients are being delivered in a safe, effective manner? 90% of the time one of those will be answered with a resounding ‘NO’, but let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water, eh?
SoapyGuy – Thanks for the comments. I didn’t mean to imply that no ingredient topically applied to skin has benefits. It’s just that most of the things listed in the article are not formulated into products at efficacious levels. If they were, they would be drugs. Transdermal drug delivery is much different than topical lotions.
Many of the ingredients listed here like AHA, Retinol, Zinc Oxide do work and have been proven when delivered from skin lotions. However, other things like polyphenols, omega fatty acids, and niacinamide have sketchy support at best.
The reporter in the referenced story started out trying to clear up the science of the ingredients and offered almost no skepticism.
What about ceramides? I see that touted by skincare lines a lot.
This was a very informative and helpful post. Gosh, I love this blog!
THIS is why I love this blog!
I have to disagree with your evaluation of niacinamide. From the most recent “Beauty Bulletin” from Paula Begoun:
“Also called vitamin B3, niacin, and nicotinic acid, this water-soluble ingredient is stable in the presence of heat and light. Topical application of niacinamide has been shown to increase ceramide and free fatty acid levels in skin, prevent skin from losing water content, and stimulate microcirculation in the dermis (Sources: British Journal of Dermatology, September 2000, pages 524–531; and Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, April 2004, page 88). One small study showed that 2% niacinamide was more effective than petrolatum (Vaseline) at reducing water loss from skin and increasing its hydration levels (Source: International Journal of Dermatology, March 2005, pages 197–202). Procter & Gamble, whose Olay skin-care line sells several products with niacinamide, published a double-blind study involving 50 women. The subjects used a product containing 5% niacinamide (whether that amount is included in Olay’s niacinamide products was not mentioned) for a period of 12 weeks. Results included an improvement in the appearance of wrinkles, a decrease in skin discolorations, less redness, a reduction in sallowness, and improved elasticity (Source: Dermatologic Surgery, July 2005, pages 860–865). Another study seconded P&G’s findings that niacinamide is a helpful ingredient for addressing skin discolorations. It appears that topical niacinamide has an inhibitory effect on the transfer of melanosomes to skin cells, thus it interrupts the process that causes irregular pigmentation to form (Source: Experimental Dermatology, July 2005, pages 498–508).
In addition to niacinamide’s growing reputation as an excellent barrier-repair and skin-lightening agent, some animal studies and in vitro studies on human fibroblasts (cells that produce connective tissue such as collagen) demonstrated that niacinamide may have a mitigating effect on skin tumors (Source: Nutrition and Cancer, February 1997, pages 157–162). There are fewer studies that examined niacinamide’s anti-acne properties. An older study that compared a gel containing 4% niacinamide with the prescription acne medicine Clindamycin found that niacinimide works just as well as the prescription, but without the risk of antibiotic resistance (Source: International Journal of Dermatology, June 1995, pages 434–437).”
Now, Paula does sell products with niacinamide, so if she did NOT cite legitimate, peer-reviewed studies to back up her claims of it being beneficial when applied topically, I wouldn’t really believe her.
BB, I *love* your site, but in this case, I think you have missed some compelling evidence.
But, one of the reasons I enjoy and appreciate this site so much is because I know that you guys are always willing to re-evaluate your position if presented with new evidence (well, new evidence that is scientifically sound, that is).
Lisa,
Thanks for the information. Undoubtedly, an ingredient supported by P&G has been double-blind tested and they’ve found some evidence of improvement. While we love Paula & the work she’s done, I will reserve judgment until I can read the studies for myself.
But just a quick look at a summary of the “small study” that showed Niacinamide was superior to Petrolatum raised a question in my mind. Why didn’t petrolatum show any improvement in TEWL. This is in stark contrast to many previous studies. It’s not definitive or anything, it just makes me wonder what happened in the test.
Thanks again and like I said, I’m going to look into the studies sited and do a follow-up post. I am always happy to find new information. When a scientists learns they are wrong, they learn something new. And we LOVE to learn something new.
I’ve been hearing that niacinamide -has- been found to have some effect on the skin, and I found a few study reports of it. I don’t know how credible it is.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/60912.php
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/46418.php
Do you think glycerin and propylene glycol are more effective than honey and seaweed as humectants?
Re: Beta Hydroxy Acids and the recommended product Revlon Eterna 27 …. I think the ingredient listed in this product as BHA refers to Butylated Hydroxyanisole not Beta Hydroxy Acid. But i could be wrong; after all, i am not a Beauty Brain!
@Brenda – You’re right. We’ll have to have a talk with Mid Brain for linking in the wrong product.