Ever since Scatter Brain's recent two part blog on the beauty industry's practice of "Angel Dusting" ingredients into products, I've been trying to find the same answers, too. Here's what I can share, Judy.

A helpful website: http://www.skincareresourcecenter.com/index.html
Two helpful books: "The Complete Beauty Bible" by Paula Begoun - Chapter 2: Miracles, Frauds, & Facts
"Secrets of the Beauty Insiders" (Sarah Bellum blogged about this book last spring) - Chapter 2: Skin Care Specifics"

Below is my very best attempt at consolidating the info from all three of those sources.


There seem to be four main categories of skin care ingredients to look for in anti-aging products:

1. Derivatives of vitamin A, such as tretinoin and retinol. The acceleration of cell turnover caused by the use of retinol or tretinoin will encourage the exfoliation of these dead skin cells and allow healthier cells to appear. Skin will appear smoother, softer; pores will appear smaller and less noticeable; and signs of aging will start to diminish.You want to see this ingredient near the bottom of the ingredient list.

2. Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs): Alpha Hydroxy Acids are ideal for use with other products since they can enhance the penetration of ingredients into the skin. Some examples are Glycolic Acid (Sugar Cane), Lactic Acid (Milk), Tartaric Acid (Grapes), Citric Acid (Citrus Fruits), Malic Acid (Apples), and Mandelic Acid (Bitter Almonds). Glycolic Acid is the most popular. It is recommended that the glycolic acid be 10% or higher: anything less is not effective. Also, watch the pH level. The ideal pH is 3.0-4.0, any lower and the product may be too acidic; any higher and the product's exfoliating benefits may be nullified. It’s also important to always alternate the application of AHAs with Retinol products and other anti-aging products to minimize irritation and inflammation.

3. Peptides: Peptides are a new class of anti-aging drugs which make a nice addition to a skin-care regimen but which should not be the base of the regimen. Peptides have been shown to stimulate the natural rebuilding process without irritating the skin but their ultimate effectiveness has yet to be determined. They work well for people who can’t tolerate retinoids but there’s clearly more data on retinoids. If you are somewhat sensitive to retinoids and can only use them a few nights a week, use peptides on in-between nights. When looking at an ingredient list, you should find one of these pilot molecules: palmitoyl, oleyl, acetyl, or myristyl – in the peptide name. Look for peptides anywhere from the second ingredient to halfway down the ingredient list. For peptides that go after under-eye circles: look for palmitoyl oligopeptide together with palmitolyl tetrapeptide-3. For skin care issues to make lips fuller or fresher eyes, look for hydrolyzed hibiscus esculentus extract, which comes in okra, and works on the surface of the skin, sort of like Botox. For skin care issues to improve firmness and elasticity, used Dipeptide-2, which can reduce puffiness around the eye, plump up the lips, and reduce undereye circles. For skin care issues related to fill in fine lines, use Pisum sativum extract, which comes from peas. It’s an anti-enzyme so the skin is firmer. Also, combine pisum sativumm with bamvusa vulgaris (bamboo) extract to boost collagen and dermal tissue, It functions sort of like Restylane.

4. Antioxidants: These reduce free radicals which destroy collagen. Antioxidants all work under different conditions. Don’t buy a product with just one ingredient in it; you’ll be missing out on half a dozen others. We gain from using several different antioxidants because we increase the chances of having effective antioxidants at crucial attack points. Look for products that consolidate them. The antioxidants to look for are green tea, vitamin C, coenzyme Q10, emblica, grapeseed, selenium, and lycopene. Topical vitamin C must be in the form of L-ascorbic acid to be useful to the body and skin. Studies show that L-ascorbic acid stimulates collagen synthesis. It is important to use products that contain at least 8 – 10% vitamin C.


Whoa! Good luck to us all. I hope the Right or Left Brain gets involved in this thread because I'm certainly not an expert and the information is a bit overwhelming. I can only assume that I used good sources but can't guarantee it!

BTW: The website I mentioned above does have links to online sources for some products that have these ingredients in the recommended amounts. Some are very reasonably priced, too. I'd recommend that you Google the product you're interested in, though. I was able to find some of them for less elsewhere.

If they do take her on...she'll have to come up with a witty Beauty Brain name! Oooh maybe there could be several to pick from and the BB community could vote on it! Fun!

Too Funny!