There’s no denying we are spoiled for choice when it comes to the products we can add to our skincare arsenal.
From serums and masks to cleansers, toners and creams, most promise to give us our best skin yet… but how do we know what’s going to give our skin the benefits it really needs?
The answer lies in a product’s formulations. That is, the powerful, active ingredients that go into making our routines work both smarter and harder for our skin.
Of course, there’s a long list of ingredients to choose from, and what our skin benefits from changes as we age. In our 30s, it’s often about boosting radiance, strengthening the skin barrier and protecting from the elements.
Here, the ingredients you should check for when building the ultimate skin-saving regime in the decade that’s been labelled one of the best of your life.
Pre- and Pro-Biotics
While often associated with gut health, pre- and pro-biotics can also help boost the health and function of our skin.
Essential to maintaining the balance of our skin microbiome—a delicate, living ecosystem that plays a major part in keeping the skin barrier strong and healthy—products containing pre- and pro-biotic fractions can help the microbiome stay balanced, which in turn, leads to improved skin health and appearance.
Lancôme’s iconic Advanced Génifique Serum contains six billion pre- and pro-biotic fractions in one bottle (with 30 million* delivered onto the skin in every perfectly measured drop) and is proven to transform skin quality from day one and strengthen the skin’s microbiome in just seven days**.
The serum is formulated with a mix of seven pre- and pro-biotic fractions to balance, protect and strengthen the skin microbiome, all while reducing inflammation and resisting against environmental aggressors.
As an added bonus, it also contains two other powerful ingredients that all beauty lovers should have in their routine: the radiance-boosting antioxidant vitamin Cg and hyaluronic acid.
Hyaluronic Acid
A molecule capable of holding one thousand times its weight in water, hyaluronic acid is the hydrating, moisturising superpower your skin needs as we grow older.
While the human body does naturally produce the moisture-binding agent, production slows as we age so it’s beneficial to “top it up” with our skincare.
Plus, hyaluronic acid assists in the production of collagen (responsible for keeping our skin firm and plump) and has been proven to fight free radicals, maintain skin elasticity and even has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties that may help with wound healing.
Vitamin C and Cg
An essential nutrient for the growth and repair of tissues, and vitamin C is found naturally in fruits and vegetables including citrus fruits, tomatoes, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, and bell peppers. One of the most powerful (and most researched) antioxidants in the skincare game, vitamin Cg is a potent derivative of vitamin C that provides antioxidant protection from free-radical damage, and helps to minimise the visible signs of ageing by promoting collagen production and evens skin tone. Vitamin Cg is often found in skincare as L-ascorbic acid.
In skincare, one of its main functions is to protect the skin from free radicals, which are inherently unstable molecules that can damage cells and lead to skin dullness, and signs of ageing like fine lines and wrinkles. In protecting from damage, it helps keep skin looking visibly healthy, while also lightening unwanted dark spots.
Best used daily, and in the morning, be sure to find formulas that also include complementing antioxidants, which can boost the efficacy and stability of the molecule.
Add these to your skincare routine, and you’ll be glowing your way through your 30s and well beyond.
Brought to you by Lancôme.
* Average estimated quantity for one self-loading dropper
** Skin microbiome recovery after aggression. One application of Advanced Génifique compared to bare skin.
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