Hello Beauty

Hello Beauty

Demystifying Beauty Jargon

Have you ever walked into a shop and been overwhelmed by the beauty terminology is thrown at you?

Terms such as hypoallergenic, vegan, and non-comedogenic can all be quite daunting. How do you know what you should be looking for? You can easily get swept up in the hyped-up marketing of the next best product. Think of these labels below to categorize the ingredients in your skincare.

Hypoallergenic

Put simply, this means that a product is less likely to cause an allergic reaction - but it doesn’t guarantee that it won’t. Allergies and irritations can occur from anything, such as natural, synthetic ingredients, fragrances, or preservatives. It should also be noted that hypoallergenic isn’t a legal term: it is actually more of a marketing phrase. If you see this on a product, take it with a pinch of salt.

Vegan

Vegan skincare does not contain any animal or animal by-products or ingredients. Some common animal by-products are honey, beeswax, lanolin, collagen, gelatine, keratin, and stearic acid. These ingredients are very common in beauty products. Vegan skincare usually focuses on plant-based ingredients that are packed with vitamins and antioxidants.

Organic

Organic ingredients are grown without the use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GM), herbicides, and synthetic fertilisers. The use of this term is poorly monitored and sometimes products that claim they are organic only contain a small percentage of an organic ingredient. You should look for the COSMOS standard on your skincare if you are buying organic skincare.

Non-comedogenic

This term is often used on skincare targeted at acne, blemishes, and oily skin types. The words comedo or comedones refer to blackheads (open lesions) or whiteheads (closed lesions). Put simply, if you see the phrase ‘non-comedogenic it means that the formula is designed to not clog pores. However, as you have probably caught on, this isn’t a guarantee that the product won’tcause a breakout.

Active-Ingredient

An active ingredient is one that is biologically active, which means that it can biologically affect the skin. They will usually have a percentage on the packaging displaying their concentration. Examples of active ingredients include glycolic acid, AHAs, PHAs, retinol or Vitamin C. The lower the pH level, the more active a product will be. However, this can also mean that the skincare product will be more irritating to certain skin types.

Essential Oils

Essential oils are distilled oils that are derived from plants. Some examples of essential oils are lavender oil, ylang ylang, rosehip oil, and tea tree oil. There is a lot of discussion surrounding essential oils and whether they are truly beneficial for your skin.Although some essential oils can contain potent antioxidants, modern research has suggested that these fragrance compounds can actually cause damage to the skin in the long term.