Must-Have Skin Care Ingredients for Those Who Exfoliate Regularly

When exfoliating the skin with acids, peels, retinol, scrubs and laser treatments—both at-home or professional—it’s really important to incorporate products with soothing, anti-inflammatory ingredients into your skin care routine. Exfoliants work to inflame and injure the skin, and while this will offer beneficial skin-smoothing, anti-aging results, in the process they trigger inflammation and a cascade of free radicals.

Inflammation (even if your skin never shows redness) is known to be the underlying cause of aging and can work against your attempt for more youthful-looking skin, especially if you’re using many exfoliating products in your routine. Read: Science Lesson: The Free Radical Theory of Aging

To deactivate potential damage, use calming, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant ingredients in your skin care routine such as:

White Tea-the most potent antioxidant blend of all teas (Found in White Tea Soothing Complex)

Green Tea-anti-inflammatory antioxidant (Read: Does Drinking Green Tea Offer Skin Benefit?)

Astaxanthin-most powerful of the carotenoid antioxidant family (Found in Synergy Eye Cream) Read: Are You Using an Eye Cream? If Not, You Should Be…

Seaweed Extract-antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties (Found in Seaweed Mineral Cleanser)

Algae Extract- antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties (Found in Intensive Firming Serum, Phytolipid Comfort Cream, Seaweed Mineral Cleanser, Vitamin C Eye Serum and White Tea Soothing Complex)

Superoxide Dismutase-powerful biological antioxidant (Found in Skin Correcting Serum)

Ubiquinone-antioxidant CoEnzume Q-10 (Found in Intensive Firming Serum)

Trehalose-antioxidant cell protector (Found in Skin Correcting Serum)

Sea Whip-inhibits 90% of inflammatory enzyme, phospholipase A2 (Found in Firming Eye Therapy, Phytolipid Comfort Cream, Anti-Redness Treatment, White Tea Soothing Complex and Purifying Face Wash)

Grape Seed Extract-firming antioxidant (Found in Triple Berry Smoothing Peel)

Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate-water-soluble, stabilized, time-released Vitamin C (Found in Vitamin C&E Complex, Vitamin C Mask, and Vitamin C Eye Serum)

Ascorbyl Methylsilanol Pectinate-water-soluble, stabilized, time-released Vitamin C (Found in Lemon Bioflavonoid Toner, Sheer Moisture and Vitamin C&E Complex)

Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate-lipid-soluble, stabilized, time-released Vitamin C (Found in Instant Line Filler, Multi Vitamin Cream, Nutriment Blue Oil and Vitamin C&E Complex)

Tocopherol-Vitamin E antioxidant (Found in Firming Eye Therapy, Essential Protection SPF 15, Multi Vitamin Cream, Phytolipid Comfort Cream, Pure Radiance Mask, Sheer Moisture, Synergy Eye Cream, Vitamin C&E Complex and Vitamin C Eye Serum)

There are many other ingredients used in skin care products to help reduce damaging inflammation that I have not listed, but these are some of the popular ones. 

Check your ingredients and make sure you’re using these beneficial ingredients in your skin care products so you can give your skin the defense it needs to keep inflammation and visible skin aging to a minimum. The end result? Happier, healthier and younger-looking skin.

Read: The Ten Best Anti-Oxidant Food for Your Skin

Read: Is the Clarisonic Brush Harmful or Helpful to the Skin?

Get products recommended for your skin type by choosing one of our nine skin types.

Questions about your skin? Be sure to email us. We’re here to assist!

Sign up here to receive our monthly skin tip e-newsletter delivered directly into your email box!

Content Copyright © 2012, Renée Rouleau, Inc

PERMISSION TO REPRINT: You may use any items from this article in your print, blog, magazine or electronic newsletter. But in order to do so, you must include the following paragraph including a link to www.ReneeRouleau.com.

Information courtesy of www.ReneeRouleau.com, a website with skin care tips, products based on nine skin types and advice from skin care expert and celebrity esthetician, Renée Rouleau.