Have you heard of active ingredients? They’re like the superfoods of skincare. Ingredients that don’t simply moisturise but actually go to work on your skin to improve things like fine lines or texture. The claims are vast however the real-life reports of changes in the skin are hard to ignore. We asked Francine Krenicki, who is the VP Product Development & Regulatory Affairs at StriVectin some questions to find out more about why these two little descriptive words have so much buzz around them. We’ve also got ourselves 3 willing guinea pigs who are trying out actives for the first time to really get this investigation cooking!
What are “active” ingredients?
Our best-selling TL Advanced Tightening Face & Neck Cream is jam-packed with active ingredients that address the key signs of aging and loss of firmness and bounce to skin on the face and neck. Our exclusive Gravitite-CF Lifting Complex™ targets skin’s elastin network for more resilient skin that maintains structure and contours.
NIA-114™ is StriVectin’s patented form of Vitamin B3 and is clinically proven to strengthen the skin barrier, helping to protect skin from external stressors and inhibit water loss.
Tetrapeptide-2 targets skin’s own collagen to help reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles.
Hyaluronic Acid and Ceramides capture and maintain water for optimum hydration and plump skin.
What are the benefits?
TL Advanced Tightening Face & Neck Cream visibly tightens, lifts, and firms the face and neck for a more youthful-looking profile. It diminishes the appearance of horizontal lines around the neck and hydrates for softer, more supple skin.
Why are the more important as we age?
A main concern we hear about is lower face sagging, particularly the jowl area and nasolabial folds or smile lines. Everyone is talking about their necks. Studies show the average person looks down to check their mobile device over 200 times each day. This repetitive downward motion can lead to Tech Neck: horizontal lines on the neck known as tree rings, and an overall loosening and slackening of skin. This is primarily due to the loss of collagen and elastin. We’re born with peak levels of collagen and elastin, which is why babies have such plump, “cushiony” skin. Collagen and elastin deplete over time and losses can be accelerated by factors like UV exposure, smoking, dietary choices, stress, etc. Without collagen and elastin, skin loses its youthful strength, elasticity and spring.
What should I start with to ease into using actives like retinol?
A topical vitamin A or retinol and its derivatives are the gold standard of topical anti-ageing skincare. They help optimize skin cell turnover and collagen and elastin production which really starts to slow with each passing year.
StriVectin’s Advanced Retinol Intensive Night Moisturizer is rich and this emollient texture paired with our NIA-114™ molecule allows for better retinol tolerability for people who have not been able to use retinoids before.
Geraldine, Vivienne and Janette each trialled the TL Advanced Tightening Face & Neck Cream. Here is some of what they had to say:
I have always had a regular beauty routine but I don’t think I have ever triend active ingredients before because I was not really sure what they were! I found this cream a little greasy at first but I got used to it and my skin feel quite nice after a couple months of use.
Never tried anything with active ingredients before or heard of them. I have to say I am a bit lazy as my usual routine just involves washing my face and applying sunblock. I didn’t have to ease into the product, there was no irritation at all and I did notice my skin felt better, there was an overall smoothness. – Geraldine
I’ve always been pretty religious with skincare. Nothing excessive or expensive, I’ve just always moisturised and used a face scrub once a week. I used this cream every day for about 2 months and noticed a change in the texture of my skin, it was much smoother. – Vivienne
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