skincare ingredients

Deciphering the ingredient list of your beauty arsenal can be a complex affair. To understand more, R&D and production lead of local beauty brand Alcheme Amy Yee shares the most beneficial ingredient pairing and more.

What are the current skincare ingredients that work well together to boost each other’s effects

Amy Yee (AY): “Many skincare ingredients can be used together. One that we use at Alcheme is vitamin C, B3 and Wu Zhu extract. Vitamin C reduces the production of melanin. To supplement the effect, we combine it with Wu Zhu extract, which helps enhance skin luminosity, and Vitamin B3 to reduce the yellow undertone of the skin. As a result, the skin looks more radiant with reduced pigmentation spots.”

What other ingredients apart from AHA and BHA are used to exfoliate skin

AY: “Aside from synthetic AHA and BHA, natural fruit extracts are also great for skin exfoliation, in addition to offering other benefits for your skin. Fruit extracts include apple extract, orange extract, kiwi extract, grape extract and papaya fruit extract. They are naturally rich in alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs), which have a natural mild peeling effect. They are also rich in vitamin C, minerals, amino-acids and proteins, which mean they also concurrently provide moisturizing and repairing benefits to the skin.”

What’s the fuss with cica?

AY: “Cica refers to centella asiatica, a small creeping plant with roundish leaves and tiny pink flowers, which grows mainly in Asia and Africa. It is used in traditional Chinese medicine, where it is quite commonly known as the “miracle elixir of life”. In skincare, cica has strong benefits. Its collagen stimulation and anti-inflammation properties help to visibly reduce wrinkles and lines, as well as accelerate the healing of acne scars and reduce inflammation.”

What’s an under the radar skincare ingredient to know

AY: “That would be Babchi seeds extract, which has very interesting retinol-like properties, without the irritation side effect. Butterfly bush flowers extract also helps to reduce skin damage related to exposure to light radiation, UV and blue light – something that an increasing number of customers are now exposed to due to long hours spent in front of their mobile and desktop screens.”

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