Four skin-care ingredients that are all hype and not worth your money | Opinion
There is a seemingly constant stream of new skin-care trends and “it” ingredients, but many of them are expensive and not necessary. Here are four popular ingredients right now that are hyped, but not worth your money.
Stem cells
Stem cells are, in my opinion, the most overhyped ingredient in skin care right now. In fact, I recommend you stay away from any skin-care brand that uses them, for this reason: The vast majority of stem cells used in skin care are derived from plants. That means they won’t help human skin at all, as they cannot penetrate into the skin.
Peptides
While peptides feel good on the skin, most are too large to penetrate the skin, so they are largely ineffective. There are a few exceptions, like definsins, which protect against bacteria and viruses, and my favorite peptide, octapeptide-45, but most are worthless and drive up the cost of the product without adding any real benefit.
Hyaluronic acid
Hyaluronic acid is just an expensive humectant. Humectants are molecules that are able to bind to and retain water, which is why they are often used in lotions and moisturizers. However, you can get the same result with glycerin, which is much cheaper than trending hyaluronic acid.
Growth factor
Some growth factors are okay to use, but exosomes are a much better way to go. Exosomes contain growth factors, in addition to other cell-signaling molecules like proteases (MMPs), inflammatory cytokines, mRNA, miRNA, mitochondrial DNA and genomic DNA.
Bottom line
You don’t need to spend a lot of money on the latest and most hyped skin-care ingredients to get clear, healthy skin. In fact, many of the most popular ingredients right now are largely ineffective and won’t help your skin at all.
In most cases, skin care ingredients that have been used and clinically tested for decades far outperform the latest buzz-worthy ones.
I am now seeing patients at Body and Beauty in Palm Beach and will begin in Bay Harbor in April. Questions/comments? Come ask me on reddit r/skintypesolutions