Ingredients to Look For in Anti-Wrinkle Creams and anti ageing skin creams

When it comes to anti ageing skin cream and other Anti-Wrinkle Creams  products, everyone is looking for a quick fix that will reduce wrinkles or fine lines otherwise known as crow’s feet or expression lines. We are aging every day, and many of us do not know how to rejuvenate our skin, yet there are hundreds of anti ageing skin creams out there all advertising that they help you do just that. So where do you begin? Let’s look at some of the ingredients found in these Anti-Wrinkle Creams so you can narrow your search and determine what you need.

Allantoin –Aids in the repair and regeneration of skin cells. It has healing and anti-inflammatory properties and helps smooth the skin.

Alpha-Hydroxy Acids (AHA) – Contains Glycolic Acid that exfoliates, repairs and enhances the skin. It stimulates the production of collagen, increases the thickness of the skin, improves elasticity and texture, and smoothes skin tone. It can also minimize enlarged pores and provides an effective way to treat acne.

Argireline – an ingredient used in some Anti-Wrinkle Creams that are on the market.  These products anti ageing skin cream applied directly to the skin. Argireline is the trademark name for the molecule acetyl hexapeptide-3. Argireline is made up of a chain of six amino acids or proteins.  It is similar to Botox, but the Argireline peptide string is shorter than that of Botox.

Beta Hydroxy Acid or Salicylic Acid – Used to enhance the tone and texture of oily skin. It is often used to treat acne as an alternative to AHA. Concentrations should be 1- 2% to be effective.

Coenzyme Q-10 or Co-Q10 – An antioxidant that repairs skin damaged by the sun. It stimulates new skin cell growth. It increases the firmness of the skin and smoothes the texture.

DMAE – Effective in minimizing wrinkles and fine lines and firming sagging skin. It enhances hydration and is often used along with other vitamins in anti ageing skin cream.

Green Tea – Used as an antioxidant to help heal the skin, while it reduces puffiness and minimizes inflammation. Often used in moisturizers, it reduces large pores, wrinkles and fine lines.

Hyaluronic Acid – Clinically proven to reduce wrinkles and fine lines. Use it with vitamin C in anti ageing skin cream to increase absorption into the skin.

Kinetine – This ingredient is marketed under the brand name Kinerase. It is often used on sensitive skin to decrease fine lines and wrinkles and enhance skin tones. Generally used around the eyes, concentrations should be 0.1% in anti ageing skin cream.

Kojic Acid – A clinically proven treatment for lightening hyperpigmentation or brown spots. It deters the production of melanin in the skin.

Liposomes – Effective in reducing wrinkles and fine lines while enhancing the texture of the skin. They are also used to provide nutrients directly to skin cells.

Matrixyl 3000 - developed by the Sederma Corporation, this ingredient is made up of the matrikines peptides Pal-GHK (palmitoyl oligopeptide) and Pal-GQPR (palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7).  They work together as antioxidants to fight the damaging signs of aging on the skin.  Together they stimulate the matrix molecules (collagens and fibronectin), which in turn allows the Matrixyl 3000 to reduce wrinkles.  It is distributed as a gel with a pH of 4.0-6.0, and 30% water content.

Palmitoyl Pentapeptide or Matrixyl – Enhances the production of collagen and helps repair skin damaged by the sun. It also reduces wrinkles and improves elasticity so the skin is firmer. It is an alternative to retinol in Anti-Wrinkle Creams.

Retinoic Acid or Retin A or Tretinoin – Although it can cause irritation, it is the strongest form of vitamin A used to treat skincare issues. It reduces wrinkles, increases the production of collagen, exfoliates, and smoothes the skin while improving elasticity and reducing the occurrence of acne.

Retinol – Another form of vitamin A, it is not as effective as Tretinoin because it does not absorb well into the skin. It may cause skin irritation.

Retinyl Palmitate – a vitamin A derivative similar to Tretinoin, but it is milder so it won’t irritate the skin.

Syn®-Coll - This is an effective and needle-free alternative to collagen injections. This product is a small peptide that mimics the body’s mechanisms to produce collagen. In vitro testing showed that Syn®-Coll increased collagen synthesis by 119%. It was then tested on a control group of 60 healthy volunteers who applied it as a Anti-Wrinkle Creams twice daily. They the saw wrinkles improve more than 350% after 84 days of use as compared with the group using a placebo cream.

Vialox – a potent anti-wrinkle ingredient in Anti-Wrinkle Creams that has proven to reduce wrinkling by 49% by limiting the contraction of muscle cells.  It is similar to Botox, but is a topical cream rather than an injection, making it attractive to people who are squeamish about injections on the face. 

Vitamin C or Ascorbic Acid – Increases production of collagen, heals the skin, and has potent antioxidant properties.

Vitamin E or Tocopherol – An antioxidant that protects and heals the skin. It is effective in treating dark circles under the eyes. It can also be used to treat bruises and broken capillaries.