Cream for Acne – Ingredients for a dermo-purifying and sebum-normalizing acne cream

What ingredients should a dermo-purifying and sebum-normalizing Acne Cream contain?

An acne cream with a dermopurifying and sebum-normalizing action can be formulated with ingredients of different origins, such as natural ingredients (of vegetable or mineral origin) and ingredients with a disinfectant and antibacterial action, very useful for fighting the bacterium mainly involved in the onset of this ailment : The Propionibacterium acnes.
Leaving aside the active ingredients with anti-acne activity for which a doctor’s prescription is required, the main ingredients – natural and otherwise – that can be found – alone or in combination – in dermo-purifying acne creams will be briefly described below. and sebum-normalizing products that can be purchased without a medical prescription.

Essential oils

Essential oils are among the best known natural anti-acne ingredients. In fact, there are countless essential oils with extraordinary antiseptic (disinfectant) virtues.
Not surprisingly, the labels of many acne creams report the presence of one or more of these oils. For this purpose, lavender essence is indicated for its strong antibacterial and dermopurifying properties. Similarly, sage essential oil and tea tree oil (with antibacterial and dermopurifying properties) are often included in the formulation of acne creams.

Witch hazel extract

The witch hazel extract (Hamamelis virgiliana) is a natural source of tannins, gallic acid, flavonoids, and terpenes, active ingredients with well-known astringent, anti-reddening, and dermo purifying properties. Precisely for these virtues, the witch hazel phytocomplex is used in cosmetics to prepare creams against acne.

Burdock extract

The phytocomplex extracted from burdock root (Arctium lappa) is a mine of caffeic acids, inulins, mucilages, phytosterols, and polyacetylene sulphonates with sebum-normalizing and skin-purifying properties. Applied directly to acne-prone skin (in the appropriate dilutions), burdock extract proves to be an excellent remedy for soothing itching and redness caused by acne. The soothing virtues of the mucilages it contains make this plant an ideal ingredient for preparing creams against acne and other cosmetics dedicated to the treatment of oily, impure, and acne-prone skin.

Birch extract

Even the extract obtained from BIRCH leaves (Betula alba) is a fairly common natural cosmetic ingredient in the making of acne creams. In fact, its active ingredients (flavonoids, caffeic acid, ascorbic acid, tannins, vitamin C, etc.), acting in synergy, give extraordinary dermo-purifying, flaming, astringent, and antioxidant virtues to the product in which they are added.

Green tea extract

Green tea leaf extract (Camellia sinensis), rich in tannins, boasts astringent, antioxidant, sebum-normalizing, and dermo-purifying properties. For this reason, its phytocomplex is a natural cosmetic ingredient in great demand for formulating creams against acne.

Kaolin

Kaolin is a sebum-normalizing and opacifying substance capable of making sebum less fluid thanks to its adsorbing action. An acne cream formulated with kaolin improves the aesthetic appearance of the skin, making it visibly less shiny and greasy. Kaolin-based acne creams also have a good exfoliating action.

Azelaic acid

Azelaic acid is a sebum-normalizing and anti-comedogenic substance used in the preparation of creams against acne to balance the skin’s production of sebum. Azelaic acid is able to limit the formation of sebum and free fatty acids in the skin by effectively inhibiting the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase.

 

Furthermore, thanks to its antibacterial and bacteriostatic properties (especially against Propionibacterium acnes), azelaic acid is extremely suitable for the preparation of creams for acne. Due to its irritant potential, the use of azelaic acid products requires a doctor’s prescription.

Zinc oxide

Zinc oxide is an ingredient with marked healing properties and anti-reddening virtues, which make it a suitable cosmetic ingredient for preparing creams against acne.
Thanks to these particular characteristics, zinc oxide is also used in the treatment of other skin disorders, such as eczema and dermatosis.

Chlorhexidine and Triclosan

Chlorhexidine and triclosan are chemicals often included in the ingredient list of acne creams. These synthetic substances have, in fact, antimicrobial, purifying, disinfectant and preservative properties. Therefore, they prove particularly useful in countering Propionibacterium acnes.

Benzoyl peroxide

Benzoyl peroxide is another chemical widely used in the treatment of acne. In fact, it has broad-spectrum antibacterial activity, which is particularly effective in combating Propionibacterium acnes.
At the same time, benzoyl peroxide has an exfoliating and comedolytic action, which further justifies its use in acne creams.

CONTINUE: Cream for acne: ingredients with exfoliating, moisturizing, and anti-inflammatory properties