Skincare Recommendations for Dryness, Redness, and Brightening

Based on your concerns about very dry skin, redness, slightly wide pores, minor acne scars, and wanting brighter skin, here are some recommended ingredients and how they can help:

Focus on Hydration and Reducing Redness First

Addressing dryness and redness is key to improving overall skin health and appearance. Once the skin barrier is stronger and inflammation is reduced, other concerns like pores and dullness can be addressed more effectively.

For Very Dry Skin:

Ingredients that mimic the skin's Natural Moisturizing Factors (NMF) are excellent for replenishing moisture and strengthening the skin barrier.

• Amino Acids: Products like Natural Moisturizing Amino Acids or Baby Face Protein provide essential building blocks for healthy, hydrated skin.
• Sodium Lactate: Ingredients such as Sodium Lactate or Sodium Lactate Plus are effective humectants that draw and hold moisture in the skin.
• Urea: Products like Urea (High Purity, Cosmetics, Powder) or HYDRO-UREA® Liquid help bind water in the skin and can also aid in gentle exfoliation at higher concentrations.
• Vitamin B5 (Panthenol): Panthenol is a great humectant and helps soothe the skin, reduce redness, and support the healing process. Look for products like Panthenol (Vitamin B5, DL-Panthenol, Powder) or D-Panthenol Care (Pro-Vitamin B5, 100% Liquid).

For Redness:

Reducing inflammation is crucial for calming redness.

• Licorice Extract: Extracts from licorice, such as Licorice Extract (Licochalcone A 1%, Water-Soluble) or Licorice Extract (Glabridin 4.5%, Water-Soluble), have anti-inflammatory properties that help reduce redness and irritation.
• Vitamin B5 (Panthenol): As mentioned, Panthenol also helps to soothe the skin and reduce redness.

For Brightening and Improving Skin Tone:

Once your skin is more hydrated and less red, you can focus on brightening.

• Niacinamide (Vitamin B3): This versatile ingredient helps reduce redness and dark spots, improves skin barrier function (which helps with dryness), reduces the appearance of pores, and can help regulate oil production. Consider products like Safe-B3™ (Vitamin B3, Niacinamide), Safe-B3™ (Vitamin B3, Niacinamide, Switzerland), or Extreme-B3™ (Vitamin B3, Niacinamide, Highest Purity) depending on the desired purity level.
• N-Acetyl Glucosamine (NAG): When used with Niacinamide, NAG (like GlucoBright™) can enhance skin brightening and help improve skin tone uniformity. It also offers gentle exfoliation and can boost hydration.

Addressing Other Concerns:

• Pores: Improving skin hydration and using Niacinamide can help make pores appear less prominent.
• Minor Acne Scars: The ingredients recommended for hydration and skin health, particularly Vitamin B5 and NMF components, can support the skin's natural regeneration process, which may help improve the appearance of minor scars over time. For deeper scars, other treatments might be needed.

Starting with a focus on hydration and calming redness using ingredients like NMF components, Vitamin B5, and Licorice Extract will build a healthy foundation for your skin. Then, incorporating Niacinamide and N-Acetyl Glucosamine can help with brightening and improving skin texture and pore appearance.