All We Need To Know About Skincare Ingredients On A Label

Last week I was got myself intrigued by a question from a customer asking about the price of a Glycolic Gel ridiculously cheap, but claiming a high concentration level. That was weird, and I decided to investigate.

I found out that yes the product mentions a 10% concentration level of Glycolic, BUT it less than 10% pure. Got it?

Please follow me on this. All Glycolic Acid products we see in drugstores – OTC (Over The Counter) formulations are gentler than Medical Grade Formulation, meaning that the pH levels (level of acidity) are closer to the pH balance of the skin, which is around 6.

The higher pH, less stinging and redness on the face.

The results, in this case, will be less effective with these products, compared to a Medical Grade formulation, where the level of purity is higher.

Listen, it doesn’t mean that OTC products are not going to work. They are not strong or pure enough to deliver the results efficiently.

In the example above, with the 10% concentration on an OTC Glycolic, but 10% on purity level.

I bet with you right now that the 10% is diluted with many other chemical products to meet only safety standards, not efficiency.

Learning The Glycolic Label Lesson The Hard Way

This same customer, at the beginning of the story, showed me the bottle with a 50% glycolic acid peel, that she paid $170 at the cosmetics counter of a major department store. Once she started using the product, she was expecting huge tingling sensation, but surprisingly, she didn’t.

Then I just explained to her that what really matters is the amount of actual free glycolic acid in the bottle.

Meaning the level of purity of the glycolic acid.

That’s the reality of Medical Grade formulations. It’s several times more concentrated than commercially available counterparts are and for this reason a licensed physician responsible for the combination of ingredients.

Also, clinical studies evidencing the actives and ingredients proving what the product claim.

The front labels accept every number; we have to learn how to read the black labels I said. Black Labels are the ones we have the full description of the ingredients.

Usually, in OTC Products, they come in a box, and as soon as we open it, we throw away the box right? Then you can’t compare it to any other product.

In our case at UFlawless, our products have black labels on the product, which means transparency to our dear customers, from start to end.

Putting the Experience Into Practice – Reading Real Skincare Products

For studying purposes, let’s take a real example of an actual OTC Glycolic product and read the ingredients in detail.

Front Label

• XXXXXXXXXX Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle Anti-Blemish Cleanser
• Action Name – For Clear, Smooth Skin
• Size – 5.1 Oz tube

Black Label – The truth
Active Ingredient – 0.5% Salicylic Acid

Inactive Ingredients – Water, sodium methyl cocoyl taurate, Cocamidopropyl betaine, sodium cocoamphoacetate, glycol distearate, glycolic acid, sodium lactate, Cocamidopropyl PG-dimonium chloride phosphate, polyquaternium-11, disodium EDTA, fragrance

Let’s go… the label identifies two categories of ingredients: Active and Inactive. If an ingredient is “active”, then the product is considered an over-the-counter drug with a particular purpose.

The manufacturer is required to disclose the percentage (concentration) of each active ingredient.

Usually, these products are sunscreen or, as is the case here, acne treatment.

This particular cleanser example has only one active ingredient: Salicylic acid, in 0.5% concentration. It’s a good pore cleaner and exfoliating ingredient. Terrific as a cleanser though. It fights acne, thus the anti blemish claim on the front label.

Well, when we turn our attention to the black label, the list of exotic-sounding chemicals reminds us the chemical classes, give me chills, by the way, but let’s put our chemical glasses on…

All ingredients, wherever situation we are (food, cosmetic, skincare…) appear in descending order of concentration, meaning that this specific cleanser is mostly water.

Nothing wrong about that. Water is the medium, or the liquid, the base the manufacturer chose to use to deliver the salicylic acid and other good things to your skin.

The second ingredient is sodium methyl cocoyl taurate, also goes by the name ox bile. It’s a relatively common emulsifier, and yes, exactly what you’re thinking… made from the fresh bile of castrated bulls, as its name suggests.

It’s safe for the skin, but you know, if you are against animal cruelty, probably it’s the same feeling I have and what we decided to go for —

Cruelty-Free in ALL UFlawless Skincare products.

Next one is Cocamidopropyl betaine. Perhaps best known as an ingredient in eye-makeup removers, it’s derived from a mixture of coconut oil and beets.

The fourth ingredient in the list, sodium cocoamphoacetate, is a surfactant. It allows water in the cleanser to spread out and penetrate easily.

Then comes glycol distearate, another surfactant. It contains glycerin and stearic acid, a fatty almost buttery substance that imparts a creamy consistency to products like hand creams.

After the water and surfactant ingredients, we finally get to some real deal. Glycolic Acid And Sodium Lactate. Both Alpha Hydroxy Acids, which are very good in skincare products. They should provide some additional pore-clearing, antiacne, and anti-wrinkle effects.

Whenever you see an “acid” in an ingredient list, it means that the ingredient has not been diluted or buffered.

The glycolic in our X3 Refining Glycolic Gel Pads is called an acid, which tells us that is in pure acid form.

This is relevant information because as said before, glycolic acid may be less effective when it has been neutralized.

By comparison, sodium lactate is lactic acid (derived from milk) that has been buffered with sodium hydroxide to make it less irritating – and some would argue, less effective.

Continuing with our list, the next ingredient is cocamido-propyl PG-dimonium chloride phosphate, a derivative of coconut oil that is used as a lathering agent. Polyquaternium-11, a derivative of ammonium chloride, is a common ingredient in deodorants.

If you are sensitive to deodorants, you may not want to use skincare products with have a lot of Polyquaternium-11 in them.

Disodium EDTA acts as a water softner. No matter how hard the water you’re using, you’ll be left with smoother skin when you cleanse with this product.

Last in the list is fragrance…. Uff finally something self-explanatory! :-)

Ok now that we finished let’s get back to glycolic acid, sodium lactate – the real deal ingredients – and their location in the list. They are so far down, meaning so diluted on other ingredients, just before the preservatives and fragrance.

What does this tell us? Exactly, the concentration is too low… how to expect effective results? But for the price – a bargain – $8.00 –

You get what you pay for.

Just to give a clear example of this active…

To see any noticeable improvement from AHAs, you need a product with at least 5% acid, even if the 5% is from all the acid ingredients combined.

If the ingredient you’re looking for appears after the fragrance on the label, you’re really in dire shape. Usually, a fragrance is just 0.25% to 0.5% of a solution.

A Quick Word About Fragrance in Skincare Products

It’s nice when you feel a good fragrance on our skin, right? But the truth is that when we see fragrance among the ingredients on a product label, it’s most likely artificial. Like perfume.

It’s not a bad thing unless you don’t like the scent – or you’re allergic to it. In fact, even if a product gets its scent from the natural oil of a fragrant flower, you may experience a reaction to it.

Many people who are sensitive to strong smells find that they have just as much of a problem with botanically enhanced “natural” products as with the artificial ones.

What about UFlawless Ingredient Labels?

Commitment in offering you Cutting-edge actives and Natural ingredients in a Medical Grade Formulation is what makes us the Next Generation in Medical Grade Skincare products.

Transparency is how we roll. And now that we have more experience in reading the labels, let’s have a quick look into our black label, in the backside of the physical product, not in the box, that quickly is thrown away.

It says on the Label
X3 Refining Glycolic Acid Pads
Removes Dead Skin Cells

Black Label – The Real Deal
Ingredients – Water, Glycolic Acid, Glycerin, Sodium Hydroxide, Lactobacillus Ferment, Ahnfeltia Concinna (Algae) Extract, Cola Nitida (Kola), Seed Extract, Paullinia Cupana (Guarana) Seed Extract, Ilex Paraguasiensis (Mate) Seed Extract, Xanthan Gum, Butylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Sodium Benzoate, Sorbic Acid.

• 1) Did you realize the location of the glycolic acid is in the list of ingredients? That means a pure level, which translates into real results.
• 2) A good number of natural ingredients in the formulation, all good for nourishing the skin.
• 3) Components like ALgae Extracts and Guarana are excellent to hydrate and protect the skin from inflammation
• 4) Price … remember my customer paying $170 for the product. The X3 Clarifying Tones is less than half compared to that one
• 5) Best of All – Delivering Real Results!

There’s plenty of reasons for you to get the Unique Skincare That Makes UFlawless!