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They moisturize or nourish, promise to smooth out wrinkles, restore a healthy complexion, or contain molecules whose discovery is worthy of scientific awards… How to find your landmarks in this ocean of modern care products?
A beautiful bottle, a melting texture and a pleasant aroma in one product, an impressive price or a big name in another. In today’s cosmetic abundance, it’s pretty easy to get lost. “Indeed, today some people are starting, as in a kaleidoscope, to change new items,” says cosmetologist Elena Gibalkina. – And as a result, they do not have time to truly evaluate the effect: after all, the renewal cycle of our skin cells is about a month. You should not go to the other extreme — to completely abandon such, in fact, a simple and useful product as a good face cream. Using it is a familiar, everyday ritual that is designed to protect our skin, care for it and give comfort.” But which of the lavishly advertised effects can we really count on?
Not magic, but sensations
Perhaps the most perfect care formula belongs to … the pen of Mikhail Bulgakov, who gave us the perfect Azazello cream. However, in fairness, we can say that in real life, some miracles happen. “The instant effect is really available to modern creams,” the cosmetologist continues. “Light-reflecting particles, hyaluronic acid, collagen, active lifting components tighten, stimulate, even out, highlight and really transform the face literally in the blink of an eye – although not for long.” Elena Gibalkina advises to focus more on our own feelings: when we apply a cream that suits us, we immediately feel that the skin has become lighter, more comfortable. The rich, nourishing texture instantly softens thin, dry, tight skin like oil, while the transparent, gel-like texture, on the contrary, refreshes and cools normal or combination skin.
Another difficult question: what do we need more — an anti-wrinkle cream, moisturizing, for skin elasticity, evening out its tone, or, perhaps, one that protects against the effects of stress? And can one and the same tool cope with such a diverse set of tasks, the number of which, moreover, is only growing every year? Trying to find an adequate answer, modern cream manufacturers have begun to pay more and more attention not to specific problems, but to global care — in other words, trying to create a “cure for everything”. So we got Sisleya (Sisley), Belle de Jour (Kenzoki), Capture Totale (Dior), Genifique
(Lancome) and other creams of complex action. “They are not aimed at solving one specific, most pressing problem (which, in principle, may not exist), but at maintaining a good skin condition in general,” explains Lancome expert Irina Vavaeva. “In addition, such funds work on the prevention of aging.” However, one should not expect too much from the cream, the expert adds: “Still, its main function is to protect the skin during the day (from the sun, wind, temperature changes, loss of moisture), restore it, give a feeling of comfort. If the day cream does the trick, great. And when you need a more targeted care, a solution to a specific problem, it is better to supplement the cream with a serum or a suitable night care.
- Why creams do not get rid of wrinkles?
The principle of simplicity
However, not all of us have such high hopes for the cream. Many, on the contrary, seek to simplify facial care, to make it more understandable. And they return to the roots — that is, to moisturizing. “I don’t even want to hear about any peptides, anti-aging and other formulas,” admits 43-year-old Angelica. – I am not convinced by complex arguments, and I do not aspire to any super-effects at all. A good moisturizer keeps my skin looking fresh and well cared for, and that’s enough for me.» This opinion is largely supported by Dr. David Orentreich (David Orentreich), a leading dermatologist at Clinique: “If you regularly cleanse the skin and use the right moisturizer, that is, maintain an optimal moisture balance, you can noticeably delay the appearance of wrinkles and other age-related effects. And dehydration, on the contrary, contributes to premature aging, and this applies to absolutely any skin — oily, dry, and normal. To understand whether our skin receives enough moisture during care and whether we deprive it of, for example, nutrition, Dr. Orentrek also advises first of all to listen to your feelings and pay attention to the condition of the skin: “Dehydrated skin becomes dull, rough, thin . If you feel uncomfortable, try a thicker, more nourishing or lighter, refreshing moisturizer texture. Ideal, balanced care, the right texture can only be found by trial and error.
Forward to nature
Looking closely at a new cream, we meticulously study its composition. Are there enough natural ingredients? How valuable and useful are they for the skin? What will give us caviar, algae extract, herbal infusion or supermolecule, the pride of the laboratory? In the era of environmental disasters and man-made pollution of the environment, the word «chemistry» does not cause much sympathy for many of us. “My grandmother used to make masks from strawberries and cucumbers, my mother added lemon juice to baby cream on the advice of her cosmetic bag, but I pay attention to such things as an organic certificate, deep seaweed extract or, say, extracts from ripe sea buckthorn in the composition of the product,” says 35-year-old Ekaterina. “It is clear that there may not be any berry juice in the cream, but it smells like a fragrance, but nevertheless, I want to trust the natural components more.” Ekaterina’s desire is quite understandable: many of us live in big cities, less often than we want, we are in nature. A cream based on natural ingredients, albeit mentally, takes us for a few minutes to a green forest or to the seashore. The “natural” history that stands behind many brands of natural cosmetics is also inviting. For example, the Swiss Weleda has been producing products since 1921 that were originally sold in a pharmacy. Most of the plants and essential oils that fall into them are grown on environmentally friendly plantations. And in the composition there are no emulsifiers, no dyes, no mineral oils, no flavors. Philip d’Ornano, CEO of another phytobrand, Sisley, offers his explanation: “We’re not trying to make our creams as natural as possible. This is not the task — we are just looking for effective ingredients. But most often they turn out to be extracts of herbs, plants and essential oils, and not anything else.
But what about wrinkles?
Yes, we know that every age is beautiful in its own way. And yet, finding a new wrinkle on the forehead, around the eyes or nose, many of us will think about trying to cope with it with the help of an “anti-wrinkle” cream. But what if? “Let’s see how wrinkles form,” suggests Elena Gibalkina. — Our muscles work during facial expressions, this causes wrinkles to form on the skin, and over time, the creases turn into wrinkles. To avoid this, some choose Botox: the injection forcibly relaxes and paralyzes the muscles, the wrinkle is smoothed out for a while. But you can relax the skin in more gentle ways: with the help of massage and creams containing relaxants. At the same time, we note: as soon as we relax the forehead, eyes, nasolabial region — that is, those places where wrinkles form first of all — we calm down. During such procedures, almost everyone falls asleep in my chair. Indeed, the calmer our soul is, the more we rest or find an opportunity to relax, the better and younger we look. “Of course, no cream can smooth out deep wrinkles the way they do with an injection,” says Anastas Peruzyan, a doctor at the Bosco Clinic. – But even the most effective aesthetic procedure does not exclude daily care. On the contrary, it is care that is responsible for the condition of the skin every day. And besides, unlike injections, we need it.”
First pleasure
No matter how convincing the criteria of our choice may be — efficiency, environmental friendliness or versatility of the components, we will not use a product for a long time that we do not like enough, does not please our senses. “For several years I have been using Immortelle, L’Occitane cream,” admits 37-year-old Svetlana. — The first time I bought it on vacation, in French Provence. I was fascinated by its aroma: it smells barely perceptible — green grass, hay, fresh wind. And it is very pleasant to the touch: every morning it gives me a few minutes of pleasure. As a result, relatives notice that I really look better.”
“If the cream rolls on the skin, generally causes any discomfort (for example, it is felt on the face), if you don’t like the texture or aroma and it doesn’t make you want to apply it again, this is not your remedy,” Elena Gibalkina sums up. “In this regard, our pleasure is perhaps the most important of all arguments.”