Over the years since we launched Salubre Cosmeceuticals in 2010, I have heard many different comments in relation to our ingredients list.

This includes, "wow you have a lot of ingredients", "you have a lot of actives, you only need 7% actives to make a product effective and you would have over 80%” - from a contract manufacturer we sort to make our creams", "I use coconut oil and that works really well for me, why do I need to use a product with so many ingredients?"

With thousands of brands out there, all shouting from the roof tops that their products are better because of a specific marketing angle those chose, it can get terribly confusing and complicated to anyone trying to find the right product for their skin and overall health.

Today’s post is to help you understand what you should be looking for when reading the ingredients list. It has been extensively discussed that we need to avoid nasty ingredients (PEGs, Parabens, Coal Tars, SLS, SLEs) but there has been little discussion behind the mechanism used to choose the ingredients that comprise the formulation that makes the product effective. The reason is because many companies use a ‘base’ such as a cream, or serum base then add actives that initiates a specific effect on the skin for the product that wish to market.

For example, anti – ageing serum with have a serum as a base then you’ll read words like Hyaluronic Acid or Co Q10 or DMAE or Peptides etc. This identifies the actives in the product but little is said about the other ingredients as they are simply the vehicle that delivers the actives into the skin.

Ok now let’s move onto Salubre formulations. As a Chinese Medicine practitioner, my mind is wired a little differently to that of cosmetic chemists. In clinic, I formulate herbal prescriptions to treat a huge array of health concerns from skin conditions, auto-immune disorders, digestive upsets, reproductive health issues and inflammatory conditions as well as cosmetic formulations too. Each formulation has a job to do and the job is to restore optimal balance in the body so the symptoms/syndrome is resolved.

The same situation occurs when formulating skincare products. Issues with skin health, whether it be acne, psoriasis or eczema to sensitive skin or ageing skin, there are altered physiological effects occurring on the skin that needs to be resolved.

A topical skincare product is purely treating the epidermis of the skin so all skincare treatments need to be complimented with internal medicine to receive the most effective results.

Let’s take Sensitive skin as an example. When creating a formulation for sensitive skin these are the areas we need to take into consideration to develop a product that will work amazingly on sensitive skin and improve the health of the skin.

• Repair the damaged skin barrier
• Hydrate the hyperlipidic layer
• Reduce redness by reducing inflammation in the skin
• Nourish dryness by moisturising the skin
• Promote circulation to enhance healing

As you can see 1 or 2 active ingredients wont have this effect. Salubre formulations (Cosmeceuticals, Therapeutics and Organic Teas) all follow this ethos; the skin can only be restored to its fullest potential when a dis-eased state in the skin and body are restored to optimal health. These formulations will collectively address specific concerns by utilising ingredients that synergistically work to change the altered physiological state of health in the skin. The powerful effects of herbs, healing oils and extracts can do this in a very healthy and gentle way.

You can find out more about Salubre products when visiting our site, www.salubre.com.au While you are there shoot through any questions to info@salubre.com.au or call us on 03 9888 4129 for an in-clinic FREE skin assessment to help you choose the right products for your skin.

Alternatively, fill out our How Healthy is Your Skin quiz and we can email you recommendations to help you improve the health of your skin.