When the skin ages, changes in pigmentation, sagging, and wrinkling can be seen. This is mostly due to photoageing, along with other factors such as inflammation, genetics (chronological ageing) and lifestyle (smoking, drinking, stress etc).
There are many different ways to treat ageing, from expensive and invasive surgical procedures to less invasive cosmetic treatments.
When formulating a cosmetic anti-ageing product, it is important to firstly identify the age category for which the product will be marketed as skin at 25+ (first signs of ageing) has very different needs to skin at 35+ (fine lines), 45+ (menopausal skin) and 55+ (mature skin).
This is due to differing collagen levels, thickness of the epidermis/dermis, whether the skin is greasy or dry and so on; using just one active is never enough.
Speed of efficacy is also an important factor to consider, as consumers are impatient and often do not want to wait 14 days or more to see a result.
Here is where instant skin tighteners and optical blurring agents have their place. These should ideally be complimented by actives that work on a more biological level but can take 14 days or more to work.
Our ever ageing population is willing to try anything to stay looking young. So in this very affluent and expanding market sector, it is vital that brands stay ahead of the game by ensuring the latest technologies and actives are used. Our partners launch at least one new active per year helping you, our valued customer, to stay ahead of the game.
To help guide you through the many options for this area, we at Infinity Ingredients have categorised our actives by age. Happy reading and please contact one of our team should you need more help, advice or samples.
25+
The aim of this age category is to keep the skin well moisturised and radiant looking. Fine lines and wrinkles are generally not visible until 30+.
35+
Expression lines start to become more permanent and do not disappear once the face is relaxed again. Instant skin tighteners and plumping agents have their place here
45+
Menopausal skin, greasy and spotty skin can often be a problem here due to hormonal imbalances. Transepidermal Water Loss (TEWL) increases due to the skin having a more mono-directional structure rather cross-hatched. Epidermal thickness also decreases due to lower Collagen and Elastin levels resulting in more saggy and wrinkled skin. It is vital to select efficacious moisturising actives to restore the skin barrier as well as treating spots, wrinkles and the effects of gravity (Collagen boosting activity). Age spots also begin to appear.
55+
Wrinkles become deeper, the skin barrier thins further and the waste systems within the cells deteriorate. Actives to smoothe, moisturise and restore Collagen levels all have their place within this age range.
All Ages
It goes without saying that all good anti-ageing products should contain an SPF (ideally SPF 15), an antioxidant and a good moisturiser.