Active Ingredients Spotlight: Centella, Banana Oil, Retinal, & Edelweiss

I'm a sucker for interesting ingredients

Hello Gorgeous!

Here’s a quick post about interesting ingredients showing up on my desk (and in my hair and on my face).

Why active ingredients matter

For the most part, I like to highlight the active ingredients that matter most in a product. I say active because far too many products include a trending ingredient just to say they did.

What are active ingredients anyway?

An active ingredient is included in a product to directly create a reaction. In the case of skincare or haircare, active ingredients target specific concerns. That could mean anything from softening the look of wrinkles to fading sun damage. It’s a little tricky though since the FDA has a more rigid definition of active ingredients to mean topical drugs or those having almost medicinal effects.

Not all actives are created equal

There’s an extremely elastic perception of active ingredients in beauty though. That’s why you’ll see products boasting interesting ingredients that might not do much.

An easy way to know if the product you’re using has more of a so-called active ingredient is to read the ingredient list. If ingredient x is in the top three, it’s a powerhouse. In the top ten and it’s still an ingredient that matters. If the ingredient you seek is way down the list, it may be there for buzz rather than its power to transform your skin.

That said, there’s nothing wrong with simply enjoying using specific ingredients repeatedly.

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Here are a few fun products or collections with interesting star ingredients:

Skin1004 Madagascar Centella Ampoule

I met the lovely team from Skin1004 when they visited from Korea last week and invited me for a facial using their products.

A main ingredient in their new Centella collection is Madagascar Centella, also known as cica or tiger grass (Tigers were said to rub their wounds on the Asian plant to promote healing). I won’t complicate things further by mentioning the fact that it’s actually called apiaceae, gotu kola or Indian pennywort. Here’s what you need to know - centella is a healing herb.

In skincare, centella is an ingredient used to diminish redness and help calm skin. Worth noting, Madagascar Centella Asiatica used in this line contains seven times more soothing actives than Centella Asiatica. And most exciting, the entire line just debuted at Ulta at incredibly affordable prices. I think the most expensive product in the line is about $25.00. If you try only one product, make it the Madagascar Centella Ampoule, which is a healing serum that will especially help those with rosacea or sunburns.

Blessed Bananas Single & Free Mask

This entire line is adorable. It’s also infused with banana oil which is believed to slow hair loss, eliminate dandruff, and hydrate the scalp. This mask targets even the toughest summer frizz without weighing down your hair. I love the fact that the Blessed Bananas line is cruelty-free, vegan, and handmade in the USA. It also smells like vacation.

Paula’s Choice PRO Retinaldehyde Dual-Retinoid Treatment

This is a great formula for those wanting visible results, but needing more of a gentle touch. It’s also the closest potency to prescription-strength retinoic acid. Use it to help with uneven tone or texture, loss of luminosity, and signs of aging.

A new product in the Odacite Edelweiss Extreme Collection

Edelweiss is the iconic song from The Sound of Music. It’s also a resilient white alpine flower with major antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The new Odacite cream I’m testing is under embargo for a while longer. It’s also loaded with peptides. Keep an eye out for the launch later this month.

Rachel, Your beauty concierge 💋