10 Natural Ingredients That Are Beneficial For Your Skin

Do you also feel that natural ingredients are more skin-friendly than artificial ingredients? Most of us have strong faith in natural ingredients over chemical products when it comes to skincare. And it is justified as well.

Consumers are well aware of the harmful effects of chemicals, and many choose products that promise to be all-natural. In this article, we bring you all the know-how about natural ingredients that are scientifically proven to deliver benefits for your skin. Read all about the top 10 natural ingredients used in skincare products.

How To Find Real Natural Ingredients?

When you choose a skincare product, you look for ingredients that have zero side effects on your skin. You look for a product that is all-natural and perfectly suits your skin type. This quest for a natural product would lead to checking the listing of the natural ingredients in it.

The natural compound can either be applied topically or consumed orally through your meals. While this can be done through over-the-counter products, homemade solutions are available too. These homemade methods can help you availall the benefits from the natural elements. The most common natural items people use for skin care includes aloe vera, tea tree oil, bentonite clay, argan oil etc.

Whether consumed orally or applied topically, it is however important to consider that the real natural ingredient suits your skin type and addresses your skin concerns.

What Are The Safe Natural Ingredients For Skin?

1. Aloe Vera

Aloe vera plant has many healing properties and is proven to be effective in treating several skin conditions.[1] Naturally, its benefits make it the most popular topical gel among people.

How Does It Help?

Aloe vera is extremely useful in treating cuts, wounds and burns. The gel gives a soothing relief from the stinging sensation caused by wounds or burns.
It works as a natural healer for your skin.
Applying aloe vera gel prevents scar formation and fights against bacterial infections. [2]
It has the potential of dealing with severe skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis and cold sores.
Reducing dark circles, protecting against sunburn, acting as an anti-ageing agent are various other roles of aloe-vera.

2. Bentonite Clay

Bentonite clay is a natural clay that is known for its absorption quality. It has been used in medical science and for skincare purposes since ages.

How Does It Help?

Bentonite absorbs all the toxins from your skin, making skin clean and healthy.
It also removes the excessive oil, bacteria and dirt from your skin.
Since it absorbs the excess sebum oil, the oil balance of your skin gets better, which leads to lesser acne.[3]
It is also proven to be effective on poison ivy rashes. A report made in 1995 clearly states that bentonite is potent for curing poison ivy allergies. [4]
You can also use it on your baby to reduce diaper rashes. Studies suggest that bentonite clay improves diaper rashes within just a few hours. [5]

3. Hyaluronic Acid

Hyaluronic acid is naturally found in the human body and acts as a humectant. It helps to lock the moisture into your skin and keep it hydrated all the time. Natural sources of hyaluronic acid are potatoes, soy-based foods, red wine, avocado, almonds, green vegetables etc.

How Does It Help?

Topical application of hyaluronic acid improves the condition of dry skin as well as fight against anti-ageing signs such as fine lines, wrinkles, age spots etc.
It is also a source of antioxidants for your skin.
Hyaluronic acid has anti-inflammation and healing properties that help wounds to heal faster. [6]
With age, the body starts lacking hyaluronic acid, leading to wrinkles and fine lines. Then you need to replenish hyaluronic acid either topically or through your regular diet.

4. Lauric Acid

Lauric acid is one of the most common natural ingredients that's used everyday. [7] It is a saturated fat that is majorly found in coconut oil. You must be aware of the worldwide usage of coconut oil for skin and hair care products. Milk and palm also have a fair share of lauric acid. It can also be found in the human body in a solid and insoluble form.

How Does It Help?

Lauric acid works for acne treatment as well as an anti-ageing element.
It can also help battle against skin diseases like psoriasis and xerosis cutis.
The moisturization ability of lauric acid prevents dry skin and makes skin supple.

5. Kojic Acid

Kojic acid is a natural metabolite derived from fungi named Aspergillus oryzae. [8] You may have noticed most face serums and depigmentation creams contain kojic acid. You can also find soaps and cleansers that have kojic acid in them.

How Does It Help?

Kojic acid is considered to be antibacterial and antifungal in nature. Thus, it works against yeast infection, ringworm and candidiasis.
It is used as a skin lightening element in treating depigmentation or similar skin conditions like melasma.
It can also protect you from sun damage.

6. Tea Tree Oil

Tea tree oil has a history in skincare for hundreds of years.

How Does It Help?

It has been used to treat acne breakouts, reduce inflammation and redness on the skin.
It has antimicrobial, anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory properties.
When applied directly to your skin, it serves a lot of purposes that include skin moisturization, scar treatment, protection against skin infection etc.
It also works well for skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis.

7. Grape Seed Oil

Grapeseed oil is a natural compound that is used in many skincare products. As the name suggests, the oil is extracted from grape seeds. It contains antioxidants and linoleic acid that offers a lot for your skin.

How Does It Help?

While antioxidants keep your skin hydrated and fight against free radicals, linoleic acid reduces acne.
It is considered to be a non-comedogenic element, which makes it suitable for sensitive skin as well.
Grape seed oil has anti-inflammatory properties that work in favour of acne-prone skin.

8. Argan Oil

Argan oil is a plant-derived ingredient. It is extracted from kernels that grow in argan trees. It is used worldwide both orally and topically to obtain skin benefits. It is enriched with beneficial properties and essential vitamins.

How Does It Help?

Sun protection, acne treatment, and skin moisturization are common traits of argan oil.
It also deals with several skin conditions like psoriasis, rosacea and atopic dermatitis. [9]

9. Coffee Beans

Coffee is a massive source of antioxidants which is beneficial for your skin in many ways.

How Does It Help?

It hydrates your skin and reduces ageing signs like fine lines, age spots and wrinkles. In short, it can be an anti-ageing element for your skin.
Coffee scrub is an excellent way to get even-toned and smooth skin.
It has anti-inflammatory properties which can help reduce acne.
It also works on dark circles. Topical usage of caffeine under the eyes is a popular method of reducing dark circles.

10. Phytosphingosine

Phytosphingosine is a fatty lipid found in animals, plants and a few fungi. It is known for its water-attracting and water-repelling properties. Many known brands use Phytosphingosine in their skincare products. It is mostly recommended for people with dry and flaky skin.

How Does It Help?

The most important role of Phytosphingosine is protecting the skin barrier.
It works as a shield and stops irritants and pollutants from harming your skin barrier.
Phytosphingosine locks the moisture in your skin to keep it hydrated. This is how it maintains the natural moisturizing factor (NMF) of your skin. [10]

Wrapping Up

Natural ingredients are indeed better than most chemical compounds used in skincare products. But not all-natural ingredients are free from side effects. Some of them may have mild side effects on your skin as well. So, it is always better to conduct a patch test before using any product. Also, you need to know your skin and choose ingredients that would help you out with your specific skin concerns.

Begin By Knowing Your Skin