Why Nutrients In Beauty Products Do Not Work
Why Nutrients In Beauty Products Do Not Work: Lotion, deodorant, hair spray, nail polish, sunscreen,..Most of us spend atleast some amount of time pouring, scrubbing, patting, and lathering our way into a cleaner, softer hair, skin and body. Everyday we wash, buff and apply creams to our skin, but how much do we really know about the complex structure covering our bodies? Do we really know what ingredients or nutrients are present in these products ? Do we know how these so called €œ nutrients€ in beauty products work? We can’t pronounce some of the ingredients in the products we slather on, but still they are on the shelves of our homes!
Our skin is the largest organ of our body. It has the distinction of being the first line of defense for our immune system. And since what we place on our skin is absorbed into our blood stream, doesn’t it make sense that what we use topically could be affecting our health?.
All of us end up buying various cosmetics to get that extra €œbeauty€ from the various nutrients present in that particular product- either to be fairer ,remove wrinkles ,get a glowing skin etc. This extra beauty that we intend to get from cosmetics is due to the presence of certain functional nutrients in the products along with certain chemicals.
The latest reviews on the use and efficacy of various nutrients in the beauty products has been found to be contradictory. Some people say that the so called €œnutrients€ like lycopene, DHA, vitamin E, vitamin C ,vitamin A and Vitamin D, which act as the active ingredients in various products have failed to achieve the best after-use result. Thus, this makes us think €œWhy nutrients in beauty products do not work?€
The use of functional nutrients to alleviate skin changes, such as ageing, photosensitivity and dryness is increasing in the over- the counter market. The most popular nutrients in this context are vitamins, carotenoids, polyphenols and minerals.
For skin ,the classical route of administration of active compounds is by topical applications. However another means to deliver the bioactives to the skin is by using oral administration, and the use of oral supplements for improving the condition of skin is increasing.
Oral route: the food bioactives have to pass the gastrointestinal tract and then cross the intestinal barrier, reach the blood circulation and then be distributed to different tissues of the body including the skin. The advantage of this route of administration is that the food bioactives are metablized and then presented to the entire tissue, potentially in the active form. Also the blood continuously replenishes the skin with these bioactives which then can be distributed to all the skin compartments, that is epidermis, dermis, subcutaneous fat and also sebum.
It is very important to understand the fact that the peripheral absorption of various nutrients from a cosmetic product and its bioavailabilty is completely different from the dietary aspect. And this difference affects the efficiency of the product to act to its best potentials.
Dietary bioactives such as vitamin E and vitamin C, belong to two main groups, that is lipid soluble and water soluble dietary bioactivesrespectively.Solubility of the dietary biactives markedly affects mechanism of their bioavailabilty.
When nutrients like vitamins, minerals and various antioxidants in the form of food or any other oral supplement is taken orally it is directly absorbed from the intestinal tract and enters the blood circulation ,nourishing each and every target cells of the body.
For example, when vitamin E is taken orally in the form of food, the concentration of vitamin E in the plasma increases immediately and this will nourish the skin by scavenging the free radicals that lead to ageing .
But what happens to our skin when we apply a beauty product? Our skin is made up of three distinct layers: the outer layer called the epidermis; the second layer called the dermis, which contains blood vessels, nerve endings, hair roots and sweat glands; and the subcutaneous fat layer containing larger blood vessels and nerves. Beauty products are only topical applications and skin being a defense barrier , the nutrients can’t easily penetrate through the skin to reach the root of the skin . Topical nutrients gets stored in the sebum and it is reported that it takes atleast eight days for the nutrients for example vitamin E to increase its concentration in the sebum and mimic its effect.
Hence nutrients in beauty products do not work when compared to dietary nutrients.
We are all familiar with the famous saying €œ Beauty lies in the eyes of the Beholder€, but we should realize that we are the Beholders and beauty should come from within the bodyHow is this possible ? Be wise enough to take nutrients in its natural form , in the form of food or supplements orally rather than depending on various beauty products to get the benefit of various nutrients.
While the above article guides you to eating healthier, there is no substitute for customized professional advice given by a qualified nutritionist. We urge you to speak to your personal dietician or if you need help, contact a nutritionist in Delhi at Qua Nutrition.
You can contact us at +91-9743430000 or log on to QUA Nutrition to Book An Appointment.
