A useful glossary of beauty quotes

Are you a budding beauty addict?

Then you’ll be familiar with terminology for ingredients, found in your beauty products.

However, some of this terminology may be completely alien to you.

So we have put together a glossary of beauty quotes, so you can really impress your friends.

Glossary of beauty quotes

Antioxidants

These are very the good guys and come in many forms such as Vitamins C and Green tea that absorb damaging free radicals, warding off premature ageing.

Benzoyl Peroxide

This is an ingredient that is commonly found in over the counter acne formulas, it works by gently unclogging blocked pores that can lead to breakouts.

Collagen

This is an elastic substance found in the underlying tissues of your skin, which provide support.

Here at the NC we like to describe it as scaffolding for the skin, helping to keep the skin soft and supple.

In mature skin types, you can often see how collagen fibres lose their resilience, which can cause sagging skin, lines and wrinkles

Décolleté

A lot of beauty quotes and sayings are French such as décolleté, which actually means a low cut neckline.

In the world of beauty and skincare, it is referred to as the chest area, the French treat this area just like their face.

Elastin

These are crisscross fibres found within the dermis, that give the skin its elasticity and snapback.

Dermatologically Tested

This means that a product has been patch tested on a panel of human volunteers. This is carried out to monitor the products for any possible side effects or irritation so that it is suitable for even the most sensitive of skin.

Exfoliating

This is a process that works to remove stubborn skin cells from the surface of the skin, helping to encourage the skin’s natural cellular renewal.

Humectants

Hyaluronic acid is a really popular humectant. Humectants are ingredients that lock moisture close to the skin, helping to keep the surface layers hydrated.

Hypo-Allergenic

This is a term that is used for skin care products that are for sensitive skin types, they are fragrance-free and contain minimum colouring agents and no known irritants.

Products that are hypo-allergenic can be used on even the most sensitive of skin types. Follow the link to find out the FDA definition of this term.

Lanolin Free

This means a product that doesn’t contain the ingredients lanolin, which is the fat that is taken from a sheep’s wool.

Here at the NC we feel that that there are far more superior ingredients that can be used within a formula that has not been exposed to sheep dip.

Liposomes

These are tiny fluid-filled spheres, that are made from the same material that forms cell membranes.

Their tiny size enables them to easily penetrate the skins living cells, they work like minuscule delivery parcels, releasing their active ingredients into the skin.

You can find these in our barrier repair formulas Fortify cream and Bio lipid.

Non-Comedogenic

Comedones are known as whiteheads or blackheads.

Non-comedogenic means the product has been screened to eliminate ingredients that clog the hair follicle and encourage blackheads and spots.

pH Balanced

The pH scale measures the acidity or alkalinity of a solution, with 7 measuring neutral, any number below this is considered acidic, and any number above is considered alkaline.

Healthy skin has a slightly acidic reading, which is why pH balanced products are slightly acidic, helping to maintain naturally healthy skin.

Retinoid

Also known as Vitamin A which has been used for many years to treat ageing and oily skin. A+ retinoid complex is a multi-tasking formula that helps to ward off premature ageing.

SPF

This means sun protection factor, the SPF tells you how long the sun protection will protect you from the suns burning rays.

T Zone

Found on combination skin, this is the area across the forehead and down the centre of the face, where oil glands and sweat glands of the face are more concentrated

Ultraviolet Rays

No quotes on beauty would be complete without touching upon damaging UV rays, The UVA rays are often referred to as the ageing ray, and they are strong all year round. UVB rays cause cancer and burn deep into the dermis of the skin.

The best way to guard against this is with broad-spectrum physical sun cream, containing titanium dioxide or zinc oxide that filters both UVA and UVB filters.

Vitamin E

This is an ingredient that crops up in skincare all the time, Vitamin E is often used in moisturisers to combat dryness and stabilise formulas.

Water Soluble

Cleansers are described as water-soluble when they contain oils that work to dissolve grains of makeup from the skin, these cleansers can be rinsed away.