Skincare products are constantly more technical and efficient with fine, silky, light textures and sophisticated formulations. In this, all sectors agree: selective, retail and drugstore. Our ever more dynamic lives require that the modes of application be always simplified to be more practical without losing anything in effectiveness. What formula will give our skin the feeling of wearing fine lingerie all in silk and lace?!
“New generation” skincare creams have multiplied on the shelves of distributors. This is the era of “all-purpose creams”: hydrate, nourish, purify, densify, repair, firm… What do I know?! And that’s good ! This great thoughtfulness of the manufacturers does not really make the choice easier for us. We remain trapped between the advice of magazines targeting mainly women of strict European ancestry and the “beauty” spaces where our specific needs are often poorly understood. Too many choices leaves us rather helpless, dazed, bewildered or even lost. Is our skin so “voracious”? Is she in so much pain? Is our case so hopeless? We are assailed by the audacious charge of advertisers and the relentless conviction of salespeople. Are performance and results exclusively reserved for the wealthiest? Help – Stop – Consumer in distress – stop – in pain of buying – Stop – wishes to ingeniously spend her “cash capital” and enhance her “beauty capital!” » . Do not panic to overcome adversity, it is necessary to have a clear vision, to evaluate the needs, the lacks, to estimate its potentialities and to establish with acuity an appropriate strategy. What does our skin deserve? Without a doubt: the best! How to identify the star cream among all these proposals? Who will be our chosen one? What “miracle” emulsion will be able to charm and grant our skin its favor after a perfect adapted cleansing in the morning and evening?
Our stratum corneum is constitutively more compact than that observed on fair Caucasian skin. It works like a sponge which, while “pumping” water from the outside, dries up spontaneously. Even if we water it regularly, the stratum corneum retains this annoying and excessive tendency to lose its water. The skin is therefore visibly very often dry or even very dry. It tugs and dulls. Always thirsty, she constantly asks to be watered! But then why do we still culturally believe that because the skin is dry, it should be oiled?! Explanations.
A major priority: Hydrate!
It is verified that in order to maintain a satisfactory hydration coefficient, a certain level of lipid substances in the epidermis must be measured. The hydrolipidic thread is also made up of a mixture of sebum and sweat which gives this natural cosmetic protection the texture of an emulsion of oil and water. However lipidic does not mean oily, or even comedogenic. To act correctly, it is necessary to identify the emulsions that will literally “cling” the water to the skin. The care cream will be rich in water and hydrophilic, emollient and/or humectant elements. Namely, lactic acid, amino acids, proteins, derivatives of sodium, potassium, glycerol or glycerin, fatty alcohols, … which will be able to seduce this water so precious so that it “cottages” durably with our epidermis and guarantees its youth, tone and visual appearance.
In value, the level of sebaceous secretion is equivalent on skin of African descent and light Caucasian skin. But the compactness of the stratum corneum of African skin often induces an insufficiency of sebum to properly lubricate the skin on the surface. This “deficit” is especially evident for those who live in temperate zones. Climate changes and frequent variations in hygrometry (humidity) have an aggressive effect on our skins, which are better adapted to tropical climates. The care cream will have to compensate for this lack. We must therefore learn to track down the right ingredients (wheat germ, jojoba, 
shea butter, fatty acids, unsaponifiables, ceramides, micro fruit oils, etc. and qualifiers on the labels (non-comedogenic, restores hydration, relaxes, detoxifies, illuminates, repairs, softens, nourishes, etc.). Certain active ingredients such as vitamin F will fight against dryness; the tannins will act to mattify; vitamins E and A have an effect on the youthfulness of the skin; aloe vera soothes; vitamin C, detoxifying and oxygenating agents restore radiance to the complexion.
Attention to fluctuating sebaceous secretion!
Fruit acids, in particular Alpha-Hydroxy-Acid (AHA) will delicately erase residual spots of pimples by accelerating the renewal of the epidermis. The use of cream or gel containing Alpha-Hydroxy-Acid is best indicated in the evening when the skin is no longer “tickled” by sunlight. During the day, the “anti-dark spot” treatment will inevitably be supplemented by an excellent, very moisturizing cream with sunscreens in sufficient doses to continue to “isolate” the skin from the light! Moreover, in general, people with colored skin should very wisely get into the habit of preferring day creams containing sun filters to preserve the balance of the complexion and slow down the penetration of ultraviolet rays (UV ) .
In case of excess sebaceous secretion, it is necessary to try to regulate and curb the zeal of the sebaceous glands while mattifying the day for a better hold of makeup in particular. A trick can be to “squint” on the alternating lines for teenagers. However, contrary to popular belief, it is not because the skin has this annoying tendency to shine as the day progresses, on the well-known “T” zone (forehead, nose and cheekbones), that it is oily skin. This is often not the case, the skin is simply dark and the reflection of light is different from that on much lighter skin. The “T” zone also corresponds to the most prominent parts of the face. The density of sebaceous glands is higher there. This is the lot of every individual regardless of their ancestry. Phew! We are not the only ones!