How to Pick the Best Skincare Active Ingredients for Your Bodycare Routine
Remember when your body wash only came with the promise of cleansing and maybe added hydration? We don’t either. Bodycare aisles are loaded with bottles claiming all kinds of benefits from acne treatment to brightening, ultra hydration and specialised care for sensitivity. It’s easy to pick a product based on the benefits written in bold, but understanding if it’ll treat your concerns can take a little bit of work. “Science-backed bodycare is the new frontier of self-care — luxurious, results-driven, and unapologetically indulgent,” says Dr. Mona A. Gohara, a Connecticut-based dermatologist and clinical professor, Department of Dermatology, Yale School of Medicine. It’s a smarter elevation of your daily shower and body hydration routine, allowing you to reap additional benefits within existing steps.
Body skin vs. facial skin
Not all skin is the same, and the difference between what works for your face and neck versus your body is proof of that. “Body skin is thicker, tougher, and has fewer oil glands than facial skin, meaning it loses moisture more easily and needs extra help to stay hydrated and smooth,” says Dr. Gohara. “It’s also exposed to different stressors — like friction from clothes, sweat, and environmental changes — so actives in bodycare are formulated to penetrate that thicker barrier while still being gentle.” Dr. Gohara also co-created the now globally loved Dove Serum Body Wash range. “Every formula had to maintain the Dove DNA: microbiome respect, barrier support, and hydration first, then actives layered in smartly,” she says.
Both body and facial skin come with their own advantages and disadvantages. “Because of higher sebaceous activity and a thinner barrier, facial skin may react more quickly, both beneficially and adversely, to actives,” says Dr. Jaishree Sharad, a Mumbai-based celebrity dermatologist and medical director, Skinfinitii Aesthetic & Laser Clinic. “Body skin may have a slower turnover, lower sensitivity in some regions, but also might tolerate heavier formulations and emollients.” This also means actives take longer to show results on the body.
Dr. Sharad lets us in on her prescription for bodycare featuring actives — what works and the ideal format it should be used in. Consider this a cheat sheet.
If your skin is acne-prone
While acne usually requires prescription grade care, non-medicated active ingredients can also treat mild to moderate cases. Dr. Sharad suggests salicylic acid, niacinamide, tea tree oil and lactic acid.
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