Cosmeceuticals are one of the splashiest additions to the skin care skin. Cosmeceuticals are ingredients which have skin beautifying AND skin care ingredients all in one. So the idea is that your skin not only looks better by using these, it actually is being healed and treated at the same time. This one-two punch can be a powerful form of modern skin care.

There are 4 main cosmeceutical ingredients you should know about:

1) Antioxidants. You’ve heard about these for your insides (such as the benefits of ingesting green tea or pomegranate juice), but antioxidants can also work on the outside, keeping skin from aging and wrinkling prematurely. Some of the hottest cosmeceuticals use ingredients such as lipoic acid, Coenzyme Q10, resveratrol, and grape seed extract to nourish skin from the outside in.

2) Peptides. Peptides are one of the building blocks of protein, and certain peptides can drive skin repair and improvement. Copper peptide, for example, is one of the most well known ingredients in this category. Peptides can create certain chemical reactions which lead the skin to turn itself over more quickly, or to repair the skin damage caused by the sun, or wrinkling.

3) Retinol. Retinol has been around for a while, and is a favorite weapon for treating sun-damaged skin. Retinol can smooth away the aftereffects of too many days spent baking in the sun.

4) Glycolic acid. Glycolic acids have been around for some time, and are available in varying strengths. Some of the newer glycolic acids are geared towards those with dry skin. Typically, glycolic acids are used to accelerate the exfoliation of the skin, breaking down dead and old skin cells to reveal healthy, fresh, and younger skin underneath.

If your skin is looking tired and could use a pick me up, be sure to check out the new cosmeceutical inspired skin care lines. Your skin will not only look better, it will actually be better.