Prickly Pear Benefits for the Skin 🌵
Here at Youthforia, even though we're technically a makeup brand, we feel extremely passionate about sourcing skin-loving ingredients that boast multiple different benefits for your complexion — and well, prickly pear is without a doubt one of our faves for a few reasons. A quick primer for you: Prickly pear is a cactus that’s typically found in Mexico, and in recent years, it’s become a super-popular skincare ingredient because it’s rich in antioxidants and has powerful moisturizing properties. These are just two reasons we’re big fans of the stuff.
Here, in this installment of #IngredientCheck, we’re breaking down the skincare benefits of prickly pear — and sharing why we included it in our signature Skin Chi Complex.
How does prickly pear benefit the skin?
Put simply, prickly pear is incredibly high in essential fatty acids — specifically linoleic acid and omegas-6 and -9 — which play a key role in keeping the skin calm, hydrated, plump, and healthy overall. “Prickly pear oil has been shown in several studies to have both anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects,” says Dr. Robert Finney, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in New York City. “It’s also shown to help improve wound healing after burn injuries.”
That’s not all: Dr. Finney says there’s also a study in human forearm skin that proves it can help improve the skin barrier and aid in moisture retention. Additionally, prickly pear contains a high level of vitamin C — roughly 25-30mg per 100g — and vitamin E, both of which protect the skin against environmental stressors like pollution, UV exposure, and smoke.
Using prickly pear in your skincare routine
Most often found in oil form, prickly pear is best used as the last step in your skincare routine to lock in moisture and help your serums and treatments sink in better. With that said, here are five different ways to incorporate prickly pear into your skincare regimen:
- To hydrate dry, frayed cuticles
- To nourish and rehydrate dry spots and flakiness
- To brighten hyperpigmentation and even your complexion
- To smooth the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
- To calm redness and irritation
Why we use prickly pear in our products
We love prickly pear and its properties for the skin so much that we added it to our proprietary Skin Chi Complex, which features a blend of six plant-based ingredients designed to nourish, hydrate, and soothe the skin — as well as promote blood circulation, which boosts glowiness. After discovering all of the benefits the cactus-derived oil has to offer skin, it was basically a no brainer; we knew it belonged in our signature blend. You'll find prickly pear in both our Dewy Glosses and our best-selling BYO Blush Oil.
To learn more about our ingredients and why our products are safe enough to sleep in, tune in to the TikTok, below.
@youthforia Makeup that you can sleep in?? 😱😱 color changing blush oil is game changer!! ##youthforia ##viralmakeup ##byoblush
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