You might come across with the name- sea buckthorn maybe on skin care products for acne. Or you might nowadays see its other names like leh berry and Hippophae rhamnoides on the labels of various skin care products. Irrelevant of which name is used, use of sea buckthorn for different skin problems is becoming widespread and backed by scientific research. And, it began to build its reputation as a beneficial ingredient to the skin especially after 2010s when different researches have shown its potency and benefits to the skin. But, what benefits can sea buckthorn can bring when it is used in skin care products for acne?
As you might already know acne or acne vulgaris is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder. It generally affects the head, neck, and shoulders pores, causing blackheads, pimples, and cysts to appear as plugs and infections. Acne is generally believed to be caused only by excess skin oils. However, it appears when dead skin cells, debris and bacteria (Propionibacterium acnes) are trapped in the pores altogether to cause an outbreak. Therefore, sea buckthorn used in any skin care products for acne should also supported by other ingredients to address gentle cleaning of the skin, showing anti-inflammatory effect and mild disinfection without any irritation.
As a natural ingredient, sea buckthorn promises hopes to be used in skin care products for acne. A study found out that sea buckthorn extract succeeded to lower sebum production of acne patients’ skins up to 45% after 8 weeks of usage. It is very rich in Vitamin A that contributes to decreasing excess sebum products on the skin. Moreover, sea buckthorn also contains one of the rarest fatty acids beneficial to the skin- palmitoleic acid. It was uncovered in another study that palmitoleic acid shows bactericidal activity against the most resistant bacteria including Propionibacterium acnes which cause infections. This fatty acid also might be efficient in hyperpigmentation disorders like vitiligo.
Furthermore, there are also another reasons behind why sea buckthorn should be included in skin care products for acne;
- According to one of the studies above, it show zero side-effects and very close to the ideal human skin PH.
- It contains various potent anti-inflammatory agents that can help to manage inflammations in acne.
- It is highly rich in essential vitamins, a-linoleic and linoleic acids that are known as essential fatty acids to the skin barrier.
To recap, sea buckthorn can be considered as a promising natural component to manage the symptoms of acne. To boost its effects, it can be used in two-in-one skin care products for acne, which provides gentle disinfection and cleaning in addition to supporting the skin barrier structure in acne-prone skins.