The world of cosmetics offers you many options to take care of your skin:gel, cream, lotion, serum, balm, oil, mousse… So many textures that offer different sensations and benefits. So which texture to choose for your cosmetics? Or rather, to be quite precise, which “galenic form” to turn to? Is it better to have a cream or a balm for your skin? Veld's tells you everything.
To choose the right cosmetics and the textures that suit you, you still have to understand what it is about. Let's dive into the heart of the matter! If you have ever been interested in different cosmetic textures , maybe you have heard of "dosage form » cosmetics.
The galenic form designates the final form of a product , its physical appearance, the state it takes when all the active ingredients and excipients are assembled. We speak of galenic form, in reference to the Greek doctor Claude Galen, who played a major role in the 2nd century in the foundations of modern medicine. In cosmetics, products are classified into three main families of galenic form:dispersions, aqueous forms, and anhydrous forms.
1. Scatters :dispersions include all products involving the division of a substance into small particles within another substance . These two substances are not miscible with each other, that is to say that they do not blend into each other, each retains its integrity. These two ingredients can be in gaseous, solid, or liquid form.
Dispersions include:foam (liquefied gas + solid or liquid), aerosols (solid or liquid + gas), suspensions (solid particles in a liquid), emulsions (water + oil). Shaving foams, deodorants, foundations or moisturizers are therefore dispersions.
2. Aqueous forms :aqueous forms are liquid solutions, involving a homogeneous mixture of water, with one or two constituents . All the substances are miscible with each other, for a perfectly homogeneous mixture.
Aqueous forms include:lotions, micellar waters, gels (cleansers and moisturizers), certain face serums.
3. Anhydrous forms :everything is in the title, cosmetics in anhydrous form are those devoid of water . These are powders (fragmentation of a solid into small particles), such as mineral powder, eye shadow, blush. This is also the case with balms, which are a mixture of more or less thick fatty substances . Of course, oils also fall into this category, mixed together or single.
Now that you know the basics of the galenic, we can take a closer look at how the different cosmetic textures work, and which ones best suit your skin.
The cleansing gel is a soft texture to the touch, which spreads easily on the skin and starts to foam. It is particularly recommended for combination to oily skin because it eliminates impurities but also excess sebum that clogs pores.
Light and delicate, the cleansing foams cleanse gently, without "stripping" the skin too much. They are ideal for sensitive skin , which show redness and irritation if washed with soap or cleansing gel.
A real ally for dry skin, cleansing milk helps to cleanse the skin without drying it out . A mixture of water and lipids, it dislodges impurities, while respecting the hydrolipidic film of dry and fragile skin.
Your daily cream, depending on its composition, is either an aqueous form , i.e. an oil-in-water emulsion . Indeed, a moisturizer suitable for dry skin must contain lipids, to nourish as much as it hydrates. It thus reproduces, in a certain way, the hydrolipidic film of the skin, which protects it against aggressions.
For oily skin, it is better to choose a cream in aqueous form, that is to say without lipids, so as not to grease the skin, while allowing it to fill up with hydration . Beyond lipids and water, the formula of your cream can also be enriched with anti-aging, moisturizing and plumping active ingredients , like our Pure Pulp Neo Beauty Restoring Gel.
When the day cream is a water base, the balm is a mixture of lipids . It is suitable for dry skin that needs to be intensely nourished on a daily basis. The balm can also be used on very fragile areas, such as the lips, where the skin is very thin. Depending on the ingredients chosen for the balm formula, it may have a more or less greasy finish.
Vegetable oils have a high nutritional power. To be used to remove make-up, to nourish the skin after waxing, or to be able to massage the skin without sensitizing it. Be careful, not all vegetable oils are equal:more or less rich, more or less comedogenic, they are not all suitable for your skin. To choose well, you can find our guide “Which vegetable oils for my skin? ". Difficulties applying pure vegetable oil? Consider dry oil sprays.
A serum is essentially composed of water, with a fine and fluid texture . This very light texture allows optimal penetration into the skin tissue. Thus, the serum very lightly moisturizes the skin. On the other hand, it is very concentrated in active ingredients to sublimate your skin (anti-aging, anti-dark spots, anti-wrinkle, etc.). To be used daily, between skin cleansing and day cream.
Like the serum, the mist only slightly hydrates the skin. Its strong point? Its light and soft texture is easily absorbed by the skin, which makes it possible to have formulas concentrated in moisturizing agents, or in slimming active ingredients, such as our Prends Soin de Moi mist. It is also a treatment that delicately perfumes the skin , for a well-being effect that lasts all day!
