Makeup remover is the first step towards healthy, beautiful skin. However, 60% of skincare enthusiasts don't truly understand the importance of this step. Makeup remover helps eliminate excess oil, dirt, and bacteria from the skin after a long day. Well-cleansed skin is better able to absorb the nutrients from subsequent skincare steps. Therefore, if you only focus on investing in high-end serums and moisturizers and neglect the makeup removal step, your skincare efforts might be in vain.

So, how do you choose a suitable makeup remover, especially for those with sensitive skin? This article will analyze sensitive skin and how to choose the right cleansing product for this demanding skin type.

What causes sensitive skin?

The main common cause of sensitive skin is damage to the skin's protective barrier. The skin barrier is the first line of defense, protecting the skin from allergens and bacteria, and minimizing the harmful effects of environmental oxidative stress (pollution). At the same time, it helps form a barrier to prevent transepidermal water loss (TEWL), maintaining the necessary moisture within the skin. When the skin's protective barrier is weakened, the skin loses its ability to protect itself and is easily penetrated by external harmful agents.

Signs that the skin is damaged and sensitive:

• Dry, dehydrated, and flaky skin
• Inflammation and redness
• Itching and tiny bumps
• Lack of elasticity: thin skin, visible pores

Causes of damage to the skin's protective barrier

- Environmental pollution: Air pollution is a leading cause of oxidative stress (ROS). Inflammatory processes are triggered by oxidative damage and cause a chain reaction that damages numerous healthy cells.

- Overuse of active ingredients like AHA/BHA/retinol: Active treatment ingredients work by continuously promoting the proliferation of new cells. When this process occurs too quickly, natural moisturizing factors (NMF) are significantly lost and not synthesized in time, damaging the skin's protective barrier.

- Corticosteroid contamination: Corticosteroids are a group of anti-inflammatory substances with steroids, often used in dermatological treatments. Prolonged and improper use of these substances can cause many serious consequences for the skin. Common side effects of corticosteroid abuse include skin atrophy and impaired function of the skin's natural protective barrier.

- Invasive procedures: The skin barrier is damaged due to habitual acne squeezing or after invasive procedures such as chemical peels, microneedling, laser treatment, etc., causing the skin to become red, painful, and easily irritated.

- Sunburn: This phenomenon occurs when the skin is exposed to UV rays from sunlight for many hours without proper protection (covering up, applying sunscreen). Some signs of sunburn include: burning, red skin, pain, and in severe cases, many small blisters on the skin.

- Use of harsh cleansers: Cleansing products not only remove dirt and excess oil but also strip away the skin's natural protective layer, disrupting the pH balance and making the skin vulnerable to attack by harmful environmental factors.

When the skin's protective barrier is weakened, the skin tends to become dry, dehydrated, even flaky and chapped, appearing dull and lackluster. Skin problems such as acne, sensitive skin, redness, itching, eczema, and rosacea can occur. Additionally, the skin may start to react more strongly to UV rays, wind, cold temperatures, or negatively to the products you are using.

Does Xylica Micellar Cleansing Water meet all the necessary criteria for sensitive skin?

Deep & fast cleansing

Rubbing during makeup removal can damage the skin's protective barrier and contribute to loss of elasticity and premature aging. Xylica Micellar Cleansing Water quickly cleanses dirt and makeup residue from the second cotton pad, minimizing friction that causes redness and pain, and leaving no greasy or tight feeling after use.

Restores the skin's protective barrier with AQUAXYL Complex

AQUAXYL™ Complex consists of 3 natural sugar-derived ingredients: Xylitylglucoside, Anhydroxylitol, Xylitol, which improve the skin barrier through a dual mechanism:

- Optimizes skin's water reserves by increasing the amount of water-binding agents such as Hyaluronic Acid and other Glycosaminoglycans in the skin.

- Reduces transepidermal water loss (TEWL) by improving the skin's protective barrier with increased lipid (ceramides and cholesterol) and protein synthesis, helping the skin stay "hydrated" for 24 hours.

Studies show that 3% AQUAXYL™ not only immediately and long-term increases the water content of the stratum corneum but also significantly improves cracked, dry skin and smooths the skin's surface after 4 weeks of use.

Soothing, anti-inflammatory

The soothing and anti-inflammatory properties of Xylica Micellar Cleansing Water come from Centella Asiatica (Gotu Kola) Extract. This herb has been used in folk medicine for hundreds of years. It is used to improve small wounds, burns, and scratches and is a well-known anti-inflammatory agent for eczema.

Recently, science has also taken an interest in Centella Asiatica and found that this plant truly contains many useful active compounds. The main biologically active compounds are pentacyclic triterpenoid saponins known as asiaticoside, madecassoside, asiatic, and madecassic acid (also collectively referred to as the centelloside active group).

- Antioxidant: Triterpene compounds from Cica Extract, including Asiatic Acid, Asiaticoside, and Madecassoside, have been shown to have strong antioxidant capabilities. These compounds reduce the effects of oxidative stress on endothelial cells, primarily by preventing lipid peroxidation and inhibiting pro-apoptotic factors when ROS levels increase.

- Anti-inflammatory: Triterpenoid saponin compounds in the extract inhibit inflammatory cytokines, thereby effectively reducing symptoms of skin inflammation, and simultaneously reducing the infiltration of immune cells into skin tissue.

- Moisturizing, anti-aging: Asiaticoside stimulates the production of Glycosaminoglycans and Hyaluronic Acid (natural moisturizing factors in the skin) and Collagen, which effectively moisturizes and simultaneously improves the natural protective barrier on the skin, overcoming transepidermal water loss.

- Acne reduction: Madecassoside fights acne by inhibiting the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, IL-1β, and TLR2 when THP-1 cells are stimulated by P.acnes. Furthermore, Madecassoside enhances skin hydration and moisture retention, thereby improving the skin's natural barrier.

- Wound healing: Asiaticoside and Madecassoside are particularly useful in the wound healing process, preventing hypertrophic and keloid scars due to their antioxidant capacity and stimulation of type I Collagen proliferation.

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