Our body supplies the skin with the food it needs to continuously regenerate. Blood carries all the necessary elements to the outer skin layer, including oxygen, essential for cells. But there are cosmetics that claim to “oxygenate” the skin from the outside. Is this possible?
Since the late 1990s cosmetics “with oxygen” or that “oxygenate” the skin have been available, with many different brands of oils, creams, serums, masks and other presentations based on formulas that claim to oxygenate the skin after application. According to the ads, this oxygenation from outside regenerates the skin and makes it smoother, firmer and brighter. Most such cosmetics include hydrogen peroxide or similar ingredients in their formulation. When the product is applied to the skin, oxygen is apparently released that compensates for the age-related reduction in blood-transported oxygen supply.
According to manufacturers’ claims, collagen production is enhanced and the development of wrinkles and age spots is blocked. Be warned, however. There is no scientific evidence that oxygen can penetrate the epidermis –very few products, in fact, can do this. And there is even less evidence that oxygen can reach the dermis and trigger collagen production there. Even so, worldwide sales of “oxygenating” products and cosmetics “with oxygen” continue to experience significant growth.
By: Fede Montagud
Sources: The New York Times
