FASHION Magazine

By now, you can rattle off a list of antioxidants faster than your dermatologist can say vitamins A, C and E. You can separate AHAs from BHAs with the best of them. You know that peptides are collagen-building proteins as confidently as you know that hemlines are rising and jackets are shrinking. But do you know which delivery system is the most appropriate for your peptide-peppered product or, for that matter, what a delivery system even is? Aha! Gotcha. Simply put, a delivery system is the base formulation designed specifically to ferry active ingredients through the dermis, to the spots in the skin where they are needed most. That ferry could be a cream or lotion, a gel, a serum or even a mask. Here’s what you need to know.

DELIVERY SYSTEM #1: GELS
“Applying a gel to the skin is the equivalent of giving it a glass of water,” says Leanne McCliskie, education manager at the International Dermal Institute in Toronto. They’re best suited for oily and acne-prone skin types. “People make the mistake of thinking that oily skin doesn’t need moisture,” says McCliskie. “In fact, oily skin can be dehydrated. Skin needs both oil and water to be in balance, so oily skin types need a product that delivers water without adding oil.” Plus, the ability to taxi bacteria-fighting ingredients to trouble spots in the skin’s upper stratum makes gels ideal for the pimple-prone.

G.M. Collin Derm Renewal Gel ($55, gmcollin.com).

By Liza Finlay

Photography by Carlo Mendoza