Amino Acids, The Super Moisturizer

As the building blocks of proteins and peptides, amino acids are important for your body from the inside, out. In addition to being an important component to healthy nutrition, the acids help benefit your skin in numerous ways. 

What Are Amino Acids?

Although there are many more, the scientific consensus is that a total of 20 different essential and non-essential amino acids are important for your health. The non-essential amino acids are categorized that way because your body makes them on its own, while the essential amino acids need to be obtained through your diet and/or supplements. 

The 11 non-essential amino acids are alanine, arginine, asparagine, aspartic acid, cysteine, glutamic acid, glutamine, glycine, proline, serine, and tyrosine. These are amino acids that your body produces naturally, and some of them help benefit your skin in different ways without you having to change your skincare routine or do anything. The nine essential amino acids that you need to get by adding supplements or foods that are rich with them to your diet are histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine. 

Studies have shown that synthetic amino acids are actually more hydrating than those from plants or animals, which poses a benefit for a cruelty-free clean beauty mindset.

Amino Acids in Skincare

Your skin already has amino acids naturally present, particularly in the uppermost layers where they work to keep skin hydrated and distribute moisture throughout the skin. 

According to Donna Tozzi, R.N., B.S.N., an aesthetician and aesthetic nurse, amino acids stimulate your fibroblast cells. “It’s like giving nutrition for the fibroblast cells to produce collagen and elastin. Amino acids also have wonderful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties,” Tozzi said in a Dermatology Times article last fall.

When your skincare regimen includes products or ingredients that are rich in amino acids, your skin benefits in the following ways:

• Maintain hydration and smoothness
• Improve texture
• Boost skin’s resilience and recovery
• Increases brightness
• Promotes collagen and elastin production
• Contribute to supple, youthful looking skin
• Strengthens the skin’s natural defense system
• Reduces signs of aging, such as fine lines and wrinkles

How Different Amino Acids Benefit Skin

While amino acids generally help to hydrate and keep your skin moisturized, some amino acids have specific applications and benefits for your skin. 

We use L-Glutamic acid in our TerraVital™ Wild Superfood Beauty Butter, it is naturally derived from salt and naturally occurring in the human body, it helps to firm and tighten skin. Combined with our other active ingredients our butter provides superb moisturizing, firming and age-defying benefits. 

Love yourself, find your joy, share your passion. 

Cheers, Val