We break down one of the most hyped ingredients in the beauty world today: gold—exploring how exactly it works on the skin and the products you’ll find it in
Beauty junkies have long raved about the healing powers of gold. Considered as one of the buzziest—and probably the most luxurious—anti-ageing ingredients available in skincare today, gold is lauded for its medically proven ability to smooth fine lines, improve skin elasticity and reduce inflammation. But what makes gold so powerful? Why do most skincare experts consider it pure magic? And most importantly, how should we incorporate the ingredient into our daily routines and reap its many benefits?
To get educated, we spoke to Dr. Rachel Nazarian, a top New York-based dermatologist of Schweiger Dermatology Group for the full rundown on gold skincare. She offers insights on everything we ever wanted to know about using gold in our skincare routines, including why, how and precautions to follow. Additionally, we’ve also compiled a list of the best gold-infused products and treatments to try for beautiful, healthy skin.
Read on to learn the basics of gold skincare.
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What is gold skincare? How does gold work as an effective ingredient?
Gold is more than just a raw material that has a glittering appeal. The precious metal has been used historically in Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine for centuries, mostly for arthritis, which becomes a new miracle skincare ingredient dominating our social media feeds in recent years, thanks to its proven, abundant healing benefits.
As a skincare ingredient, the usage of golds use derives from its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Scientific studies have shown that gold can help accelerate wound healing in the skin and promote tissue repair. It’s good for calming the skin and reducing redness, which also works as a shield to protect the skin against free radicals from environmental aggressors such as UV rays and pollution—a key part of any anti-ageing regimen.
How to incorporate gold into our daily skincare routines properly?
It’s important to note that some people have an allergy to gold, so you should always test a discreet spot before applying the product to your whole face.
Scientific research that indicates using gold for anti-ageing beauty purposes, including reducing wrinkles and boosting collagen production, are promising, but there’s still a lack of evidence concluding that the properties in gold are superior to any other antioxidants. It’s best to consider those gold treatments as add-ons to your skincare regimen to achieve your desired beauty goals, but certainly not something to solely rely on.
You should always read the ingredient label and make sure that gold particles are listed. Many marketers and products are taking advantage of the industry buzz and misleading consumers with fancy packaging these days. One of the most common forms of gold used in skincare products is “colloidal gold”, which refers to suspending small gold particles in a liquid. When fermented, the minerals will become bio-available and can penetrate into the skin properly, thereby calming and nourishing the skin for a glowing complexion.
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Check out our top picks for the best gold-infused products below—including face masks, eye creams, serums and more.