What Are Neurocosmetics—And Can They Calm Stressed Skin?

Some ingredients are straightforward—take hyaluronic acid, which draws in water and keeps it in the skin. Or vitamin C, which delivers unmatched antioxidant protection against environmental stressors. Neurocosmetics, on the other hand, might be as complex as skin care gets. That’s because they encompass a host of different ingredients. For the unfamiliar, neurocosmetics are skin-care products that are “designed to interact with the communication pathways between the skin and the nervous system,” says Azideh Shirazi, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in La Jolla, California.

Vogue’s Favorite Neurocosmetic Skin-Care Products

If that sounds complicated, that’s because it is. The skin isn’t just a passive barrier that accepts humectants, peptides, and other ingredients and keeps out external aggressors like pollutants and bacteria. “It contains nerve endings, neurotransmitters, neuropeptides, and receptors that constantly communicate with the brain and immune system,” explains Annette Reszko, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York.

Neurocosmetics—which can include neurotransmitter-inhibiting peptides, neurosensory-calming ingredients, and certain adaptogens that may help support the skin’s stress response—go above and beyond the everyday targets of hydration, pigmentation, and collagen production, according to Reszko. Instead, they seem to “influence the skin’s communication network to help reduce visible signs of stress, calm sensitivity, improve comfort, and in some cases support healthy aging,” she says.

That said, it’s still an evolving area of research. While there’s some evidence that neurocosmetics can provide meaningful benefits, especially when it comes to soothing sensitive skin and improving skin quality, “I would caution against claims that they can ‘hack’ stress or dramatically reverse aging,”says Shirazi. “As a dermatologist, I see them as promising adjuncts rather than miracle products.” With that in mind, these are the neurocosmetics that experts find the most compelling.

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