With the fall season upon us, you may be enjoying pumpkins on your front porch, in your coffee order, and your scented candles. But are you missing out on pumpkin in your skincare routine?
Pumpkin is a powerhouse skincare ingredient that can brighten, soften, and nourish your skin all year. Read on to learn more about the benefits of pumpkin for your skin and how you can add them to your routine with the Galactic Core Your Pores Anti-Matter Mask from Dr. Dima Cosminology.
Naturally-Occurring Nutrients
Pumpkin’s many benefits for the skin come down to its range of naturally occurring nutrients, including:
Vitamin A
Pumpkin delivers a high dose of beta-carotene, which the body converts into vitamin A. Vitamin A is a potent antioxidant and one of the best nutrients for skin health. It ramps up the body’s production of collagen, a protein that gives the skin strength and structure. Improved collagen production can also reduce the appearance of wrinkles and protect against sagging.
Vitamin A can also provide the following benefits for your skin:
- Regulate skin cell function for healthy, younger-looking skin
- Regulate oil production to curb acne breakouts
- Normalize tyrosinase (an enzyme that controls melanin production) activity to reduce the appearance of pigmentation
- Support the skin’s healing process
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that can brighten and protect the skin. Pumpkin is rich in vitamin C, making it an excellent, natural way to add antioxidants to your skincare routine. Vitamin C from pumpkin can:
- Protect your skin against photodamage from the sun’s UV rays
- Increase collagen synthesis
- Reduce melanin synthesis to prevent hyperpigmentation
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is an anti-inflammatory agent and antioxidant in pumpkins. This fat-soluble vitamin is naturally found in the skin’s sebum, helping to form the moisture barrier. Unfortunately, vitamin E levels in the skin naturally decline with age, leading to drier skin that’s more susceptible to damage.
The natural vitamin E in pumpkin can soften, deeply hydrate, and protect the skin. It can also reduce inflammation to improve swelling and redness.
Folate
Folate (also known as vitamin B9) helps maintain the skin barrier and increases collagen production. Pumpkin is a great natural folate source that promotes firmer, softer, and more hydrated skin. This nutrient is also thought to protect against premature skin aging.
Zinc
Zinc is an essential mineral in pumpkin that promotes wound healing. Zinc can enhance your skin’s repair process with natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It’s also known to help with various skin conditions, including eczema, acne, dermatitis, and dry skin.
Pantothenic Acid
Pantothenic acid, or vitamin B5, is a vitamin nutrient that acts as an antioxidant in the body. It provides an array of benefits for the skin, including:
- Increases hydration
- Promotes moisture retention
- Stimulates the skin’s healing process
- Calms irritation
Free Radical Protection
Free radicals are unstable molecules that can trigger a process known as oxidative stress. Oxidative stress harms cells throughout your body. In the skin, free radicals can start premature skin aging by damaging the skin’s collagen stores.
Antioxidants neutralize excess free radicals, which curbs oxidative stress. With regular use, antioxidants support the skin’s repair process, reduce inflammation, and reduce signs of skin damage.
Including antioxidants in your skincare routine is especially important for those with signs of UV damage. UV radiation from the sun, tanning beds, or other sources causes free radical activity in the body, which can speed up the production of wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, and sagging skin.
Pumpkin provides a high dose of natural carotenoids to restore your skin’s youthful glow while protecting it against future damage. Carotenoids are natural pigments in plants, giving pumpkins their signature orange hue. These pigments also offer remarkable antioxidant properties to shield the skin against oxidative damage.
Keratinolytic for Dry Skin
Pumpkin is a natural, effective keratinolytic. Keratinolytics are substances that break down keratin, helping to remove the skin’s outermost layer. This allows the skin to shed excess skin cells so new, healthy cells can reach the surface. This process can also improve the skin’s ability to retain moisture.
Prescription-strength keratinolytics are often used to treat skin conditions that cause flaking or scaling, like psoriasis and acne. As a natural alternative, pumpkin provides gentle exfoliation while helping to keep the skin hydrated. This results in a more even skin tone and texture.
Skin Cell Renewal
Aging causes skin cell renewal to slow down, often causing a dull appearance and rough skin texture. As a natural exfoliant, pumpkin promotes skin cell renewal by gently removing dead, damaged cells from the skin’s surface. This enables a more radiant complexion and can even lessen the appearance of scarring, fine lines, and hyperpigmentation.
Oil Regulation
Your skin’s natural oil is crucial for hydration. When skin produces oil in excess, it can lead to a shiny appearance and even acne breakouts. But, when skin has too little oil, it causes dry patches and flaking.
Pumpkin’s natural vitamins and minerals help regulate oil production, preventing acne breakouts and dryness. So, it’s a beneficial ingredient for all skin types, whether dry, oily, combination, or acne-prone.
Anti-Aging Properties
While not a prescription-strength ingredient, pumpkin can provide noticeable anti-aging benefits. It contains multiple nutrients that increase collagen production, which promotes firmer, smoother, and more elastic skin. It also offers potent antioxidant benefits that can reduce skin damage from years of exposure to the sun, pollution, and other harmful irritants.
Which Skin Concerns Can Pumpkin Help With?
Pumpkin is a versatile ingredient, providing benefits for a variety of skin conditions, including:
- Dull skin tone
- Uneven skin texture
- Enlarged pores
- Fine lines and wrinkles
- Hyperpigmentation
- Redness
- Dryness and flaking
- Sun-damaged skin
How to Reap Pumpkin’s Skin-Loving Benefits
There are two primary ways to make the most of pumpkin’s many benefits for the skin: eating it or applying it topically.
Adding Pumpkin to Your Diet
While eating pumpkin may not provide as dramatic an improvement to your skin as applying it topically, it can support your whole-body health. By including pumpkin in your diet, you’ll consume all its beneficial nutrients for the skin, including vitamins E, A, C, B9, folate, and zinc. As a bonus, these nutrients also support the health of your entire body, with benefits including immune support, vision protection, and a reduced risk of chronic conditions.
Aside from the classic pumpkin pie, here are a few ideas for adding pumpkin to your diet:
- Blend it into a smoothie for a nutrient-dense breakfast or snack.
- Stir it into a creamy pasta dish.
- Incorporate it into homemade hummus.
- Mash it with potatoes for a twist on your conventional mash.
- Stir it into your morning oatmeal.
Adding Pumpkin to Your Skincare Routine
Incorporating pumpkin into your skincare routine can help you achieve brighter, smoother, and healthier skin. Applying it topically delivers the full dose of pumpkin’s beneficial nutrients to your skin. This can lead to more noticeable results, as nutrients can be lost to the digestive process when eaten as part of your diet.
Pumpkin is gentle, effective, and safe for all skin types. While a homemade mask with pumpkin purée is a wonderful choice for a DIY spa day, we incorporated pumpkin enzymes into our Galactic Core Your Pores Anti-Matter Mask for the greatest possible benefit.
Galactic Core Your Pores Anti-Matter Mask
Galactic Core Your Pores Anti-Matter Mask was formulated by Dr. Dima Ali to hydrate and rejuvenate your skin. It’s a multipurpose mask that tones and tightens the skin while extracting impurities from beneath the skin’s surface.
Pumpkin enzymes are a vital ingredient in this purifying mask. It delivers a potent dose of nutrients, including carotenoids, to protect and rejuvenate the skin without irritating it. Pumpkin enzymes also effectively protect sensitive skin against free radicals and UV-related damage.
Other benefits of pumpkin enzymes in the Galactic Core Your Pores Anti-Matter Mask include:
- Noticeably softer and smoother skin
- Visible pore size reduction
- Natural acne healing and prevention
- Reduced appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
- A more even, radiant complexion
Apply the Galactic Core Your Pores Anti-Matter Mask evenly to clean skin, avoiding the delicate eye area. Don’t worry if a slight tingling sensation occurs on contact – this is normal. Leave the mask on for 15 to 20 minutes (or less if the tingling persists). Then, rinse off the mask with cool water. Follow it up with a gentle moisturizer.
Achieve Glowing Skin with Pumpkin
As a gentle yet potent ingredient for bright, healthy skin, your skin will thank you for adding pumpkin to your diet and skincare routine. Contact us today to learn more about the Galactic Core Your Pores Anti-Matter Mask!
