Natural Skincare: 5 Awesome Ingredients with Antibacterial Properties

Nature, or more precisely trees, possesses some of the strongest antibiotics available, especially for topical use on human skin. Surprisingly, the same ingredient may also have other beneficial properties for the skin, which no artificial antibiotic can boast of.

So, without further delay, let's now take a brief look at five awesome ingredients, all of which have excellent antibacterial properties to help us deal with minor skin infections, acne, and other types of microbial inflammation most effectively.

Garlic

Starting off the list is garlic, a spice that isn't particularly liked for the smell it brings with it! However, garlic contains amazing antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties. This is possible because of the spice being rich in two compounds called allicin and ajoene. Allicin is particularly effective against multiple bacterial strains and a few types of viral strains, while ajoene has been found to have antifungal properties.

Manuka Honey

Honey all by itself is quite a powerful antibacterial, but Manuka honey takes it to another level. Named after the flower from which the special Australian bees drink the nectar to create this powerful honey, Manuka honey has the following properties to it.

• It has a high concentration of the rare, natural antimicrobial, known as methylglyoxal
• The presence of flavonoids, esters, and phenolic acid in Manuka honey makes it ideal for boosting immunity and fighting infections
• The enzyme glucose oxidase converts glucose into hydrogen peroxide, a very powerful antimicrobial

Hyaluronic Acid

Hyaluronic acid has two main uses which make it an excellent natural ingredient for the skin – its hydration and antibacterial properties. There is actually scientific evidence to back up the claim of hyaluronic acid's antibacterial properties, something which natural ingredients do not always share. Additionally, the incredible water holding capacity of the acid makes it a deep moisturizing and regenerative agent for the human skin.

A fantastic overnight face mask with hyaluronic acid and oats has been developed, which fully utilizes all the antimicrobial properties of hyaluronic acid, along with its unmatched hydrating properties. It also has extracts from other powerful skin rejuvenating agents such as oats, tremella mushroom, aloe vera, broccoli, and rose oil.

Red Pepper

Red peppers can be cayenne, chilis, and jalapenos, among other variations of the botanical species, but they do all share some incredible antibacterial functionalities, thanks to a healthy dose of capsaicin in them all. This is precisely why they are also often known collectively as capsicums. Cayenne pepper's CAY-1 compound, on the other hand, is a super powerful antifungal, often used to treat athlete's foot locally.

Tea Tree Oil

Finally, we have tea tree oil from Australia and New Zealand. The tea tree has nothing to do with black, red or green tea, but it simply shares the name for some reason! Although tea tree leaves cannot produce tea, what they can do, however, is produce a very powerful antiseptic essential oil. Do keep in mind that this oil is unlike any other essential oil, as it is so powerful that consuming even a small portion of highly concentrated tea tree oil can be fatal!

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When used in the right concentration though, the monoterpenes in tea tree oil can kill multiple strains of bacteria almost immediately, while controlling herpes outbreaks with surprising efficiency.

It is believed by many that the cure to all infections and diseases is hidden in nature itself. While that may or may not be true to its full extent, there is little doubt about the restorative and antimicrobial properties which certain species of trees have in them naturally. The list here simply highlights some of the most profound ones we have found so far.