So citric acid is an exfoliant, that can - just like other AHAs - gently lift off the dead skin cells of your skin and make it more smooth and fresh. So far we were writing about ceramides in plural. It's also used as a co-emulsifier or solubilizer that helps to blend small amounts of oily things into water-based products. It is also used as a sensory additive and thickening agent. A multi-functional helper ingredient that acts as a humectant and emollient. And there is even more regarding SAP and acne. Also, dont let people scare you into thinking polyacrylic acid is dangerous because of the toxicity of acrylic acid. It can also draw water to the skin (thank you, pendant glycerol groups! One of the best known essential oils which comes from Australia where it has been used for almost 100 years for its antiseptic and anti-inflammatory actions. All in all, licorice is considered to be one of the safest skin lightening agents with the fewest side effects. Centella Asiatica - or gotu kola as normal people call it - has been used in folk medicine for hundreds of years. Good old water, aka H2O. Kava kava extract - has some analgesic(painkiller) properties but might also cause skin irritation. As far as skincare goes, sodium hyaluronate and hyaluronic acid are pretty much the same and the two names are used interchangeably. Created with an amino acid cleansing formula (the main component of protein) instead of using chemical detergents (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, SLS), the Rich Moist Foaming Cleanser keeps your skin moisturized while cleansing your pores. A study shows that a nail treatment liquide with 2% panthenol could effectively get into the nail and significantly increase the hydration of it. Recently science has taken an interest in Gotu Kola as well and it turns out it really has many active compounds with several benefits. Has antimicrobial and cell-communicating properties and is considered to be part of the skin's natural defence system. Its traditionally used to improve small wounds, burns and scratches and its also a well known anti-inflammatory agent for eczema. There is also a pineapple extract called pineapple ceramide on the market that's claimed to be loaded with aglucose linked ceramide derivative called glucoceramide. Also has someanti-fungal and seborrhea regulation properties. They found that despite the large molecular size the smaller factions of beta-glucan penetrate into the skin, even into the dermis (the middle layer of the skin where wrinkles form). It's also often used to create liposomes. In fact, the results were comparable or even slightly better than with 5% benzoyl peroxide. The TL; DR version of HA is that it's a huge polymer (big molecule from repeated subunits) found in the skin that acts as a sponge helping the skin to hold onto water, being plump and elastic. Fatty alcohols have a long oil-soluble (and thus emollient) tailpart that makes them absolutelynon-drying and non-irritating and are totally ok for the skin. It's because there are lots of different ceramides, a 2014article writes that currently 12 base classes of ceramides are known with over 340 specific species. Its performance is similar to Isethionates, another group of cleaning agents known for their gentleness. Its typical use level in most cream type formulas is 2-3%. Think of it as a very thin, wet sponge that a cosmetic manufacturer can fill with good ingredients for your skin. As a skincare ingredient, it can be used as an emulsifier or as a cleansing agent. It's a type of lipid, a so-calledsphingoid base that can be found naturally in the upper layer of the skin. Thanks to the positive charge, it also creates a complex with AHAs (AHAs like to lose a hydrogen ion and be negatively charged, so the positive and the negative ions attract each other) that causes a "time-release AHA effect" and reduces the irritation associated with AHAs. It comes from coconut oil and glycerin, its light-textured, clear, odorless and non-greasy. As for the hair the hydration effect is also true there. The challenge with it thoughisskin penetration. It can bind huge amounts of water and it's pretty much the current IT-moisturizer. Even if your skin is not sensitive you should never put undiluted TTO on your skin. You need to be a bit more patient with TTO, though, as its effects come slower but also with fewer side effects. It's the chemically chopped up version of normal lecithin. It's the salt form of famous humectant and natural moisturizing factor, hyaluronic acid. It's a nice glycerin-based humectant and emollient that gives skin asmooth and luxurious feel. Normal (well kind of - it's purified and deionized) water. It can be used to improve skin moisturization, as a solvent, to boost preservative efficacyor to influence the sensory properties of the end formula. It is usually used as a helper ingredient to adjust the pH of the formula. The most common skincare ingredient of all. Asiaticoside was shown to increase antioxidant levels on rats skin when applied at 0.2%. It's sweet and yellow and not only used for licorice all sorts but it's also a skincare superstar thanks to two magic properties: Nr. As for skin-brightening, there is a trade publication with in-vivo data showing that SAP can fade brown spots. Be happy if it's on the ingredient list. A 2009 study found thatthe lowest concentration to prevent evil acne-causing P. acnesgrowth of lauric acidis over 15 times lower than that of gold standard anti-acne ingredient benzoyl peroxide. One of the many types of ceramides that can be found naturally in the upper layer of the skin. It contains the essential fatty acid, linoleic acid and has a unique structure. Research also shows that it might be useful for wound healing as it promotes fibroblast (nice type of cells in our skin that produce skin-firming collagen) proliferation. Putting it on your face also does a bunch of good things: its shown to have intensive skin repairing &wound healing properties, its a mild antioxidant, a great skin soother, and moisturizer, and it even shows promising anti-aging benefits. Another advantage of squalane is that it is pretty much compatible with all skin types and skin conditions. Its traditionally used to improve small wounds, burns and scratches and its also a well known anti-inflammatory agent for eczema. Betain's special thing is being an osmolyte, a molecule that helps to control cell-water balance. You might know licorice as a sweet treat from your childhood, but it's actually a legume that grows around the Mediterranean Sea,the Middle East, central and southern Russia. It's derived from cellulose, the major component ofthe cell wall of green plants. A semi-essential (infants cannot synthesize it, but adults can) amino acid that is one of the primary building blocks of hair keratin and skin collagen. A typeof ceramidethat can be found naturally in the upper layer of the skin. Luckily, it contains only very small amounts of the common allergens (such as limonene), but irritant and allergic reactions still happen, especially by oxidation products that occur in older ornot properly stored oil. It is also used as a sensory additive and thickening agent. It is known for its good foam-boosing abilities while improving the mildness of the formula. :) You are almost done: please check your mailbox to confirm your email! Read more about licorice and why it's a skincare superstar here. Another thing SAP might be able to do is to help with acne. And ceramides are about 50% of those lipids (the other important ones are cholesterol with 25% and fatty acids with 15%). Also,it has someanti-fungal and seborrhea regulation magic powers that makethe ingredient especially usefulfor greasy and flaky skin and scalp. Super common soothing ingredient. We have seen extracts with only 4% glabridin as well as 40% glabridin. And they are there in big amounts! All in all definitely a goodie. The root extract is known for containing the orange pigmentbeta-carotene, aka provitamin A. Recently science has taken an interest in Gotu Kola as well and it turns out it really has many active compounds with several benefits. Ceramides get quite a lot of hype recently and good news: there is a reason for that. Pure vitamin C (aka ascorbic acid, AA) is great and all, but its lack of stability is a big challenge for the cosmetics industry. We wrote way more about ceramides at ceramide 1, so click here to know more. This is probably one of the reasons why Centella Asiatica Extract has nice skin moisturizingproperties that was confirmed by a 25 people, four weeks study along with Centella's anti-inflammatory effects. It isexcellent for acne-prone skin and safe to use even if you have fungi-related skin issues, likeseborrhea or fungal acne. One of the biological activities of thecentellosides isto be able to stimulate GAGs (glycosaminoglycans - polysaccharides that are part of the liquidy stuff between our skin cells), and especially hyaluronic acid synthesis in our skin. HA is famous for its crazy water holding capacity as it can bind up to 1000 times its own weight in water. The topical application (meaning when you put it on your face) of 0.5% glabridin was shown to inhibit UVB caused pigmentation of guinea pigs. An often used glycol that works as a solvent, humectant, penetration enhancer and also gives a good slip to the products. As cosmetic chemist kindofstephenwrites on reddit "sodium hyaluronate disassociates into hyaluronic acid molecule and a sodium atom in solution". HA is famous for its crazy water holding capacity as it can bind up to 1000 times its own weight in water. According to the Futurederm blog, it might be able to improve wrinkles when combined with other amino acids, glycine and leucine. Please try again later! It can be used as an emulsifier or as a cleansing agent. An AHA that comes from citrus fruits. The goopy stuff between our skin cells is called extracellular matrix that consists mainly of lipids. According to Paula's Choice, it can also cause skin irritation. puts it in his awesome blog post, squalane's main things are"emolliency, surface occlusion, and TEWL prevention all with extreme cosmetic elegance". Its a nice ingredient that just feels good on the skin, is super well tolerated by every skin type andeasy to formulate with. (We also checkedProspector for sodium hyaluronate versions actually used in cosmetic products and found that the most common molecular weight was 1.5-1.8 million Da that absolutely counts as high molecular weight). Centella Asiatica - or gotu kola as normal people call it - has been used in folk medicine for hundreds of years. Also used as a co-emulsifier. In terms of anti-aging, it's probably not as effective as pure Ascorbic Acid, but it's totally worth a try. Arginine usually has apositive charge (cationic) that makes it substantive to skin and hair (those are more negatively charged surfaces) and an excellent film former. Glabridin has also some soothing properties but the main active anti-inflammatory component is glycyrrhizin. If that wasnt enough panthenol is also useful in nail and hair care products. Modern research confirms that it's loaded with skin-goodies: it's the richest green plant source of omega-3 fatty acids (-linolenic acid), contains NMFs (polysaccharides and amino acids), vitamins (-carotene), minerals, and antioxidants (yellow betaxanthins and reddish betacyanins). Butylene glycol, or lets just call it BG, is a multi-tasking colorless, syrupy liquid. The most active part is called glabridin. An easy-to-formulate, commonly used, nice to have ingredient thats also called pro-vitamin B5. We have written way more about ceramides at ceramide 1, so click here to know more. In spite of this, if you search for "hyaluronic acid vs sodium hyaluronate" you will find on multiple places that sodium hyaluronate is smaller and can penetrate the skin better. If that would not be enough, Skullcap Rootis also claimed to have antimicrobial and antifungal properties (also againstP.acnes and Malassezia furfur) as wellas some skin-brightening activity. We do a Best of INCIDecoder email once a month with the most interesting products and ingredients we bump into. (We also checkedProspector for sodium hyaluronate versions actually used in cosmetic products and found that the most common molecular weight was 1.5-1.8 million Da that absolutely counts as high molecular weight). 2 magic property is that licorice is a potent anti-inflammatory. Though the studies are only in-vitro(made in the lab, not on real people), and it also has a high comedogenicity index, itmightbe worth a try if you are prone to inflamed acne (the type that's caused by P. acnes bacteria). It is also soothing and rich in antioxidants. Glyceryl Acrylate/ Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Glyceryl Acrylate/ Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Read all the geeky details about Glycerin here >>, The BeautyBrains blog made a fantastic article about ceramides, A natural moisturizer thats also in our skin, A super common, safe, effective and cheap molecule used for more than 50 years, Not only a simple moisturizer but knows much more: keeps the skin lipids between our skin cells in a healthy (liquid crystal) state, protects against irritation, helps to restore barrier, Effective from as low as 3% with even more benefits at higher concentrations up to 20-40% (around 10% is a good usability-effectiveness sweet spot), High-glycerin moisturizers are awesome for treating severely dry skin. A 2007 study showed thatPhytosphingosine even works againstevil acne-causing bacteria,Propionibacterium acnes and shows promise as a complementing active ingredient in treating acne-prone skin thanks to its anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activities. One of the best known essential oils which comes from Australia where it has been used for almost 100 years for its antiseptic and anti-inflammatory actions. It makes your skin feel nice and smooth (emollient), gives body to cream type products and helps to stabilize water and oilmixes (aka emulsions). Also, it contains antioxidant polyphenols and vitamin E. An emollient and natural moisturizer that can be found also in the sebum (oily stuff our skin produces). What research does confirm about Aloe is that its a great moisturizer and has several anti-inflammatory (among others contains salicylates, polysaccharides, magnesium lactate and C-glucosyl chromone) as well as some antibacterial components. A super common emollient that makes your skin feel nice and smooth. is drying. According to the manufacturer, glucoceramideis not only a skin moisturizerbut it also helps to lighten the skin and make it more smooth. A glycerin-derivedgentle cleansing agentthat is described as being skin and eye-friendly, and not leaving the skin dry or tight. Recently science has taken an interest in Gotu Kola as well and it turns out it really has many active compounds with several benefits. Pineapple fruit extract that contains moisturizing and soothing fruit sugars and amino acids and mildly exfoliant fruit acids. Onesolutionis to create stable derivativesthat can be absorbed into the skin, convert there to AA and do all the magic AA is proven to do (which is being an antioxidant, a collagen booster, and a skin brightener). Another great thing about panthenol is that it has anti-inflammatory and skin protecting abilities. Its main job in skincare products is to moisturise the skin. Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil, Citrus Paradisi (Grapefruit) Fruit Extract, Linum Usitatissimum (Linseed) Seed Extract, Brassica Oleracea Capitata (Cabbage) Leaf Extract, Brassica Oleracea Italica (Broccoli) Extract, Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Root Extract, Solanum Lycopersicum (Tomato) Fruit/Leaf/Stem Extract, Piper Methysticum Leaf/Root/Stem Extract, Solanum Lycopersicum (Tomato) Fruit/Leaf/Stem Extract, Read all the geeky details about Glycerin here >>, Read all the geeky details about Propylene Glycol here >>, pineapple extract called pineapple ceramide, click here and read all the geeky details, You can read all about the pure form here, A natural moisturizer thats also in our skin, A super common, safe, effective and cheap molecule used for more than 50 years, Not only a simple moisturizer but knows much more: keeps the skin lipids between our skin cells in a healthy (liquid crystal) state, protects against irritation, helps to restore barrier, Effective from as low as 3% with even more benefits at higher concentrations up to 20-40% (around 10% is a good usability-effectiveness sweet spot), High-glycerin moisturizers are awesome for treating severely dry skin, It's a helper ingredient that improves the freeze-thaw stability of products, It's also a solvent, humectant and to some extent a penetration enhancer, It has a bad reputation among natural cosmetics advocates but cosmetic scientists and toxicology experts do not agree (read more in the geeky details section). What's more, there is emerging research about lauric acid being a good anti-acne ingredient. You can usually find it right in the very first spot of the ingredient list, meaning its the biggest thing out of all the stuff that makes up the product. If you wanna become a real HA-and-the-skin expert you can read way more about the topic at hyaluronic acid(including penetration-questions, differences between high and low molecular weight versions and a bunch of references to scientific literature). The sodium salt form of skincare superstar, vitamin C. If you do not know what the big fuss about vitamin C is, you are missing outand you have to click here and read all the geeky details about it. Great natural moisturizer and skin-identical ingredient that plays an important role in skin hydration and general skin health. A big molecule created from repeated subunits (a polymer of acrylic acid) that magically converts a liquidinto a nice gel formula. A non-essential amino acid (meaning that our body can produce it) that might be able to improve wrinkles combined with other amino acids, glycine and leucine. Purslane Extract - a traditional Korean medicinal plant with skin-soothing, antioxidant and wound healing abilities. Aside from research studies, anecdotal evidence also supports SAP being a promising vitamin C derivative. Its also shown to have wound healing properties and is a mild antioxidant. A study shows that it can reduce the irritation caused by less-nice other ingredients (e.g. A common multi-tasker fatty acid that works as an emollient, thickener and emulsion stabilizer. If ceramides in the skin are decreased, more water can evaporate from the skin and there is less water remaining in the skin. We don't have description for this ingredient yet. The unsaturated (with double bonds) and hence less stable version ofSqualane is Squalene, youcan read about it here >>. As cosmetic chemist kindofstephenwrites on reddit "sodium hyaluronate disassociates into hyaluronic acid molecule and a sodium atom in solution". Ceramides make up 50% of the goopy stuff that's between our skin cells and play a super important role in having a healthy skin barrier and keeping the skin hydrated. Unless you live under a rock you must have heard about shea butter. Like this, the products can stay more stable over time. It's produced sustainably from corn sugar and it's Ecocert approved. If these magic three letters dont tell you anything, click here and read our detailed description on glycolic acid, the most famous AHA. The famous aloe vera. Its a humectant meaning that it can help the skin to attract water and then hold onto it. It is also a natural osmoprotectant, meaning that it attracts water away from the protein surface and thusprotects them from denaturation and increases their thermodynamic stability. What seems to be a true difference, though, is that the salt form is more stable, easier to formulate andcheaper so it pops up more often on the ingredient lists. Its mainly a solvent for ingredients that do not like to dissolve in oils but rather in water. alcohol. It's a very alkaline stuff that helps to set the pH of the cosmetic formula to be just right. A natural and sustainable helper ingredient that can improve the absorption of the formula and it also reduces oiliness on the skin. Legend has itthat the medicinal benefits of the oil were considered so important that Australian soldiers were supplied with some tea tree oil in their World War II military kit. We have better news regarding the three magic abilities of vitamin C: there is in-vivo (tested on real people) data showing that SAP does have photo-protective (aka antioxidant) properties, though less than pure AA.