It's a nice glycerin-based humectant and emollient that gives skin asmooth and luxurious feel. Read all the geeky details about Propylene Glycol here >>, Read all the geeky details about Glycerin here >>, Read all the geeky details about Hyaluronic Acid here >>, Read all the geeky details about Glycolic Acid here >>, 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), 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, Its naturally in our skin and behaves there like a sponge, It can bind up to 1000 times its own weight in water, It is a big molecule from repeated subunits (polymer) so different molecular weight versions exist (unfortunately there is no way to determine MW from INCI list only), High-molecular-weight-HA (>500 kDa) is an excellent surface hydrator, skin protectant and can act as an osmotic pump helping water-soluble actives to penetrate deeper into the skin, Low-molecular-weight-HA (< 500 kDa) can hydrate the skin somewhat deeper though it is still a big molecule and works mainly in the epidermis (outer layer of the skin), Low-molecular-weight-HA might also help the skin to repair itself by increasing its self-defense (~ 200kDa used in the study), Ultra-low-molecular-weight-HA (<50kDa) is a controversial ingredient and might work as a pro-inflammatory signal molecule, Its the most researched AHA with the most proven skin benefits, It gently lifts off dead skin cells to reveal newer, fresher, smoother skin, It can help skins own collagen production that results in firmer, younger skin, It can fade brown spots caused by sun damage or PIH, Choose a product where you know the concentration and pH value because these two greatly influence effectiveness, Dont forget to use your sunscreen (in any case but especially so next to an AHA product), Slight stinging or burning with a stronger AHA product is normal, If your skin is very sensitive, rosacea prone choose rather a BHA or PHA product. Fresh Skinlab 98% Tomato Glass Skin Booster Serum. Just for hard-core geeks, the main biologically active compounds are pentacyclic triterpenoid saponins calledasiaticoside, madecassoside, asiatic and madecassic acid (also called centellosides). Its an ingredient whose safety hasnt been questioned so far by anyone (at least not that we know about). It gives a nice soft touch feeling and makes the products pleasant to use. :) You are almost done: please check your mailbox to confirm your email! We do a Best of INCIDecoder email once a month with the most interesting products and ingredients we bump into. But lets assume a bad combination of ingredients were used and the nitrosamines formed. Recently science has taken an interest in Gotu Kola as well and it turns out it really has many active compounds with several benefits. Its very alkaline. All in all, arbutin is one of the better-known skin brightening agents, that's probably worth a try if pigmentation is an issue for you. Moisturizing: Compared to famous hyaluronic acid, it turns out that the two are great together. But to be on the safe side, if you see Triethanolamine in an INCI and also something with nitra, nitro in the name of it just skip the product, that cannot hurt. A study shows that a nail treatment liquide with 2% panthenol could effectively get into the nail and significantly increase the hydration of it. A little helper ingredient that works as a preservative. It is made up of 30 to 50 chemicals on average. Once inside the skin, it hydrates, but not from the outside - putting pure water on the skin (hello long baths!) BG is approved by Ecocert and is also used enthusiastically in natural products. A common glycol that improves the freeze-thaw stability of products. Biosaccharide Gum-1 is a pretty interesting kind of sugar ingredient that is created from sorbitol via bacterial fermentation. Pro-Vitamin B5 is a goodie that moisturises the skin, has anti-inflammatory, skin protecting and wound healing properties. Super common little helper ingredient thathelps products to remain nice and stable for a longer time. Asiaticoside was shown to increase antioxidant levels on rats skin when applied at 0.2%. This is supposed to help our skin cells to live longer, and function better. After 8 hours both had similar moisturizing effect. Please try again later! The most common skincare ingredient of all. A study shows that it can reduce the irritation caused by less-nice other ingredients (e.g. As for the hair the hydration effect is also true there. (So it might be a good idea to combine arbutin with some direct tyrosinase inhibitors for more skin lightening effect.). It's a nice glycerin-based humectant and emollient that gives skin a smooth and luxurious feel. Recently science has taken an interest in Gotu Kola as well and it turns out it really has many active compounds with several benefits. A famous natural moisturizing factor that can bind up to 1000 times its own weight in water. Centella Asiatica - or gotu kola as normal people call it - has been used in folk medicine for hundreds of years. A type of sugar that haswater-bindingproperties and helps to keep your skinhydrated. Centella Asiatica also often shows up in products that try to treat cellulite or striae. Thanks. Biosaccharide Gum-1 is a pretty interesting kind of sugar ingredient that is created from sorbitol via bacterial fermentation. It also has great skin-moisturizing abilities. Great natural moisturizer and skin-identical ingredient that plays an important role in skin hydration and general skin health. Betain's special thing is being an osmolyte, a molecule that helps to control cell-water balance. Lets look at them quickly one by one. An easy-to-formulate, commonly used, nice to have ingredient thats also called pro-vitamin B5. Other tasks include helping the product to absorb faster and deeper into the skin (penetration enhancer), making the product spread nicely over the skin (slip agent), and attracting water (humectant) into the skin. A pretty well-known and often used ingredient with the magic ability to fade brown spots. fragrance, preservatives or chemical sunscreens) in the product. Its the number one cause of contact allergy to cosmetics. A castor oil derived, white, lard-like helper ingredient that is used as a solubilizer to put fragrances (those are oil loving things) into water-based products such as toners. Panthenol might make your hair softer, more elastic and helps to comb your hair more easily. In larger concentration (>10%) it's a proven collagen booster. A clear, colorless liquid that works as a solvent and viscositydecreasing ingredient. is drying. Fragrance in the US and parfum in the EU is a generic term on the ingredient list that is made up of 30 to 50 chemicals on average (but it can have as much as 200 components!). One more thing: the water used in cosmetics is purified and deionized (it means that almost all of the mineral ions inside it is removed). Exactly what it sounds: nice smelling stuff put into cosmetic products so that the end product also smells nice. Another great thing about panthenol is that it has anti-inflammatory and skin protecting abilities. It works against bacteria and some species of fungi and yeast. What is true is that if a product contains so-called N-nitrogenating agents (e.g. Arbutin seems to work its magic and hinder the pigmentation process at the second step of it. BTW, its also a food additive. The result was good: the tingling was decreased by 47%. But with proper formulation that does not happen, TEA in itself is not a bad guy. It does not have the very best safety reputation but in general, you do not have to worry about it. It's used traditionally in Japan and can be found naturally in a couple of plants, including the leaves of pear trees, wheat and bearberry. :( Even in that case you are probably fine because as far as we know it cannot penetrate the skin. It does so by neutralizing the metal ions in the formula (that usually get into there from water) that would otherwise cause some not so nice changes. Its mainly a solvent for ingredients that do not like to dissolve in oils but rather in water. Its definitely a smart thing to avoid with sensitive skin (and fragrance of any type - natural is just as allergic as synthetic, if not worse!). Resurfacing: The sirtuin-1 stimulation also results in quicker cell renewal - something that happens anyway but slows down as we age. It's also a solvent, humectant and to some extent a penetration enhancer. Its traditionally used to improve small wounds, burns and scratches and its also a well known anti-inflammatory agent for eczema. According to the manufacturer its a S.M.A.R.T. sugar: A castor oil derived, white, lard-like helper ingredient that is used as a solubilizer to put fragrances into water-based products such as toners. It is typically used in tiny amounts, around 0.1% or less. 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. by measuring how 3% Biosaccharide Gum-1 decreased the tingling sensation caused by 10% lactic acid. Its main job in skincare products is to moisturise the skin. Good old water, aka H2O. Typically used at 1% or less in most formulations. There is also research showing that panthenol can help our skin to produce more lovely lipids that are important for a strong and healthy skin barrier. 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. Centella Asiatica - or gotu kola as normal people call it - has been used in folk medicine for hundreds of years. And the quicker cell renewal is good because it helps the regeneration of the barrier function. Usually the main solvent in cosmetic products. The bottom line is that the above info is from the manufacturer (and we could not find any relevant independent research) so obviously take it with a grain of salt. Its a little helper ingredient that helps to set the pH of a cosmetic formulation to be just right. If you are someone who likes to know what you put on your face then fragrance is not your best friend - there's no way to know whats really in it. Bottom line: Gotu Kola is a great plant ingredient with proven wound healing, anti-inflammatory,and antioxidant properties. A real oldie but a goodie. : preservatives like 2-Bromo-2-Nitropropane-1,3-Diol, 5-Bromo-5-Nitro- 1,3-Dioxane or sodium nitrate - so look out for things with nitro, nitra in the name) that together with TEA can form some not nice carcinogenic stuff (that is called nitrosamines). Anti-aging: According to ex-vivo tests (meaning not on humans, so do not trust it too much) Biosaccharide Gum-1 can stimulate a protein in our skin called sirtuin-1. Madecassoside can also help in burn wound healing through increasing antioxidant activity and enhancing collagen synthesis. An often used glycol that works as a solvent, humectant, penetration enhancer and also gives a good slip to the products. As you might guess from the pro part, its a precursor to vitamin B5 (whose fancy name is pantothenic acid). 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. A handy white powder that magically converts a liquid into a nice gel formula. It's often combined with IT-preservative, phenoxyethanol. Works as an excellent surface hydrator in skincare. Helps to set the pH of a cosmetic formulation to be right. Its very alkaline (you know the opposite of being very acidic): a 1% solution has a pH of around 10. Of course, it cannot make a miracle but it might have some effect via regulating microcirculation and normalizing the metabolism in the cells of connective tissues. It usually has to be neutralized with a base (such as sodium hydroxide) for the thickening to occur and it creates viscous, clear gels that also feel nice and non-tacky on the skin. Nice to spot on any ingredient list. Also, if your skin is sensitive, fragrance is again not your best friend. Its traditionally used to improve small wounds, burns and scratches and its also a well known anti-inflammatory agent for eczema.