Olea Europaea (Olive) Oil is a great natural ingredient rich with Vitamin E and Vitamin A. It’s an antioxidant that helps to slower aging, recover elasticity and slower wrinkle forming. It makes the skin softer, smooth and lowers inflammation. In antient times people used Olive Oil for healing wounds.
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Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Kernel OilAntioxidant
Roles: Skin conditioning
Moisturizing
Softening
Soothing
Anti-aging
Rejuvenation
Comedogenic rating [ 2 ]
Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Kernel Oil is a light organic oil used in skincare products because of moisturizing, anti-aging, rejuvenation and softening effects. It contains vitamins (A, B, C), minerals, phospholipids. It soothes irritation and it’s a good choice for people with sensitive skin. It soaks in pretty fast without oily feeling.
Tocopheryl Acetate is a form of Vitamine E. It’s used as an alternative to Tocopherol because it is more stable in the formulation. It has all the positive effects of Tocopherol plus better stability. It’s a brilliant component. It conditions and nourishes the skin helping it to resist aging. It also helps to protect the skin from the sun. High concentrations of Tocopheryl Acetate can lead to irritation and allergic reactions.
Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil is a great vegetable oil to counter dryness. It reduces inflammation and it’s a very nice ingredient for people with redness, eczema, and rosacea. It’s accepted very well by humans skin because its chemical structure is very similar to sebum. That’s why it will hardly provoke any allergy. It’s a very good helper for people with dry skin.
Salicylic Acid is an amazing component for oily skin. It’s a famous BHA that chemically exfoliates dead cells, kills bacteria, and prevents acne. It works as a strong pores cleanser. AHAs are not effective for removing sebum from pores, while BHAs are leaders in this space. Salicylic Acid also helps to shrink pores, remove acne scars and make skin tone even. Pay attention: concentration matters! This ingredient is rather aggressive. It can lead to irritation in high concentrations. If your skin has never seen this component before test the product first.
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Water
Roles: Solvent
Water is a great solvent. It’s neutral and doesn’t provide any strong positive or negative effects. It just helps components to mix better and to transport active components.
Butylene Glycol is a very popular synthetic alcohol. It helps the product to absorb deeper and faster. It is also a solvent for other ingredients. As for the skin benefits, it helps to attract water and helps to make the skin softer.
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1,2-Hexanediol
Roles: Solvent
Moisturizing
Good for dry skin
1,2-Hexanediol can do a lot of good things for the formulation of the product. It’s an emollient, preservative, and humectant. It keeps skin hydrated and soft. It’s a good component for dry and dehydrated skin.
Green Tea Leaf Extract is a great antioxidant often used in Korean skincare products. It contains EGCG - the most effective flavonoid. It makes the skin look fresh, fills it with vitamines, and helps to prevent aging. It also helps to lower inflammation.
Citral is a fragrance component responsible for a fresh citrus scent. It’s used as a masking agent to hide unpleasant aromas. Unfortunately, it’s considered to be an allergen and it is one of the 26 fragrances that have to be labeled separately in the European Union. Pay attention to this component if you have sensitive skin.
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Limonene
Roles: Fragrance
Antiseptic
Allergens
Limonene provides a nice and fresh citrus scent. It can be found in many plants. It's used in cosmetics because of its low price and pleasant smell.
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Linalool
Roles: Deodorant, Fragrance, Masking
Allergens
Linalool gives the product a nice and fresh lavender scent. It can be found in many essential oils. It oxidizes during air exposure and becomes allergenic. It can lead to irritation causing problems for people with sensitive skin. The threat is even higher if the product was opened several months ago. In such products, more Linalool is oxidized.
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Citric AcidAntioxidantAHA
Roles: Buffering, Chelating, Fragrance, Masking
Cleansing
Exfoliating
Soothing
Lightening
Lifting
Hair growth stimulating
Citric Acid is one of the AHAs and it is a super useful component! It’s a great antioxidant. It acts as a soft peeling that removes dead cells and kills bacteria. It becomes even more effective if used with other cosmetic acids. Combined formulations are more active, but can irritate sensitive skin if used too often. The component can also whiten the skin and remove dark areas.
It can be an irritator due to its naturally lower pH level of 2.2. But manufacturers also use it as a pH adjuster so in most cases you will not have any issues.
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Sodium Citrate
Roles: Buffering, Chelating, Masking
Sodium Citrate is a water-soluble soft organic surfactant with strong stabilizing and conditioning effects. It helps to produce foam and lowers the negative impact of hard water on your skin and hair. It also helps to regulate the pH level of the product. It’s a natural ingredient and it’s safe for most people. It’s used in food (additive number E331).
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Glycolic AcidAHA
Roles: Buffering, Exfoliant
Cleansing
Exfoliating
Anti-aging
Lightening
Good for oily skin
Glycolic Acid is the most researched AHA with proven efficiency and it’s a super powerful component. It’s a great exfoliator, meaning it helps to remove dead skin cells preventing bacterial growth, and make your skin look fresh and smooth. It helps to remove dark spots and areas, making skin tone even. But the most serious reason for using this component is that it helps to produce collagen, which is very important for keeping your skin healthy. This is what makes Glycolic Acid so special. Pay attention, that using any AHA makes your skin more UV sensitive. It’s very important to use good sunscreen after applying AHA.
Lactic Acid is the most popular and the least aggressive acid among all the AHAs. Unlike Salicylic and Glycolic acids which can irritate your skin, Lactic Acid will hardly cause any problems. The combination of its soft action and effectiveness makes it a real brilliant. It exfoliates dead cells, makes the skin tone even, clears pores, kills bacteria, moisturizes the skin and helps to keep water, helps the cells to produce Hyaluronic Acid. It also works as a strong antioxidant and anti-aging component.
It's a great acid for getting familiar with the world of AHAs. If you want to start using "fruit acids" but struggling for some reason, try to use Lactic Acid first. If your skin accepts it well, you can try stronger acids.