Concord Grape Antioxidant Serum
Ingredients overview
Highlights
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Ingredient name | what-it-does | irr., com. | ID-Rating |
---|---|---|---|
Concord Grape Distillate | |||
Grapeseed Extract | antioxidant, antimicrobial/antibacterial | goodie | |
Hyaluronic Acid | skin-identical ingredient, moisturizer/humectant | goodie | |
Resveratrol | antioxidant | goodie | |
Lecithin | emollient, emulsifying | goodie | |
Emulsifier 90 | |||
L-Carnosine | antioxidant, cell-communicating ingredient | goodie | |
Leucidal Sf | soothing, preservative | goodie |
Garden of Wisdom (GOW) Concord Grape Antioxidant SerumIngredients explained
This ingredient name is not according to the INCI-standard. :( What, why?!
We wholeheartedly support the rise of seedless grapes as fruit snacks, but when it comes to skincare, we are big fans of the seeds.
They contain the majority of the skin goodies that - similar to green tea - are mostly polyphenols (but not the same ones as in tea). The most abundant ones in grape are called proanthocyanidins, and 60-70% of them are found in the seeds (it's also often abbreviated as GSP - grape seed proanthocyanidins). In general, the darker the fruit, the more GSPs and other flavonoids it contains.
- It’s 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
If you are looking for a reason why red wine is good for you, good news, you have found it! Resveratrol, aka the "red grape antioxidant" is the thing that's suspected to keep the French from coronary heart disease despite their not so healthy eating habits (such as high saturated fat intake).
So resveratrol, found in the seed and skin of the red grape (and berries), is a pretty well-known and well-studied molecule that has potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticarcinogenic abilities. Most of the studies were done examining resveratrol's promising anti-cancer properties, but as for skin care, it shows a potent protective effect against UV-caused oxidative stress as well as promising effects against multiple types of skin cancer including the most severe one, melanoma (as an adjuvant therapy).
A very common ingredient that can be found in all cell membranes. In cosmetics it's quite the multi-tasker: it's an emollient and water-binding ingredient but it's also an emulsifier and can be used for stabilization purposes. It's also often used to create liposomes.
We don't have description for this ingredient yet.
Though its name does not reveal it, Carnosine is a peptide, a small, two amino acid (β-Ala-His) one. It is naturally present in high concentrations in muscle and brain tissues, but the one used in cosmetic products is biomimetic, meaning that it is synthetically produced in a lab to copy the natural thing.
A 2017 review paper on topical peptides writes about Carnosine that it is a "well-documented aqueous antioxidant with wound healing activity".
Lactobacillus ferment is an interesting probiotic ingredient with some promising properties.
First, according to a 2009 Estee Lauder patent, it’s a DNA repair enzyme and it can help to protect the skin against environmental aggressors.
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what‑it‑does | antioxidant | antimicrobial/antibacterial |
what‑it‑does | skin-identical ingredient | moisturizer/humectant |
what‑it‑does | antioxidant |
what‑it‑does | emollient | emulsifying |
what‑it‑does | antioxidant | cell-communicating ingredient |
what‑it‑does | soothing | preservative |