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Malyia Antioxidant Citrus Serum

Antioxidant Citrus Serum

Antioxidant Citrus Serum
Uploaded by: delphine20 on

Ingredients overview

Aqua (Deionized Water), Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice (Organic Aloe), Citrus Aurantifolia Fruit Water, Glycerin (Kosher, Vegetable), Xanthan Gum, Hydrolyzed Caesalpinia Spinosa Gum (Tara), Caesalpinia Spinosa Gum (Tara), Hippophae Rhamnoides Oil (Organic Seabuckthorn), Rosa Canina Fruit Oil (Organic Rosehip Seed), Rubus Idaeus Seed Oil (Raspberry Seed Oil), Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate (Vitamin C), Retinol (Vitamin A), Ubiquinone (Coq10), Undaria Pinnatifida Cell Culture Extract (Wakame Bioferment), Capsicum Annuum Extract (Cayenne), Ganoderma Lucidum Extract (Organic Reishi), Mahonia Aquifolium Root Extract (Oregon Grape), Prunus Virginiana Bark Extract (Wild Cherry), Vaccinium Angustifolium Fruit Extract (Blueberry), Vinca Major Extract (Periwinkle), Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed/​Skin/​Stem Extract (Grapeseed), Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract (Acai Fruit), Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract (Organic Green Tea), Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract (Organic Licorice), Punica Granatum Fruit Extract (Pomegranate), Salvia Sclarea Flower Oil (Clary Sage), Citrus Reticulata Peel Oil (Mandarin Orange), Amyris Balsamifera Bark Oil (Sandalwood), Copaifera Species Resin Oils (Balsam), Dipterocarpus Turbinatus Balsam Oil (Balsam), Santalum Album Oil (Indian Sandalwood), Santalum Spicata Wood Oil (Sandalwood), Citrus Limon Fruit Oil (Lemon Essential Oil), Melissa Officinalis Seed Oil (Lemon Balm), Bursera Fagaroides Wood Oil (Linaloe), Citrus Aurantium Flower Oil (Orange), Citrus Aurantium Leaf Oil (Orange), Sclerotium Gum, Potassium Sorbate (Preservative), Sodium Benzoate (Preservative)

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Ingredient name what-it-does irr., com. ID-Rating
Aqua (Deionized Water) solvent
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice (Organic Aloe) soothing, moisturizer/​humectant goodie
Citrus Aurantifolia Fruit Water
Glycerin (Kosher, Vegetable) skin-identical ingredient, moisturizer/​humectant 0, 0 superstar
Xanthan Gum viscosity controlling
Hydrolyzed Caesalpinia Spinosa Gum (Tara) emollient
Caesalpinia Spinosa Gum (Tara) viscosity controlling
Hippophae Rhamnoides Oil (Organic Seabuckthorn) antioxidant, emollient goodie
Rosa Canina Fruit Oil (Organic Rosehip Seed) emollient
Rubus Idaeus Seed Oil (Raspberry Seed Oil) emollient
Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E) antioxidant 0, 0
Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate (Vitamin C) antioxidant, anti-acne goodie
Retinol (Vitamin A) cell-communicating ingredient superstar
Ubiquinone (Coq10) antioxidant goodie
Undaria Pinnatifida Cell Culture Extract (Wakame Bioferment)
Capsicum Annuum Extract (Cayenne)
Ganoderma Lucidum Extract (Organic Reishi)
Mahonia Aquifolium Root Extract (Oregon Grape)
Prunus Virginiana Bark Extract (Wild Cherry)
Vaccinium Angustifolium Fruit Extract (Blueberry) soothing
Vinca Major Extract (Periwinkle)
Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed/Skin/Stem Extract (Grapeseed) antioxidant
Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract (Acai Fruit)
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract (Organic Green Tea) antioxidant, soothing goodie
Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract (Organic Licorice) soothing, skin brightening superstar
Punica Granatum Fruit Extract (Pomegranate)
Salvia Sclarea Flower Oil (Clary Sage) perfuming
Citrus Reticulata Peel Oil (Mandarin Orange) perfuming icky
Amyris Balsamifera Bark Oil (Sandalwood) perfuming
Copaifera Species Resin Oils (Balsam) perfuming
Dipterocarpus Turbinatus Balsam Oil (Balsam) perfuming
Santalum Album Oil (Indian Sandalwood)
Santalum Spicata Wood Oil (Sandalwood) perfuming
Citrus Limon Fruit Oil (Lemon Essential Oil)
Melissa Officinalis Seed Oil (Lemon Balm)
Bursera Fagaroides Wood Oil (Linaloe) perfuming
Citrus Aurantium Flower Oil (Orange) perfuming
Citrus Aurantium Leaf Oil (Orange) perfuming
Sclerotium Gum viscosity controlling
Potassium Sorbate (Preservative) preservative
Sodium Benzoate (Preservative) preservative

Malyia Antioxidant Citrus Serum
Ingredients explained

Also-called: Water | What-it-does: solvent

Good old water, aka H2O. The most common skincare ingredient of all. You can usually find it right in the very first spot of the ingredient list, meaning it’s the biggest thing out of all the stuff that makes up the product. 

It’s mainly a solvent for ingredients that do not like to dissolve in oils but rather in water. 

Also-called: Aloe Vera | What-it-does: soothing, moisturizer/humectant

Aloe Vera is one of today’s magic plants. It does have some very nice properties indeed, though famous dermatologist Leslie Baumann warns us in her book that most of the evidence is anecdotal and the plant might be a bit overhyped.

What research does confirm about Aloe is that it’s 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. It also helps wound healing and skin regeneration in general. All in all definitely a goodie. 

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Glycerol | What-it-does: skin-identical ingredient, moisturizer/humectant | Irritancy: 0 | Comedogenicity: 0
  • A natural moisturizer that’s 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 for dry skin at higher concentrations up to 20-40%
  • High-glycerin moisturizers are awesome for treating severely dry skin
Read all the geeky details about Glycerin here >>

It's one of the most commonly used thickeners and emulsion stabilizers. If the product is too runny, a little xanthan gum will make it more gel-like. Used alone, it can make the formula sticky and it is a good team player so it is usually combined with other thickeners and so-called rheology modifiers (helper ingredients that adjust the flow and thus the feel of the formula). The typical use level of Xantha Gum is below 1%, it is usually in the 0.1-0.5% range. 

Btw, Xanthan gum is all natural, a chain of sugar molecules (polysaccharide) produced from individual sugar molecules (glucose and sucrose) via fermentation. It’s approved by Ecocert and also used in the food industry (E415). 

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

What-it-does: viscosity controlling

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Sea Buckthorn Berry Oil;Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Oil | What-it-does: antioxidant, emollient

The oil coming from the pulp of the sea buckthorn berry. It has a pretty unique fatty acid composition: 65% is a combination of the rare Omega-7, aka palmitoleic acid and the more common palmitic acid. Fatty acids give the oil nice moisturizing and skin-protecting abilities. 

But that's not all the goodness of sea buckthorn oil. It contains antioxidant superstar, Vitamin E (in multiple forms), antioxidant (and orange color giving) pigments beta-carotene and lycopene, as well as skin-soothing and replenishing beta-sitosterol

Also-called: Rosehip Oil | What-it-does: emollient

Though it says fruit oil in its name, the rosehip fruit contains the seeds that contain the oil. So this one is the same as Rosa Canina Seed Oil,  or Rosehip Oil, known for its high omega fatty acid content (linoleic acid - 51%, linolenic acid - 19% and oleic acid - 20%) and skin-regenerative properties

There is a common misconception that rosehip oil contains vitamin C as the fruit itself does, but vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin hence it is not contained in the oil. The antioxidant and regenerative properties of the oil probably come from the oil-soluble tocopherols (vitamin E) and carotenoids (pro-vitamin A). Read more here

Also-called: Raspberry Seed Oil | What-it-does: emollient

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Vitamin E Acetate | What-it-does: antioxidant | Irritancy: 0 | Comedogenicity: 0

It’s the most commonly used version of pure vitamin E in cosmetics. You can read all about the pure form here. This one is the so-called esterified version. 

According to famous dermatologist, Leslie Baumann while tocopheryl acetate is more stable and has a longer shelf life, it’s also more poorly absorbed by the skin and may not have the same awesome photoprotective effects as pure Vit E. 

Also-called: Form of Vitamin C, SAP | What-it-does: antioxidant, anti-acne

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 out and you have to click here and read all the geeky details about it.

Pure vitamin C (aka ascorbic acid, AA) is great and all, but its lack of stability is a big challenge for the cosmetics industry. One solution is to create stable derivatives that 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).

Also-called: Vitamin A, Form of Retinoids | What-it-does: cell-communicating ingredient
  • Retinol (pure Vitamin A) is probably the most proven anti-aging ingredient available OTC
  • It has to be converted in the skin to retinoic acid to work its magic
  • Once converted, it has the same effect as all-trans-retinoic acid, aka tretinoin
  • A generally accepted ballpark number is that retinol is 10-to-20 times less potent than retinoic acid
  • It makes skin less wrinkled, smoother, firmer and tighter
  • It might also be helpful for acne prone skin as it normalizes keratinization and makes the pores produce less sebum
  • Possible side effects and irritation are also much less than with retinoic acid
  • Do not use whilst pregnant
Read all the geeky details about Retinol here >>

Also-called: Coenzyme Q10 | What-it-does: antioxidant

Thanks to Nivea, Q10 is a pretty well-known ingredient and the fame and Beiersdorf's (the parent company of Nivea) obsession with it are not for no reason. It's an antioxidant found naturally in human cells where it plays a big role in energy production.

In fact, it's so important for energy production that if taken as an oral supplement it has a caffeine-like effect and if taken at night you will probably not sleep very well (so you should take it in the morning). Q10 supplementation is not a bad idea: it not only gives you energy but research also shows that oral Q10 increases the Q10 level of the skin (of course, it decreases with age like pretty much every good thing in the skin) and may help to reduce wrinkles. If you are not for supplements, dietary sources include fish, spinach, and nuts.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Reishi Mushroom Extract

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

What-it-does: astringent

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Blueberry Extract | What-it-does: soothing

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

What-it-does: antioxidant

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Acai Extract

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Green Tea | What-it-does: antioxidant, soothing
  • Green tea is one of the most researched natural ingredients
  • The active parts are called polyphenols, or more precisely catechins (EGCG being the most abundant and most active catechin)
  • There can be huge quality differences between green tea extracts. The good ones contain 50-90% catechins (and often make the product brown and give it a distinctive smell)
  • Green tea is proven to be a great antioxidant, UV protectant, anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic and antimicrobial
  • Because of these awesome properties green tea is a great choice for anti-aging and also for skin diseases including rosacea, acne and atopic dermatitis
Read all the geeky details about Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract here >>

Also-called: Licorice Root;Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract | What-it-does: soothing, skin brightening

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 sweet and yellow and not only used for licorice all sorts but it's also a skincare superstar thanks to two magic properties:

Nr. 1 magic property is that it has skin-lightening or to say it another way depigmenting properties. The most active part is called glabridin. 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. Another study even suggested that licorice is more effective than the gold standard skin-lightening agent hydroquinone. All in all, licorice is considered to be one of the safest skin lightening agents with the fewest side effects.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

What-it-does: perfuming

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Tangerine Essential Oil | What-it-does: perfuming, deodorant

The essential oil coming from the rind of the mandarin orange also called tangerine. In general, the main component of citrus peel oils is limonene (80-97%), a super common fragrant ingredient that makes everything smell nice (but counts as a frequent skin sensitizer).

Other than that, citrus peel also contains the problematic compound called furanocoumarin that makes them mildly phototoxic. In general, the sweeter the citrus, the less it contains, so tangerine peel contains less of it than some other citruses (like bergamot or lime), but still, be careful with it especially if it is in a product for daytime use.  

What-it-does: perfuming

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

What-it-does: perfuming

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

What-it-does: perfuming

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Sandalwood Oil

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

What-it-does: perfuming

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Lemon Fruit Oil | What-it-does: astringent

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

What-it-does: perfuming

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

What-it-does: perfuming

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

What-it-does: perfuming

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

A big sugar molecule (polysaccharide) that is used as a natural thickening and gelling agent. It is similar to more commonly used Xanthan Gum, and the two are also often combined to create gel formulas or to stabilize emulsions. 

What-it-does: preservative

It's one of those things that help your cosmetics not to go wrong too soon, aka a preservative. It’s not a strong one and doesn’t really work against bacteria, but more against mold and yeast. To do that it has to break down to its active form, sorbic acid. For that to happen, there has to be water in the product and the right pH value (pH 3-4). 

But even if everything is right, it’s not enough on its own. If you see potassium sorbate you should see some other preservative next to it too.

What-it-does: preservative

A helper ingredient that helps to make the products stay nice longer, aka preservative. It works mainly against fungi. 

It’s pH dependent and works best at acidic pH levels (3-5). It’s not strong enough to be used in itself so it’s always combined with something else, often with potassium sorbate.

You may also want to take a look at...

what‑it‑does solvent
Normal (well kind of - it's purified and deionized) water. Usually the main solvent in cosmetic products. [more]
what‑it‑does soothing | moisturizer/humectant
The famous aloe vera. A great moisturizer and anti-inflammatory ingredient that also helps wound healing and skin regeneration. [more]
what‑it‑does skin-identical ingredient | moisturizer/humectant
irritancy, com. 0, 0
A real oldie but a goodie. Great natural moisturizer and skin-identical ingredient that plays an important role in skin hydration and general skin health. [more]
what‑it‑does viscosity controlling
A super commonly used thickener and emulsion stabilizer. [more]
what‑it‑does emollient
what‑it‑does viscosity controlling
what‑it‑does antioxidant | emollient
Sea buckthorn berry oil - contains rare omega-7 fatty acid, antioxidants, and skin-soothing plant sterols. A nice moisturising and skin protecting oil. [more]
what‑it‑does emollient
Though it says fruit oil in its name, the rosehip fruit contains the seeds that contain the oil. So this one is the same as Rosa Canina Seed Oil,  or Rosehip Oil, known for its high omega fatty acid content (linoleic acid - 51%, linolenic acid - 19% and oleic acid - 20%) and skin-regenerative properties.  [more]
what‑it‑does emollient
what‑it‑does antioxidant
irritancy, com. 0, 0
A form of vitamin E that works as an antioxidant. Compared to the pure form it's more stable, has longer shelf life, but it's also more poorly absorbed by the skin. [more]
what‑it‑does antioxidant | anti-acne
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 out and you have to click here and read all the geeky details about it. Pure vitamin C (aka ascorbic acid, AA) is great and all, but its lack of stability is a big challenge for the cosmetics industry. [more]
what‑it‑does cell-communicating ingredient
Vitamin A - the most proven anti-aging ingredient available OTC that can smooth wrinkles and make skin firmer. It might also be useful for acne-prone skin as it normalizes keratinization. [more]
what‑it‑does antioxidant
Q10 - an antioxidant found naturally in human cells where it plays an important role in energy production. As for skincare, it works as an awesome antioxidant that might also be able to reduce wrinkle depth. [more]
what‑it‑does soothing
what‑it‑does antioxidant
what‑it‑does antioxidant | soothing
Green Tea - one of the most researched natural ingredients that contains the superstar actives called catechins. It has proven antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and anticarcinogenic properties. [more]
what‑it‑does soothing | skin brightening
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. [more]
what‑it‑does perfuming
what‑it‑does perfuming
The essential oil coming from the rind of the mandarin orange also called tangerine. In general, the main component of citrus peel oils is limonene (80-97%), a super common fragrant ingredient that makes everything smell nice (but counts as a frequent skin sensitizer). Other than that, citrus peel also contains the problematic compound called furanocoumarin tha [more]
what‑it‑does perfuming
what‑it‑does perfuming
what‑it‑does perfuming
what‑it‑does perfuming
what‑it‑does perfuming
what‑it‑does perfuming
what‑it‑does perfuming
what‑it‑does viscosity controlling
A big sugar molecule (polysaccharide) that is used as a natural thickening and gelling agent. It is similar to more commonly used Xanthan Gum, and the two are also often combined to create gel formulas or to stabilize emulsions.  [more]
what‑it‑does preservative
A not so strong preservative that doesn’t really work against bacteria, but more against mold and yeast. [more]
what‑it‑does preservative
A preservative that works mainly against fungi. Has to be combined with other preservatives. [more]