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The History of Whoo Hwanyu Imperial Youth First Serum

Hwanyu Imperial Youth First Serum

The history of whoo’s “hwanyu imperial youth first serum” is a treatment designed to foster a beautiful and youthful complexion right from the first step of your routine.
Uploaded by: arielberlandi on

Ingredients overview

Water, 2,3-Butanediol, PEG/​PPG/​Polybutylene Glycol-8/​5/​3 Glycerin, Alcohol Denat, Betaine, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Panthenol, Serine, Trehalose, PPG-13-Decyltetradeceth-24, Hydroxyproline, Carbomer, Tromethamine, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Xanthan Gum, Propylene Glycol, Tremella Fuciformis Polysaccharide, Trisodium EDTA, Glycolipids, Polygonum Multiflorum Root Extract, Asparagus Cochinchinensis Root Extract, Polygonatum Officinale Rhizome/​Root Extract, Andrographis Paniculata Extract, Cordyceps Sinensis Extract, Sodium Lactate, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Polysorbate 20, (Red) Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Paeonia Lactiflora Root Extract, Poria Cocos Sclerotium Extract, Ginkgo Biloba Nut Extract, Cornus Officinalis Fruit Extract, Atractylodes Japonica Rhizome Extract, Lycium Chinense Fruit Extract, Ziziphus Jujuba Fruit Extract, Sodium Benzoate, Schisandra Chinensis Fruit Extract, Angelica Acutiloba Root Extract, Belamcanda Chinensis Root Extract, Eriobotrya Japonica Leaf Extract, Houttuynia Cordata Extract, Ophiopogon Japonicus Root Extract, Perilla Ocymoides Leaf Extract, Platycodon Grandiflorus Root Extract, Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Kernel Extract, Schizonepeta Tenuifolia Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Trichosanthes Kirilowii Root Extract, Tussilago Farfara (Coltsfoot) Flower Extract, Thymus Vulgaris (Thyme) Extract, Punica Granatum Fruit Extract, Cimicifuga Racemosa Root Extract, Dioscorea Japonica Root Extract, Lithospermum Erythrorhizon Root Extract, Trifolium Pratense (Clover) Leaf Extract, Ganoderma Lucidum (Mushroom) Extract, Juglans Regia (Walnut) Seed Extract, Cyperus Rotundus Root Extract, Eucommia Ulmoides Bark Extract, Cassia Obtusifolia Seed Extract, Chaenomeles Sinensis Fruit Extract, Prunella Vulgaris Leaf Extract, Tocopherol, Panax Ginseng Leaf/​Stem Extract, Rehmannia Chinensis Root Extract, Amomum Xanthioides Seed Extract, Anemarrhena Asphodeloides Root Extract, Atractylodes Lancea Root Extract, Bambusa Textilis Stem Extract, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Extract, Cinnamomum Cassia Bark Extract, Citrus Unshiu Peel Extract, Coptis Japonica Root Extract, Cuscuta Japonica Seed Extract, Dimocarpus Longan Fruit Extract, Eugenia Caryophyllus (Clove) Flower Extract, Ganoderma Lucidum (Mushroom) Stem Extract, Laminaria Japonica Extract, Lindera Strychnifolia Root Extract, Nelumbo Nucifera Seed Powder, Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Phellodendron Amurense Bark Extract, Polygonum Aviculare Extract, Poncirus Trifoliata Fruit Extract, Prunus Persica (Peach) Kernel Extract, Tricholoma Matsutake Extract, Tuber Melanosporum Extract, Zanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit Extract, Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Extract, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Glycine Max (Soybean) Seed Extract, Angelica Gigas Root Extract, Allium Tuberosum Seed Extract, Achyranthes Bidentata Root Extract, Polygala Tenuifolia Root Extract, Tribulus Terrestris Fruit Extract, Epimedium Koreanum Extract, Fragrance, Linalool, Limonene, Benzyl Benzoate, Hexyl Cinnamal

Highlights

Skim through

Ingredient name what-it-does irr., com. ID-Rating
Water solvent
2,3-Butanediol moisturizer/​humectant, solvent
PEG/PPG/Polybutylene Glycol-8/5/3 Glycerin moisturizer/​humectant
Alcohol Denat antimicrobial/​antibacterial, solvent, viscosity controlling icky
Betaine moisturizer/​humectant goodie
Glycerin skin-identical ingredient, moisturizer/​humectant 0, 0 superstar
Butylene Glycol moisturizer/​humectant, solvent 0, 1
1,2-Hexanediol solvent
Panthenol soothing, moisturizer/​humectant 0, 0 goodie
Serine skin-identical ingredient goodie
Trehalose moisturizer/​humectant goodie
PPG-13-Decyltetradeceth-24 emulsifying, surfactant/​cleansing
Hydroxyproline surfactant/​cleansing
Carbomer viscosity controlling 0, 1
Tromethamine buffering
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid moisturizer/​humectant goodie
Xanthan Gum viscosity controlling
Propylene Glycol moisturizer/​humectant, solvent 0, 0
Tremella Fuciformis Polysaccharide moisturizer/​humectant goodie
Trisodium EDTA chelating
Glycolipids
Polygonum Multiflorum Root Extract
Asparagus Cochinchinensis Root Extract
Polygonatum Officinale Rhizome/Root Extract
Andrographis Paniculata Extract
Cordyceps Sinensis Extract antioxidant, emollient, moisturizer/​humectant
Sodium Lactate buffering, moisturizer/​humectant goodie
Panax Ginseng Root Extract antioxidant, emollient goodie
Polysorbate 20 emulsifying, surfactant/​cleansing 0, 0
(Red) Panax Ginseng Root Extract antioxidant, emollient goodie
Paeonia Lactiflora Root Extract
Poria Cocos Sclerotium Extract
Ginkgo Biloba Nut Extract
Cornus Officinalis Fruit Extract
Atractylodes Japonica Rhizome Extract
Lycium Chinense Fruit Extract antioxidant
Ziziphus Jujuba Fruit Extract
Sodium Benzoate preservative
Schisandra Chinensis Fruit Extract
Angelica Acutiloba Root Extract
Belamcanda Chinensis Root Extract
Eriobotrya Japonica Leaf Extract
Houttuynia Cordata Extract antioxidant, soothing goodie
Ophiopogon Japonicus Root Extract
Perilla Ocymoides Leaf Extract
Platycodon Grandiflorus Root Extract antioxidant
Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Kernel Extract
Schizonepeta Tenuifolia Extract
Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract soothing, antioxidant, antimicrobial/​antibacterial, moisturizer/​humectant goodie
Trichosanthes Kirilowii Root Extract
Tussilago Farfara (Coltsfoot) Flower Extract emollient
Thymus Vulgaris (Thyme) Extract perfuming
Punica Granatum Fruit Extract
Cimicifuga Racemosa Root Extract antimicrobial/​antibacterial, antioxidant, emollient, moisturizer/​humectant
Dioscorea Japonica Root Extract
Lithospermum Erythrorhizon Root Extract
Trifolium Pratense (Clover) Leaf Extract antioxidant
Ganoderma Lucidum (Mushroom) Extract soothing goodie
Juglans Regia (Walnut) Seed Extract
Cyperus Rotundus Root Extract
Eucommia Ulmoides Bark Extract antioxidant
Cassia Obtusifolia Seed Extract
Chaenomeles Sinensis Fruit Extract antioxidant, emollient, moisturizer/​humectant
Prunella Vulgaris Leaf Extract
Tocopherol antioxidant 0-3, 0-3 goodie
Panax Ginseng Leaf/Stem Extract
Rehmannia Chinensis Root Extract
Amomum Xanthioides Seed Extract
Anemarrhena Asphodeloides Root Extract
Atractylodes Lancea Root Extract
Bambusa Textilis Stem Extract
Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Extract
Cinnamomum Cassia Bark Extract
Citrus Unshiu Peel Extract skin brightening, antioxidant
Coptis Japonica Root Extract soothing, antioxidant goodie
Cuscuta Japonica Seed Extract
Dimocarpus Longan Fruit Extract
Eugenia Caryophyllus (Clove) Flower Extract
Ganoderma Lucidum (Mushroom) Stem Extract
Laminaria Japonica Extract
Lindera Strychnifolia Root Extract
Nelumbo Nucifera Seed Powder
Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 cell-communicating ingredient goodie
Phellodendron Amurense Bark Extract soothing, anti-acne goodie
Polygonum Aviculare Extract antioxidant, emollient goodie
Poncirus Trifoliata Fruit Extract
Prunus Persica (Peach) Kernel Extract moisturizer/​humectant
Tricholoma Matsutake Extract
Tuber Melanosporum Extract moisturizer/​humectant goodie
Zanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit Extract antioxidant, antimicrobial/​antibacterial, preservative
Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Extract antioxidant, soothing goodie
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 cell-communicating ingredient goodie
Glycine Max (Soybean) Seed Extract
Angelica Gigas Root Extract
Allium Tuberosum Seed Extract
Achyranthes Bidentata Root Extract
Polygala Tenuifolia Root Extract
Tribulus Terrestris Fruit Extract
Epimedium Koreanum Extract antimicrobial/​antibacterial
Fragrance perfuming icky
Linalool perfuming icky
Limonene perfuming, solvent icky
Benzyl Benzoate solvent, perfuming, antimicrobial/​antibacterial icky
Hexyl Cinnamal perfuming icky

The History of Whoo Hwanyu Imperial Youth First Serum
Ingredients explained

Also-called: Aqua | 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. 

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

What-it-does: moisturizer/humectant

A glycerin derived, synthetic oily liquid that is also water soluble and works as a great skin moisturizer. Its moisturizing ability is comparable to glycerin itself and the two together work in synergy to give skin superb hydration. It is also "cosmetically elegant", i.e. non-sticky and non-greasy.

It can also work as a co-surfactant helping to dissolve small amounts of oily things (think essential oils or vitamin E) into water-based formulas.

  • It's a super common and super debated skincare ingredient
  • It has several benefits: great solvent, penetration enhancer, creates cosmetically elegant, light formulas, great astringent and antimicrobial
  • It can be very drying if it's in the first few ingredients on an ingredient list
  • Some experts even think that regular exposure to alcohol damages skin barrier and causes inflammation though it's a debated opinion (read more in geeky details tab)
Read all the geeky details about Alcohol Denat. here >>

Betaine - goodie
What-it-does: moisturizer/humectant

A sugar beet-derived amino acid derivative with nice skin protection and moisturization properties. Betaine's special thing is being an osmolyte, a molecule that helps to control cell-water balance.  It is also a natural osmoprotectant, meaning that it attracts water away from the protein surface and thus protects them from denaturation and increases their thermodynamic stability. 

It also gives sensorial benefits to the formula and when used in cleansers, it helps to make them milder and gentler. 

Glycerin - superstar
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 >>

What-it-does: moisturizer/humectant, solvent | Irritancy: 0 | Comedogenicity: 1

Butylene glycol, or let’s just call it BG, is a multi-tasking colorless, syrupy liquid. It’s a great pick for creating a nice feeling product.  

BG’s main job is usually to be a solvent for the other ingredients. 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.

What-it-does: solvent

A really multi-functional helper ingredient that can do several things in a skincare product: it can bring a soft and pleasant feel to the formula, it can act as a humectant and emollient, it can be a solvent for some other ingredients (for example it can help to stabilize perfumes in watery products) and it can also help to disperse pigments more evenly in makeup products. And that is still not all: it can also boost the antimicrobial activity of preservatives

Panthenol - goodie
Also-called: Pro-Vitamin B5 | What-it-does: soothing, moisturizer/humectant | Irritancy: 0 | Comedogenicity: 0

An easy-to-formulate, commonly used, nice to have ingredient that’s also called pro-vitamin B5. As you might guess from the “pro” part, it’s a precursor to vitamin B5 (whose fancy name is pantothenic acid). 

Its main job in skincare products is to moisturise the skin. It’s a humectant meaning that it can help the skin to attract water and then hold onto it. 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. 

Serine - goodie

Serine is an amino acid that most often comes to the formula as part of a moisturizing complex. It's a non-essential amino acid (meaning that our body can synthesize it) and serves as a water-binding ingredient.

In general, amino acids are great skincare ingredients that play an important role in proper skin hydration but there is not much info out there about what specifically serine can do for the skin.

Trehalose - goodie
What-it-does: moisturizer/humectant

A type of sugar that has water-binding properties and helps to keep your skin hydrated

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

What-it-does: surfactant/cleansing

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

What-it-does: viscosity controlling, emulsion stabilising | Irritancy: 0 | Comedogenicity: 1

A big molecule created from repeated subunits (a polymer of acrylic acid) that magically converts a liquid into a nice gel formula.  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. No wonder, it is a very popular and common ingredient. Typically used at 1% or less in most formulations.

What-it-does: buffering

It's a little helper ingredient that helps to set the pH of the products to be right. It has an alkaline pH and can neutralize acidic ingredients.

What-it-does: moisturizer/humectant

Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid is a low molecular weight, chemically chopped up version of the naturally big molecule and current IT-moisturizer, Hyaluronic Acid (HA). 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 retain water, making it plump and elastic. As HA is a polymer, the subunits can be repeated many times (as a high-molecular-weight version), or just a few times (as a low-molecular-weight version).

We wrote in detail at HA about how different molecular weight versions do different things both as a component of the skin and as a skincare ingredient, so click here and read about all the details. Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid can also come in different molecular-weight versions with different properties:

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). 

What-it-does: moisturizer/humectant, solvent | Irritancy: 0 | Comedogenicity: 0
  • 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)
Read all the geeky details about Propylene Glycol here >>

A  big sugar molecule coming from the edible fruit bodies of the Silver Ear mushroom in China. Its sugar constituents include Glucuronic acid, the same guy that is one of the building blocks of IT-moisturizer Hyaluronic Acid. It is claimed to have similarly awesome water-binding capacities meaning it works as an excellent skin moisturizer and humectant

We have more info about Tremella Fuciformis here >>

What-it-does: chelating

A common helper ingredient that works as a so-called chelating agent.  It helps products to remain nice and stable for a longer time by neutralizing the metal ions in the formula (that usually get into there from water) that would otherwise cause some not so nice changes.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Fo Ti Root

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

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.

The sodium salt of lactic acid. It's a great skin moisturizer and also used to regulate the pH value of the cosmetic formula. It's a natural ingredient approved by both ECOCERT and COSMOS.

Also-called: True Ginseng, Ginseng, Korean Ginseng | What-it-does: antioxidant, emollient

A  traditional Korean medicine used for more than 2000 years. Regarding skin care, its main thing seems to be enhancing skin nutrition and metabolism as a result of improving blood circulation.

It also contains biologically active components referred to as ginseng saponins (ginsenosides) that have potent antioxidant properties

What-it-does: emulsifying, surfactant/cleansing | Irritancy: 0 | Comedogenicity: 0

It's a common little helper ingredient that helps water and oil to mix together. Also, it can help to increase the solubility of some other ingredients in the formula. 

Also-called: True Ginseng, Ginseng, Korean Ginseng | What-it-does: antioxidant, emollient

A  traditional Korean medicine used for more than 2000 years. Regarding skin care, its main thing seems to be enhancing skin nutrition and metabolism as a result of improving blood circulation.

It also contains biologically active components referred to as ginseng saponins (ginsenosides) that have potent antioxidant properties

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.

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.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

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.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

What-it-does: antioxidant, soothing

Houttuynia cordata is a flowering plant native to Southeast Asia. It is eaten as a leaf vegetable, and also has a long history of use in traditional Chinese medicine, including as an attempted treatment for SARS (it didn’t really work). Regarding cosmetics, however, houttuynia cordata extract has a good bit of potential! 

The main active components in the plant are these fancy chemicals called flavonoids. Houttuynia cordata specifically has a good amount of polyphenolic flavonoids, four common ones being quercetin, quercitrin, hyperoside, and rutin. All of these exhibit anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antibacterial properties. Quercitrin has also been shown to decrease damage from UVB rays, which is an added bonus. One thing to keep in mind, though, is that the flavonoid content of this extract can depend on if the extract is taken from the roots or the leaves, as well as if it’s a water extraction or an alcohol extraction.

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.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Skullcap Root Extract | What-it-does: soothing, antioxidant, antimicrobial/antibacterial, astringent, moisturizer/humectant

A traditional Chinese herbal medicine loaded with potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory flavonoids such as baicalin, baicalein, and wogonin.

If that would not be enough, Skullcap Root is also claimed to have antimicrobial and antifungal properties (also against P.acnes and Malassezia furfur) as well as some skin-brightening activity. A multi-functional skin-goodie.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

What-it-does: astringent, emollient

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Thyme | What-it-does: perfuming

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Black Cohosh | What-it-does: antimicrobial/antibacterial, antioxidant, emollient, moisturizer/humectant

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

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: Reishi Mushroom Extract | What-it-does: soothing

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

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.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Tocopherol - goodie
Also-called: Vitamin E | What-it-does: antioxidant | Irritancy: 0-3 | Comedogenicity: 0-3
  • Primary fat-soluble antioxidant in our skin
  • Significant photoprotection against UVB rays
  • Vit C + Vit E work in synergy and provide great photoprotection
  • Has emollient properties
  • Easy to formulate, stable and relatively inexpensive
Read all the geeky details about Tocopherol here >>

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Satsuma Mandarin, Satsuma Orange | What-it-does: skin brightening, antioxidant

Out of the more than 900 Citrus species known today, Citrus Unshiu is a seedless, easy to peel tangerine coming from the Japanese town Satsuma. The peel extract used in cosmetics is mainly created from the "press-cake", the by-product of the juice industry and as it turns out, what's waste to one industry is a useful ingredient to another. 

In cosmetics, the main thing of the Citrus Unshiu Peel Extract is being a skin-brightening or whitening agent. In-vitro (made in test tubes) and animal studies both show promising results for inhibiting tyrosinase, the famous enzyme regulating melanin production. It also contains antioxidant components such as carotenoids, coumarins,  limonoids, and flavonoids that might be useful for the skin to protect itself from UV caused damages. 

Also-called: Japanese Goldthread Root Extract | What-it-does: soothing, antioxidant

The extract coming from the root of the traditional medicinal herb, Coptis Japonica or Japanese Goldthread. The plant is used traditionally in East Asia for its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antimicrobial abilities.

Other than that, there is also an abstract from the International Journal of Cosmetic Science that found Coptis Japonica Root Extract and its active component called berberine to show potent inhibition of triglyceride (aka fat) accumulation and subcutaneous preadipocytes (the cells that become later fat cells) differentiation meaning that Goldthread Extract might also be useful in slimming and anti-cellulite products.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

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.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Part of Matrixyl 3000, Pal-GHK, Formerly also Palmitoyl Oligopeptide | What-it-does: cell-communicating ingredient

A really famous peptide that is part of Matrixyl 3000, the most sold peptide complex in the word. Before we go and find out what the big deal with Matrixyl 3000 is, let's just focus on Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 itself for a bit.

It's a small three amino acid (they are the building blocks of all proteins) peptide with the amino sequence of glycine-histidine-lysine, or GHK. GHK is attached to palmitic acid (a fatty acid) to increase oil solubility and skin penetration. 

Also-called: Amur Cork Tree Bark Extract, Oubaku Ekisu | What-it-does: soothing, anti-acne

traditional East Asian medicine that has a couple of recent studies to back up its positive effects on the skin.

It seems to have potent anti-inflammatory activity, it's a mild antioxidant and also has strong anti-bacterial effect for acne causing bacteria, Propionibacterium acne. 

Also-called: Knotgrass Extract, Elix-IR | What-it-does: antioxidant, emollient

A flavonoid-rich plant extract coming from knotgrass that is claimed to protect the skin from both UV and Infrared damage.  By now it's pretty well-known that UV-light is the number one external skin-aging factor, however, *sigh* it looks like UV is not the only kind of light that causes bad things to happen to the skin.

Infrared light (760 nm to 1 mm) is the spectral band above visible light and there is some research concluding that it can accelerate skin aging via multiple mechanisms, one of them being the stimulation of the production of evil collagen-destroying enzymes called matrix metalloproteinases (MMP).

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

What-it-does: moisturizer/humectant

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Black Truffle Extract | What-it-does: moisturizer/humectant

If you are into fine dining, I am sure you have seen black truffle being grated by the waiter on top of your food in a Micheline star restaurant. It's one of the most expensive edible mushrooms in the world.

As for what it's doing in a cosmetic product, it's a great question and we cannot say that there are tons of great research papers out there giving a reliable answer. What we could find is a patent application claiming that a cosmetic product with black truffle extract can fight reactive oxygen species (aka antioxidant), it can improve blood flow by expanding the capillary blood vessels and it can inhibit skin irritation

Also-called: Japanese Pepper, Korean Pepper, Sanshō, Chopi | What-it-does: antioxidant, antimicrobial/antibacterial, preservative

If you are into Japanese cuisine, you might know this guy as Japanese pepper or Sanshō pepper that is known for its unique fresh aroma and appetite increasing spicy sensation.

As for the skin benefits of Zanthoxylum Piperitum, it might have antioxidant effects (with active components called hyperoside and quercitrin), but more importantly, it is an antibacterial and natural preservative agent. It is pretty common in K-Beauty products, as it's one of the three natural extracts that make up the popular Korean preservative called EURO-NApre. 

Also-called: Ginger Root Extract | What-it-does: antioxidant, soothing

The extract coming from ginger, the lovely spice that we all know from the kitchen. It is also a medicinal plant used both in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine for pretty much everything you can imagine (muscular pain, sore throat, nausea, fever or cramps,  just to give a few examples).

As for ginger and skincare, the root extract contains the biologically active component called gingerol that has potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Combined with Bisabololthe duo works synergistically to sooth the skin and take down redness. 

Also-called: Part of Matrixyl 3000, Pal-GQPR, Previously Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-3 | What-it-does: cell-communicating ingredient

A four amino acid peptide with the amino sequence of glycine-glutamine-proline-arginine. It is attached to palmitic acid (a fatty acid)  to increase oil solubility and skin penetration. 

It works by reducing the production of the signal moleculeinterleukin-6 (IL-6) which promotes inflammation in the skin and less inflammation means slower degradation of important things (like collagen) that results in younger looking skin for a longer time. 

Also-called: Black Soybean Extract

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Fragrance - icky
Also-called: Fragrance, Parfum;Parfum/Fragrance | What-it-does: perfuming

Exactly what it sounds: nice smelling stuff put into cosmetic products so that the end product also smells nice. 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!). 

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 what’s really in it.  

Linalool - icky
What-it-does: perfuming, deodorant

Linalool is a super common fragrance ingredient. It’s kind of everywhere - both in plants and in cosmetic products. It’s part of 200 natural oils including lavender, ylang-ylang, bergamot, jasmine, geranium and it can be found in 90-95% of prestige perfumes on the market. 

The problem with linalool is, that just like limonene it oxidises on air exposure and becomes allergenic. That’s why a product containing linalool that has been opened for several months is more likely to be allergenic than a fresh one.

Limonene - icky
What-it-does: perfuming, solvent, deodorant

A super common and cheap fragrance ingredient. It's in many plants, e.g. rosemary, eucalyptus, lavender, lemongrass, peppermint and it's the main component (about 50-90%) of the peel oil of citrus fruits.

It does smell nice but the problem is that it oxidizes on air exposure and the resulting stuff is not good for the skin. Oxidized limonene can cause allergic contact dermatitis and counts as a frequent skin sensitizer

A common fragrance ingredient that has a faint sweet balsamic smell. It can also be a solvent and can fight against microbes and insects very well.

It's one of the “EU 26 fragrances” that has to be labelled separately because of allergen potential. Best to avoid if your skin is sensitive.

What-it-does: perfuming

A common fragrance ingredient that smells like jasmine. It is one of the “EU 26 fragrances” that has to be labelled separately because of allergen potential. Best to avoid if your skin is sensitive.

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