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The Saem Eco Earth Zero Sun Stick SPF 50+ PA++++

Eco Earth Zero Sun Stick SPF 50+ PA++++

This SPF 50+ PA++++ vegan chemical sun stick provides easy application while effectively blocking harmful UV rays. A long-lasting sun stick that is highly resistant to sweat and sebum. Infused with Fermented Cica Extract and Soothing Cooler ingredients that soothe and hydrate the skin to protect the skin barrier.
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Ingredients overview

Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Dibutyl Adipate, Synthetic Wax, Coco-Caprylate/​Caprate, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Caprylyl Methicone, Isopropyl Palmitate, Vinyl Dimethicone/​Methicone Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate, Ethylhexyl Triazone, Tocopheryl Acetate, Vinyl Dimethicone, Ozokerite, Polysilicone-15, Silica, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Lepidium Meyenii Root Extract, Epilobium Angustifolium Flower/​Leaf/​Stem Extract, Centella Asiatica Root Extract, Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Extract, Mentha Arvensis Extract, Diospyros Kaki Leaf Extract, Vitis Vinifera Fruit Extract, Carthamus Tinctorius Flower Extract, Coffea Arabica Seed Extract, Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Castanea Crenata Shell Extract, Zanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Alpha-Bisabolol, Polyglyceryl-4 Diisostearate/​Polyhydroxystearate/​Sebacate, Glyceryl Caprylate, Caprylyl Glycol, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tocopherol, Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil, Water, Maltodextrin, Butylene Glycol, Propanediol, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, Alcohol, Glycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Saccharomyces Ferment, Erythritol, Dimethylsilanol Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Potassium Hyaluronate, Hyaluronic Acid, Asiaticoside, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Madecassoside, Sodium Hyaluronate Dimethylsilanol, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Hydroxycinnamic Acid, Rutin, Madecassic Acid, Asiatic Acid, Fragrance, Cymbopogon Citratus Extract

Highlights

Skim through

Ingredient name what-it-does irr., com. ID-Rating
Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer
Dibutyl Adipate emollient, solvent
Synthetic Wax emollient, viscosity controlling
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate emollient
Ethylhexyl Palmitate emollient 0, 2-4
Caprylyl Methicone emollient
Isopropyl Palmitate emollient 1, 3-4
Vinyl Dimethicone/Methicone Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer viscosity controlling
Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate sunscreen goodie
Ethylhexyl Triazone sunscreen goodie
Tocopheryl Acetate antioxidant 0, 0
Vinyl Dimethicone viscosity controlling
Ozokerite viscosity controlling
Polysilicone-15 sunscreen goodie
Silica viscosity controlling
Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine sunscreen goodie
Lepidium Meyenii Root Extract
Epilobium Angustifolium Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract
Centella Asiatica Root Extract
Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract soothing, antioxidant, moisturizer/​humectant goodie
Centella Asiatica Extract soothing, antioxidant, moisturizer/​humectant goodie
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract soothing, emollient, moisturizer/​humectant goodie
Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Extract perfuming
Mentha Arvensis Extract
Diospyros Kaki Leaf Extract
Vitis Vinifera Fruit Extract soothing, antioxidant, moisturizer/​humectant goodie
Carthamus Tinctorius Flower Extract
Coffea Arabica Seed Extract
Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract antioxidant
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract antioxidant, soothing goodie
Castanea Crenata Shell Extract
Zanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit Extract antioxidant, antimicrobial/​antibacterial, preservative
Sodium Hyaluronate skin-identical ingredient, moisturizer/​humectant 0, 0 goodie
Alpha-Bisabolol soothing goodie
Polyglyceryl-4 Diisostearate/Polyhydroxystearate/Sebacate emulsifying, surfactant/​cleansing
Glyceryl Caprylate preservative
Caprylyl Glycol moisturizer/​humectant, emollient
Triethoxycaprylylsilane
Ethylhexylglycerin preservative
Tocopherol antioxidant 0-3, 0-3 goodie
Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil emollient goodie
Water solvent
Maltodextrin
Butylene Glycol moisturizer/​humectant, solvent 0, 1
Propanediol solvent, moisturizer/​humectant
Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein
Alcohol antimicrobial/​antibacterial, solvent, viscosity controlling icky
Glycerin skin-identical ingredient, moisturizer/​humectant 0, 0 superstar
1,2-Hexanediol solvent
Saccharomyces Ferment goodie
Erythritol moisturizer/​humectant
Dimethylsilanol Hyaluronate moisturizer/​humectant
Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate moisturizer/​humectant
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid moisturizer/​humectant goodie
Potassium Hyaluronate
Hyaluronic Acid skin-identical ingredient, moisturizer/​humectant goodie
Asiaticoside antioxidant, perfuming goodie
Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer skin-identical ingredient, antioxidant, moisturizer/​humectant goodie
Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate
Madecassoside antioxidant, soothing goodie
Sodium Hyaluronate Dimethylsilanol moisturizer/​humectant
Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate moisturizer/​humectant goodie
Hydroxycinnamic Acid
Rutin antioxidant goodie
Madecassic Acid goodie
Asiatic Acid goodie
Fragrance perfuming icky
Cymbopogon Citratus Extract

The Saem Eco Earth Zero Sun Stick SPF 50+ PA++++
Ingredients explained

What-it-does: absorbent/mattifier

Porous spherical microbeads (tiny little balls) that can give an elegant silky texture to the products. They are also used to scatter light to reduce the look of fine lines on the skin, as well as to absorb excess oil and give a matt finish. 

What-it-does: emollient, solvent

A clear, colorless, odorless oily liquid that makes the formula easily spreadable and also makes the skin nice and smooth (emollient). It's especially helpful in sunscreens as it can help to solubilize UV filters.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

What-it-does: emollient

A light emollient ester (C8-10 fatty acids connected to C12-18 fatty alcohols) that absorbs quickly and leaves a dry but silky finish on the skin. In terms of skin feel, it is similar to Dicaprylyl Carbonate, another commonly used light emollient. 

What-it-does: emollient | Irritancy: 0 | Comedogenicity: 2-4

A super common, medium-spreading emollient ester that gives richness to the formula and a mild feel during rubout. It can be a replacement for mineral oil and is often combined with other emollients to achieve different sensorial properties.

What-it-does: emollient

A clear, colorless, low viscosity, volatile (does not absorb into the skin but rather evaporates from it) silicone fluid that has excellent spreadability and leaves a light, silky and smooth feel on the skin.

According to manufacturer info, its big advantage is that it's compatible both with other silicones and with natural plant oils, so it's a great ingredient to formulate products with good-sounding, consumer-pleasing vegetable oils but still maintain a cosmetically elegant, non-greasy and non-tacky feel.

What-it-does: emollient | Irritancy: 1 | Comedogenicity: 3-4

A clear, colorless emollient ester (oily liquid from isopropyl alcohol + palmitic acid) that makes the skin nice and smooth. It has very good spreading properties and gives a silky touch to the products.

What-it-does: viscosity controlling

This bamboozling INCI name is given to a spherical silicone powder that has an elastic silicone rubber inner part and a harder silicone resin outer part.

It gives formulas a uniquely soft, silky feeling, and has a mattifying and soft focus effect. It is available in different particle sizes and the larger the particle the more line/pore filling effect the powder has. 

Also-called: Uvinul A Plus, DHHB | What-it-does: sunscreen

Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate is a new generation, chemical sunscreen agent (not available in the US due to impossible FDA regulations) that's designed for high UVA protection and high photostability. It gives sun protection in the whole UVA range (320-400 nm) with peak protection at 354nm. It can be used up to 10% worldwide except for the US and Canada. 

Also-called: Uvinul T 150, Octyltriazone | What-it-does: sunscreen

Ethylhexyl Triazone is a new generation, chemical sunscreen (not available in the US due to impossible FDA regulations) that gives the highest photo-stable absorption of all available UVB filters today. It protects in the UVB range (280-320nm) with a peak protection of 314nm. It is an oil soluble, odorless, colorless powder that works well in fragrance-free formulas. It can be used up to 5% worldwide except for the US and Canada.

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. 

What-it-does: viscosity controlling

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

A hydrocarbon wax consisting mainly of saturated straight chain hydrocarbons with C18-90+ carbon chain length. It has a high melting point (58-100 C) and it is used mainly in stick type products, such as lip balms to keep the product nice and solid.

Also-called: Parsol SLX | What-it-does: sunscreen

A silicone-based, chemical sunscreen agent that protects the skin in the UVB range (290-320 nm) with a peak absorbance at 312 nm. It is a colorless to pale yellow liquid with nice and non-shiny (at least compared to most other sunscreens) sensorial properties. 

It is a pretty good team player and can stabilize the famously unstable UVA filter, avobenzone and works especially well with Ensulizole to achieve high SPF protection. It is approved up to 10% as a sunscreen filter in the EU and most parts of the world, except for the United States. 

A white powdery thing that's the major component of glass and sand. In cosmetics, it’s often in products that are supposed to keep your skin matte as it has great oil-absorbing abilities. It’s also used as a helper ingredient to thicken up products or suspend insoluble particles. 

Also-called: Tinosorb S, Bemotrizinol | What-it-does: sunscreen

Its INCI name is a bit of a mouthful, but Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine is worth recognizing it as it is one of the best sunscreen agents known today. Unfortunately, it's not FDA-approved so you will not find it in sunscreens coming from the US (not because it's not good, but because US regulations make it impossible for newer sunscreen agents to get approved), but it is widely available in other parts of the world like Europe, Australia or Asia. 

It is a broad-spectrum (covers the whole UVB and UVA range, 280-400 nm) chemical sunscreen agent with peak protections at about 310 and 345 nm and unlike older UV filters, it's very photostable. It hardly deteriorates in the presence of UV light and it's also useful in stabilizing other less stable sunscreen agents, like the famous UVA protector, avobenzone.

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: Gotu Kola, Tiger Grass | What-it-does: soothing, antioxidant, moisturizer/humectant

Centella Asiatica - or sometimes also called Gotu Kola or Cica - has been used in folk medicine for hundreds of years. It’s traditionally used to improve small wounds, burns and scratches and it’s also a well known anti-inflammatory agent for eczema.

Recently science has taken an interest in Gotu Kola as well and it turns out it really has many active compounds with several benefits. Just for hard-core geeks, the main biologically active compounds are pentacyclic triterpenoid saponins called asiaticoside, madecassoside, asiatic and madecassic acid (also called centellosides).

Also-called: Aloe Leaf Extract | What-it-does: soothing, emollient, moisturizer/humectant

The extract coming from the juice containing leaves of the Aloe vera plant. It's usually a hydroglycolic extract (though  oil extract for the lipid parts also exists) that has similar moisturizing, emollient and anti-inflammatory properties as the juice itself. We have written some more about aloe here.

What-it-does: perfuming

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: Grape Fruit Extract | What-it-does: soothing, antioxidant, moisturizer/humectant

When it comes to grape and skincare, the seed extract and the seed oil steals most of the show. The reason for that is that the seed contains the majority of the skin goodies, the antioxidant superstar polyphenols. 

The fruit also contains some, but it's less potent. However - according to manufacturer info - the fruit extract is not only an antioxidant, but it's also a soothing, moisturizing and nourishing agent

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: 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 >>

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

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. 

What-it-does: skin-identical ingredient, moisturizer/humectant | Irritancy: 0 | Comedogenicity: 0

It’s the - sodium form - cousin of the famous NMFhyaluronic acid (HA). If HA does not tell you anything we have a super detailed, geeky explanation about it here.  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 hold onto water, being plump and elastic. HA is famous for its crazy water holding capacity as it can bind up to 1000 times its own weight in water.

As far as skincare goes, sodium hyaluronate and hyaluronic acid are pretty much the same and the two names are used interchangeably. As cosmetic chemist kindofstephen writes on reddit  "sodium hyaluronate disassociates into hyaluronic acid molecule and a sodium atom in solution". 

Also-called: Bisabolol | What-it-does: soothing

It's one of the active parts of Chamomile that contains about 30% of bisabolol. It's a clear oily fluid that is used in skincare as a nice anti-inflammatory and soothing ingredient. 

What-it-does: preservative

A 100% plant derived, natural (Ecocert approved) multi-functional ingredient that has emollient and moisturizing properties, can work as a co-emulsifier (meaning that next to other emulsifiers it can help water and oil to mix)  and even more importantly has a strong antimicrobial activity

Thanks to this last thing, it allows a lower percentage of traditional preservative or it might even be able to completely replace them. 

It’s a handy multi-tasking ingredient that gives the skin a nice, soft feel. At the same time, it also boosts the effectiveness of other preservatives, such as the nowadays super commonly used phenoxyethanol

The blend of these two (caprylyl glycol + phenoxyethanol) is called Optiphen, which not only helps to keep your cosmetics free from nasty things for a long time but also gives a good feel to the finished product. It's a popular duo.

A clear, light yellow liquid that is used to coat pigments (such as inorganic sunscreen agents or colorants) in cosmetic products.  The coating helps to stabilize pigments in the formulas and also helps them to spread easily and evenly on the skin. 

What-it-does: preservative, deodorant

If you have spotted ethylhexylglycerin on the ingredient list, most probably you will see there also the current IT-preservative, phenoxyethanol. They are good friends because ethylhexylglycerin can boost the effectiveness of phenoxyethanol (and other preservatives) and as an added bonus it feels nice on the skin too.

Also, it's an effective deodorant and a medium spreading emollient

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 >>

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

The oil coming from the seeds of the Moringa tree, a big white-flowered tree native to India. It's a yellow oil similar to olive oil. It's rich in nourishing and moisturizing fatty acid, oleic (75%) and also contains behenic acid (up to 8%) that makes moringa very stable and gives the oil a long shelf life

It blends easily with essential oils and can also help to stabilize scents so it's a popular oil in the perfume industry. 

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. 

It's a little helper ingredient coming from corn, rice or potato starch that can help to keep skin mat (absorbent), to stabilise emulsions, and to keep the product together (binding). 

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.

Also-called: Zemea | What-it-does: solvent, moisturizer/humectant

Propanediol is a natural alternative for the often used and often bad-mouthed propylene glycol. It's produced sustainably from corn sugar and it's Ecocert approved. 

It's quite a multi-tasker: can be used to improve skin moisturization, as a solvent, to boost preservative efficacy or to influence the sensory properties of the end formula. 

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Alcohol - icky
Also-called: Ethanol | What-it-does: antimicrobial/antibacterial, solvent, viscosity controlling, astringent

Simply alcohol refers to ethanol and it's a pretty controversial ingredient. It has many instant benefits: it's a great solvent, penetration enhancer, creates cosmetically elegant, light formulas, great astringent and antimicrobial. No wonder it's popular in toners and oily skin formulas. 

The downside is that it can be very drying if it's in the first few ingredients on an ingredient list. 

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: 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

There is not much info out there about this ingredient but the little we can know is the following: it comes from the fermentation of saccharomyces, that is a type of yeast and according to the manufacturer it's a natural deodorant. It contains a number of enzymes, which bio-converts several malodorous substances, so most often you will spot this ingredient in natural, aluminum- free deodorants. 

What-it-does: moisturizer/humectant

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

What-it-does: moisturizer/humectant

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: miniHA | What-it-does: moisturizer/humectant

It's a super small, chemically chopped up version of sodium hyaluronate. Its trade name is miniHA, and its molecular weight is 10 kDa. This counts as really tiny given that "normal" HA has a molecular weight of 0.5-2 million Da.

To be honest, low molecular weight (LMW), and especially this ultra-low molecular weight HA is a controversial ingredient. On the upside, it can penetrate the skin better (though 10kDa still counts as big!) and might be able to moisturize the deeper layers of the skin where normal HA cannot get. Also, according to the manufacturer of miniHA, it has better antioxidant activity than a 1.6MDa version HA and it also has better sun protection and after-sun repair abilities than the higher MW versions. It also works in synergy with higher molecular weight versions, and the combination of 0.1% 1.45MDa-HA + 0.1% 380 kDa-HA + 0.1% miniHA hydrated the skin significantly better than 0.3% 1.45MDa-HA alone.

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:

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

  • 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
Read all the geeky details about Hyaluronic Acid here >>

Asiaticoside - goodie
What-it-does: antioxidant, perfuming

One of the main biologically active components of the famous medicinal plant, Centella Asiatica, aka Gotu Kola. It has well established wound healing and antioxidant activities.  

In-vitro (made in the lab) studies also show that Asiaticoside stimulates GAGs (glycosaminoglycans - polysaccharides that are part of the liquidy stuff between our skin cells) production as well as collagen I synthesis.  Read more at Gotu Kola >>

It's a special "cross-linked" from of IT-moisturizer, hyaluronic acid (HA). Cross-linked means that "normal" HA pieces (1-2 million Da molecular weight) are chemically bound togeather to create a big, "infinite" mesh.

The special HA mesh has a remarkable water-binding capacity, 5 times more than the already crazy water-binding capacity of "normal" HA. This water filled crosslinked HA gel forms a smooth film on the skin and continuously delivers the bound water, so it gives long-term moisturizing benefits.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Madecassoside - goodie
What-it-does: antioxidant, soothing

One of the main biologically active components of the famous medicinal plant, Centella Asiatica, aka Gotu Kola. It has well established wound healing, skin-soothing and antioxidant activities.

There is also a study by La Roche Posay (belongs to L'Oreal) that examined the anti-aging effects of 5% Vitamin C combined with 0.1% Madecassoside. They mention that " Madecassoside is known to induce collagen expression and ⁄ or to modulate inflammatory mediators thus might  prevent and correct some signs of aging." The surprisingly long, 6-month study observed "significant improvement of the clinical score for deep and superficial wrinkles, suppleness, firmness, roughness, and skin hydration", but Vitamin C in itself is already an anti-aging superstar, so it is hard to know how much Madecassoside did. 

What-it-does: moisturizer/humectant

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

What-it-does: moisturizer/humectant

Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate is a variation of current IT moisturizer, Hyaluronic acid, where some water-loving -OH groups are replaced by amphipathic (partly water-loving and partly water-hating) acetyl groups. The modified molecule is claimed to have even better moisture retention ability than normal HA and better affinity to the skin surface. 

The better affinity comes from the acetyl groups that act as tiny "anchors" to attach the HA molecule to the skin. Staying on top of the skin better and longer means longer-lasting surface hydration and improved elasticity. It is also less sticky and more cosmetically elegant than normal HA, so no wonder the nickname of this molecule is super hyaluronic acid. 

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Rutin - goodie
What-it-does: antioxidant

Rutin is a polyphenol flavonoid found in many plants, for example, citrus fruits. The main reason it's used in cosmetics is its high antioxidant and free radical-scavenging ability (similar to that of superstar ascorbic acid), but also has some antibacterial nature and wound-healing properties.

There is also an in-vitro (made in Petri dishes on animal cell lines) study showing potential for rutin as a skin-whitening agent and people have even tried using it to increase the UV-blocking ability of SPF agents, but with inconsistent results. Either way, its antioxidant abilities should still help protect the skin against sun damage from the UV light that isn’t blocked by SPF agents!

One of the biologically active components of Gotu Kola that is thought to contribute to the plant extract's well-documented skin regenerating, wound healing, and moisturizing properties

If you are into Gotu Kola we have some more info at Centella Asiatica Extract and its other biologically active components MadecassosideAsiaticoside and Asiatic Acid.

Asiatic Acid - goodie

One of the biologically active components of Gotu Kola. It's a bit less prominent than its sister component, Asiaticoside, but in-vitro (made in the lab) studies show that Asiatic Acid also stimulates GAGs (glycosaminoglycans - polysaccharides that are part of the liquidy stuff between our skin cells) production as well as collagen I synthesis.

English translation equals that it probably contributes to the well-established moisturizing and wound healing abilities of Gotu Kola

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.  

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

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Porous spherical microbeads that can give an elegant silky texture to the products. They are also used to scatter light to reduce the look of fine lines on the skin, as well as to absorb excess oil and give a matt finish. 
what‑it‑does emollient | solvent
A clear, colorless, odorless oily liquid that makes the formula easily spreadable and also makes the skin nice and smooth (emollient). It's especially helpful in sunscreens as it can help to solubilize UV filters.
what‑it‑does emollient | viscosity controlling
what‑it‑does emollient
A light emollient ester (C8-10 fatty acids connected to C12-18 fatty alcohols) that absorbs quickly and leaves a dry but silky finish on the skin. In terms of skin feel, it is similar to Dicaprylyl Carbonate, another commonly used light emollient.  [more]
what‑it‑does emollient
irritancy, com. 0, 2-4
A super common, medium-spreading emollient ester that gives richness to the formula and a mild feel during rubout. [more]
what‑it‑does emollient
A light and volatile silicone fluid that has excellent spreadability and leaves a light, silky and smooth feel on the skin. [more]
what‑it‑does emollient
irritancy, com. 1, 3-4
A clear, colorless emollient ester (oily liquid) that makes the skin nice and smooth. [more]
what‑it‑does viscosity controlling
This bamboozling INCI name is given to a spherical silicone powder that has an elastic silicone rubber inner part and a harder silicone resin outer part.It gives formulas a uniquely soft, silky feeling, and has a mattifying and soft focus effect. [more]
what‑it‑does sunscreen
Uvinul A Plus - A new generation, chemical sunscreen agent (not available in the US due to impossible FDA regulations) that's designed for high UVA protection and high photostability. [more]
what‑it‑does sunscreen
Uvinul T 150 - A new generation, chemical sunscreen (not available in the US due to impossible FDA regulations) that gives the highest photo-stable absorption of all available UVB filters today. [more]
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 viscosity controlling
what‑it‑does viscosity controlling
A hydrocarbon wax consisting mainly of saturated straight chain hydrocarbons with C18-90+ carbon chain length. It has a high melting point (58-100 C) and it is used mainly in stick type products, such as lip balms to keep the product nice and solid. [more]
what‑it‑does sunscreen
A silicone-based, chemical sunscreen agent that protects the skin in the UVB range (290-320 nm) with a peak absorbance at 312 nm. It is a colorless to pale yellow liquid with nice and non-shiny (at least compared to most other sunscreens) sensorial properties.  It is a pretty good team player and can stabilize the famously unstable UVA filter, avobenzone and works especially well with& [more]
what‑it‑does viscosity controlling
A white powdery thing that can mattify the skin and thicken up cosmetic products. [more]
what‑it‑does sunscreen
Tinosorb S - a new generation, broad-spectrum and very photostable sunscreen agent with great safety profile. [more]
what‑it‑does soothing | antioxidant | moisturizer/humectant
what‑it‑does soothing | antioxidant | moisturizer/humectant
Centella Asiatica - or sometimes also called Gotu Kola or Cica - has been used in folk medicine for hundreds of years. It’s traditionally used to improve small wounds, burns and scratches and it’s also a well known anti-inflammatory agent for eczema. Recently science has taken an interest in Gotu Kola as well and it turns out it really has many active compounds with several benefits. [more]
what‑it‑does soothing | emollient | moisturizer/humectant
The extract coming from the juice containing leaves of the Aloe vera plant with moisturizing, emollient and anti-inflammatory properties. [more]
what‑it‑does perfuming
what‑it‑does soothing | antioxidant | moisturizer/humectant
Grape fruit extract - less potent antioxidant than the seed extract, but it's also a soothing and moisturizing agent. [more]
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 antioxidant | antimicrobial/antibacterial | preservative
Japanese pepper extract that has natural antibacterial and preservative activities. Combined with Usnea Barbata and Pulsatilla Koreana, it is part of a popular Korean preservative system called EURO-NApre. [more]
what‑it‑does skin-identical ingredient | moisturizer/humectant
irritancy, com. 0, 0
It's the salt form of famous humectant and natural moisturizing factor, hyaluronic acid. It can bind huge amounts of water and it's pretty much the current IT-moisturizer. [more]
what‑it‑does soothing
One of the active parts of Chamomile that is used in skincare as a nice anti-inflammatory and soothing ingredient. [more]
what‑it‑does emulsifying | surfactant/cleansing
what‑it‑does preservative
A natural multi-functional ingredient that has emollient and moisturizing properties, can work as a co-emulsifier and has a strong antimicrobial activity. [more]
what‑it‑does moisturizer/humectant | emollient
A handy multi-tasking ingredient that gives the skin a nice, soft feel and also boosts the effectiveness of other preservatives. [more]
A clear, light yellow liquid that is used to coat pigments (such as inorganic sunscreen agents or colorants) in cosmetic products.  [more]
what‑it‑does preservative
It can boost the effectiveness of phenoxyethanol (and other preservatives) and as an added bonus it feels nice on the skin too. [more]
what‑it‑does antioxidant
irritancy, com. 0-3, 0-3
Pure Vitamin E. Great antioxidant that gives significant photoprotection against UVB rays. Works in synergy with Vitamin C. [more]
what‑it‑does emollient
An emollient plant oil that is rich in nourishing and moisturizing fatty acid, oleic (75%) and also contains behenic acid (up to 8%) that makes moringa very stable and gives the oil a long shelf life. [more]
what‑it‑does solvent
Normal (well kind of - it's purified and deionized) water. Usually the main solvent in cosmetic products. [more]
It's a little helper ingredient coming from corn, rice or potato starch that can help to keep skin mat (absorbent), to stabilise emulsions, and to keep the product together (binding). 
what‑it‑does moisturizer/humectant | solvent
irritancy, com. 0, 1
An often used glycol that works as a solvent, humectant, penetration enhancer and also gives a good slip to the products. [more]
what‑it‑does solvent | moisturizer/humectant
A natural corn sugar derived glycol. It can be used to improve skin moisturization, as a solvent, to boost preservative efficacy or to influence the sensory properties of the end formula. [more]
what‑it‑does antimicrobial/antibacterial | solvent | viscosity controlling
Simple alcohol that's a great solvent, penetration enhancer, creates cosmetically elegant, light formulas, great astringent, and antimicrobial. In large amount can be very drying. [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 solvent
A multi-functional helper ingredient that acts as a humectant and emollient. It's also a solvent and can boost the effectiveness of preservatives. [more]
Comes from the fermentation of saccharomyces, that is a type of yeast. It contains a number of enzymes, which bio-converts several malodorous substances, so it works as a natural deodorant. [more]
what‑it‑does moisturizer/humectant
what‑it‑does moisturizer/humectant
what‑it‑does moisturizer/humectant
A super small, chemically chopped up version of sodium hyaluronate. Small molecular weight (SMW) HA is a controversial ingredient: it can penetrate deep into the skin and moisturize deeper layers but might act as a pro-inflammatory agent. [more]
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; [more]
what‑it‑does skin-identical ingredient | moisturizer/humectant
A famous natural moisturizing factor that can bind up to 1000 times its own weight in water. Works as an excellent surface hydrator in skincare. [more]
what‑it‑does antioxidant | perfuming
One of the main biologically active components of the famous medicinal plant, Centella Asiatica, aka Gotu Kola. It has well established wound healing and antioxidant activities.  In-vitro (made in the lab) studies also show that Asiaticoside stimulates GAGs (glycosaminoglycans - polysaccharides that are part of the liquidy stuff between our skin cells) production as well as coll [more]
what‑it‑does skin-identical ingredient | antioxidant | moisturizer/humectant
A special, "cross-linked" from of hyaluronic acid (HA). Claimed to have five times the water-binding capacity of normal HA, also acts as an antioxidant and gives skin long-term moisture. [more]
what‑it‑does antioxidant | soothing
One of the main biologically active components of the famous medicinal plant, Centella Asiatica, aka Gotu Kola. It has well established wound healing, skin-soothing and antioxidant activities. There is also a study by La Roche Posay (belongs to L'Oreal) that examined the anti-aging effects of 5% Vitamin C combined with 0. [more]
what‑it‑does moisturizer/humectant
what‑it‑does moisturizer/humectant
Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate is a variation of current IT moisturizer, Hyaluronic acid, where some water-loving -OH groups are replaced by amphipathic (partly water-loving and partly water-hating) acetyl groups. [more]
what‑it‑does antioxidant
Rutin is a polyphenol flavonoid found in many plants, for example, citrus fruits. The main reason it's used in cosmetics is its high antioxidant and free radical-scavenging ability (similar to that of superstar ascorbic acid), but also has some antibacterial nature and wound-healing properties. There is also an in-vitro (made in Petri dishes on animal cell lines) study showing [more]
One of the biologically active components of Gotu Kola that is thought to contribute to the plant extract's well-documented skin regenerating, wound healing, and moisturizing properties. If you are into Gotu Kola we have some more info at Centella Asiatica Extract and its other biologically active components  [more]
One of the biologically active components of Gotu Kola. It's a bit less prominent than its sister component, Asiaticoside, but in-vitro (made in the lab) studies show that Asiatic Acid also stimulates GAGs (glycosaminoglycans - polysaccharides that are part of the liquidy stuff between our skin cells) production as well as collagen I synthesis. [more]
what‑it‑does perfuming
The generic term for nice smelling stuff put into cosmetic products so that the end product also smells nice. It is made up of 30 to 50 chemicals on average. [more]