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TonyMoly Intense Care Gold 24K Snail Luxury Ampoule

Intense Care Gold 24K Snail Luxury Ampoule

A powerful ampoule that helps reduce visible signs of aging. Formulated with ingredients such as White Truffle, Black Truffle, and Ginseng Callus Extract to help promote skin regeneration and provide the skin nourishment and glow. Contains 40 ppm of 24K gold for brightening and fading pigmentation care. Contains Snail Secretion Filtrate to provide a moisturizing effect and helps revitalize the skin.
Uploaded by: evi00 on

Ingredients overview

Water, Methylpropanediol, Glycerin, Polyglycerin-3, Butylene Glycol, Niacinamide, Snail Secretion Filtrate(10, 000 Ppm), Diethoxyethyl Succinate, Propanediol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Hydroxyacetophenone, Sucrose Palmitate, Glycosyl Trehalose, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/​VP Copolymer, Acrylates/​C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate, Tromethamine, Ethylhexylglycerin, Allantoin, Xanthan Gum, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Olive Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, Adenosine, Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters, Chondrus Crispus Powder, Buteth-3, Gold(300, 000 Ppb), Pyrus Communis (Pear) Fruit Extract, Rosa Damascena Flower Water, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil, Thuja Occidentalis Leaf Oil, Sodium Benzotriazolyl Butylphenol Sulfonate, Agar, Prunus Persica (Peach) Fruit Extract, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Jasminum Officinale (Jasmine) Flower Water, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Oil, Citrus Aurantium Amara (Bitter Orange) Flower Extract, Bacillus Ferment, Curcuma Longa (Turmeric) Root Extract, Pullulan, Cucumis Melo (Melon) Fruit Extract, Hedera Helix (Ivy) Leaf/​Stem Extract, Iron Oxide Red, Mica, Tributyl Citrate, Titanium Dioxide, Gellan Gum, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Tin Oxide, Tuber Melanosporum Extract, Tourmaline, Nephrite Powder, Diamond Powder, Amethyst Powder, Pearl Powder, Ruby Powder, Sapphire Powder, Propolis Extract, Royal Jelly Extract, Honey Extract, Saccharomyces Ferment, Tuber Magnatum Extract, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Citrus Unshiu Fruit Extract, Copper Tripeptide-1, Sasa Quelpaertensis Extract, Pulsatilla Koreana Extract, Nelumbo Nucifera Leaf Extract, Opuntia Coccinellifera Fruit Extract, Soleirolia Soleirolii Extract, Zanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit Extract, Viscum Album (Mistletoe) Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Artemisia Vulgaris Extract, Coptis Chinensis Root Extract, Morus Bombycis Leaf Extract, Panax Ginseng Callus Culture Extract, Oligopeptide-1, Polyglutamic Acid, Usnea Barbata (Lichen) Extract, Colloidal Gold(0.13 Ppb), Disodium EDTA

Highlights

#alcohol-free
Alcohol Free

Skim through

Ingredient name what-it-does irr., com. ID-Rating
Water solvent
Methylpropanediol solvent
Glycerin skin-identical ingredient, moisturizer/​humectant 0, 0 superstar
Polyglycerin-3 moisturizer/​humectant
Butylene Glycol moisturizer/​humectant, solvent 0, 1
Niacinamide cell-communicating ingredient, skin brightening, anti-acne, moisturizer/​humectant superstar
Snail Secretion Filtrate(10, 000 Ppm) antioxidant, moisturizer/​humectant goodie
Diethoxyethyl Succinate solvent
Propanediol solvent, moisturizer/​humectant
1,2-Hexanediol solvent
Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate surfactant/​cleansing, emulsifying
Hydroxyacetophenone antioxidant
Sucrose Palmitate emollient, emulsifying, surfactant/​cleansing
Glycosyl Trehalose
Hydrogenated Lecithin emollient, emulsifying goodie
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP Copolymer viscosity controlling
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer viscosity controlling
Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate moisturizer/​humectant
Tromethamine buffering
Ethylhexylglycerin preservative
Allantoin soothing 0, 0 goodie
Xanthan Gum viscosity controlling
Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil antioxidant, emollient goodie
Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil emollient 0, 0-2 goodie
Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil emollient goodie
Olive Oil antioxidant, emollient 0, 0-2 goodie
Sodium Hyaluronate skin-identical ingredient, moisturizer/​humectant 0, 0 goodie
Adenosine cell-communicating ingredient goodie
Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters
Chondrus Crispus Powder abrasive/​scrub
Buteth-3 solvent
Gold(300, 000 Ppb) colorant
Pyrus Communis (Pear) Fruit Extract
Rosa Damascena Flower Water
Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil soothing, perfuming goodie
Thuja Occidentalis Leaf Oil perfuming
Sodium Benzotriazolyl Butylphenol Sulfonate
Agar viscosity controlling
Prunus Persica (Peach) Fruit Extract moisturizer/​humectant
Hydroxyethylcellulose viscosity controlling
Jasminum Officinale (Jasmine) Flower Water
Synthetic Fluorphlogopite viscosity controlling
Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract
Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract
Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Oil antioxidant, antimicrobial/​antibacterial icky
Citrus Aurantium Amara (Bitter Orange) Flower Extract
Bacillus Ferment
Curcuma Longa (Turmeric) Root Extract antioxidant, soothing, skin brightening, perfuming goodie
Pullulan
Cucumis Melo (Melon) Fruit Extract
Hedera Helix (Ivy) Leaf/Stem Extract antimicrobial/​antibacterial, soothing
Iron Oxide Red colorant 0, 0
Mica colorant
Tributyl Citrate solvent
Titanium Dioxide sunscreen, colorant goodie
Gellan Gum viscosity controlling
Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract
Corallina Officinalis Extract
Tin Oxide colorant, abrasive/​scrub, viscosity controlling
Tuber Melanosporum Extract moisturizer/​humectant goodie
Tourmaline viscosity controlling
Nephrite Powder abrasive/​scrub
Diamond Powder abrasive/​scrub
Amethyst Powder abrasive/​scrub
Pearl Powder
Ruby Powder
Sapphire Powder
Propolis Extract
Royal Jelly Extract
Honey Extract moisturizer/​humectant goodie
Saccharomyces Ferment goodie
Tuber Magnatum Extract
Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 cell-communicating ingredient, moisturizer/​humectant goodie
Citrus Unshiu Fruit Extract antioxidant, emollient, moisturizer/​humectant
Copper Tripeptide-1 cell-communicating ingredient, soothing, antioxidant goodie
Sasa Quelpaertensis Extract
Pulsatilla Koreana Extract antimicrobial/​antibacterial, preservative
Nelumbo Nucifera Leaf Extract
Opuntia Coccinellifera Fruit Extract
Soleirolia Soleirolii Extract antioxidant, emollient
Zanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit Extract antioxidant, antimicrobial/​antibacterial, preservative
Viscum Album (Mistletoe) Extract soothing
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract antioxidant, soothing goodie
Centella Asiatica Extract soothing, antioxidant, moisturizer/​humectant goodie
Artemisia Vulgaris Extract
Coptis Chinensis Root Extract antioxidant
Morus Bombycis Leaf Extract
Panax Ginseng Callus Culture Extract
Oligopeptide-1
Polyglutamic Acid moisturizer/​humectant goodie
Usnea Barbata (Lichen) Extract preservative, antimicrobial/​antibacterial
Colloidal Gold(0.13 Ppb) antimicrobial/​antibacterial
Disodium EDTA chelating

TonyMoly Intense Care Gold 24K Snail Luxury Ampoule
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. 

What-it-does: solvent

It's a type of glycol that - according to the manufacturer - is an extremely good replacement for other glycols like propylene or butylene glycol. Its main job is to be a solvent, but it has also very good antimicrobial properties and acts as a true preservative booster. Also helps with skin hydration without stickiness or tacky feel.

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

Three glycerin molecules attached together. It is a humectant and moisturizer ingredient just like glycerin, but the larger molecular structure penetrates slower into the skin and gives milder, longer lasting moisture.

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.

Niacinamide - superstar
Also-called: vitamin B3, nicotinamide | What-it-does: cell-communicating ingredient, skin brightening, anti-acne, moisturizer/humectant
  • A multi-functional skincare superstar with several proven benefits for the skin
  • Great anti-aging, wrinkle smoothing ingredient used at 4-5% concentration
  • Fades brown spots alone or in combination with amino sugar, acetyl glucosamine
  • Increases ceramide synthesis that results in a stronger, healthier skin barrier and better skin hydration
  • Can help to improve several skin conditions including acne, rosacea, and atopic dermatitis
Read all the geeky details about Niacinamide here >>

Also-called: Snail Slime, Snail Mucin | What-it-does: antioxidant, moisturizer/humectant

If you are into the K-Beauty trend, you must have bumped into snail slime like a thousand times. Korean brands love the ingredient and tout it for its miraculous repair and hydration properties. It's claimed to be able to repair everything from dry patches, acne breakouts to signs of aging and we are happy to say that it might be just true.

So snail slime is the yucky stuff that snails (in cosmetics the secretion of Cornu Aspersum, the garden snail is used) produce when they are in stress (it's not the same as the one they secret to be able to move nicely and smoothly). As the cosmetic chemists at the Beauty Brains blog write, "chemically speaking, snail slime is a complex mixture of proteoglycans, glycosaminoglycans, glycoprotein enzymes, hyaluronic acid, copper peptides, antimicrobial peptides and trace elements including copper, zinc, and iron."   English translation equals it's loaded with a bunch of good-for-the-skin stuff.

What-it-does: solvent

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

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. 

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

A glycerin-derived gentle cleansing agent that is described as being skin and eye-friendly, and not leaving the skin dry or tight. It's also used as a co-emulsifier or solubilizer that helps to blend small amounts of oily things into water-based products. 

What-it-does: antioxidant

A handy multifunctional ingredient that works as a preservative booster, as well as an antioxidant and soothing agent

A sugar ester (sucrose + palmitic acid) that works as a natural emulsifier (helps oil and water to mix). According to the manufacturer, it has a great skin-feel, improves smoothness, emolliency and even hydrates the skin.

Combined with another sugar ester, sucrose stearate, it can improve high temperature stability of Sucragel based oily gel cleansers.

What-it-does: emulsion stabilising

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

What-it-does: emollient, emulsifying

It's the chemically chopped up version of normal lecithin. Most often it's used to create liposomes and to coat and stabilize other ingredients. 

Also-called: Aristoflex AVC | What-it-does: viscosity controlling

A kind of polymer (big molecule from repeated subunits) that helps to create beautiful gel-like textures. It's also a texturizer and thickener for oil-in-water emulsions. It gives products a good skin feel and does not make the formula tacky or sticky. 

It works over a wide pH range and is used between 0.5-1.2%.

Though its long name does not reveal it, this polymer molecule (big molecule from repeated subunits or monomers) is a relative to the super common, water-loving thickener, Carbomer. Both of them are big molecules that contain acrylic acid units, but Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer also contains some other monomers that are hydrophobic, i.e. water-hating. 

This means that our molecule is part water- and part oil-loving, so it not only works as a thickener but also as an emulsion stabilizer. It is very common in gel-type formulas that also contain an oil-phase as well as in cleansers as it also works with most cleansing agents (unlike a lot of other thickeners). 

What-it-does: moisturizer/humectant

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

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: 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

Allantoin - goodie
What-it-does: soothing | Irritancy: 0 | Comedogenicity: 0

Super common soothing ingredient. It can be found naturally in the roots & leaves of the comfrey plant, but more often than not what's in the cosmetic products is produced synthetically. 

It's not only soothing but it' also skin-softening and protecting and can promote wound healing.

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). 

Also-called: Grape Seed Oil | What-it-does: antioxidant, emollient

A goodie plant oil coming from the polyphenol-rich seeds of the grape. It's a light emollient oil that makes your skin feel smooth and nice and also contains a bunch of good-for-the-skin stuff. It's a great source of antioxidant polyphenols, barrier repair fatty acid linoleic acid (about 55-77%, while oleic acid is about 12-27%) and antioxidant, skin-protectant vitamin E

Also-called: Jojoba Oil | What-it-does: emollient | Irritancy: 0 | Comedogenicity: 0-2

Jojoba is a drought resistant evergreen shrub native to South-western North America. It's known and grown for jojoba oil, the golden yellow liquid coming from the seeds (about 50% of the weight of the seeds will be oil).  

At first glance, it seems like your average emollient plant oil: it looks like an oil and it's nourishing and moisturizing to the skin but if we dig a bit deeper, it turns out that jojoba oil is really special and unique: technically - or rather chemically - it's not an oil but a wax ester (and calling it an oil is kind of sloppy). 

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

The golden yellow oil coming from the Macadamia nut, a native Australian nut. Similar to other plant oils, it's loaded with emollient and nourishing fatty acids. It's a high oleic acid oil (50-67% oleic acid and only 0-5% linoleic acid) that makes it very emollient and ideal for dry skin types (and less ideal for acne-prone skin).

Its unique property is that it contains high amounts of a rare fatty acid called palmitoleic acid (12-25%) that give Macadamia oil a "cushiony" feel. It's also easily absorbed and makes the skin soft and supple. 

Olive Oil - goodie
Also-called: Olive Fruit Oil;Olea Europaea Fruit Oil | What-it-does: antioxidant, emollient | Irritancy: 0 | Comedogenicity: 0-2

You probably know olive oil from the kitchen as a great and healthy option for salad dressing but it's also a great and healthy option to moisturize and nourish the skin, especially if it's on the dry side. 

Similar to other emollient plant oils, it's loaded with nourishing fatty acids: oleic is the main component (55-83%), and also contains linoleic (3.5-20%) and palmitic acids (7-20%). It also contains antioxidant polyphenols, tocopherols (types of vitamin E) and carotenoids and it's one of the best plant sources of skin-identical emollient, Squalene

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". 

Adenosine - goodie

Adenosine is an important little compound in our body that has a vital cell-signalling role. Research on smearing it on our face is also promising and shows so far a couple of things:

  • It can help with wound healing
  • It’s a good anti-inflammatory agent
  • It might even help with skin’s own collagen production and improve skin firmness and elasticity
  • It helps with barrier repair and protection
  • It might be even useful for the hair helping with hair thickness and hair growth

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

What-it-does: abrasive/scrub

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

What-it-does: solvent

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Ci 77480 | What-it-does: colorant

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Damask Rose Flower Water, Rose Hydrosol

The flower water coming from the flowers of the Damask Rose. In general, flower waters (also called hydrosols) are diluted versions of essential oils coming from the same plant. They contain the same components but in much-reduced concentrations.

Similar to its big sister, rose oil, rose water also has a lovely, relaxing scent. It contains some antioxidant and antimicrobial compounds, as well as some fragrant components

Also-called: Roman Chamomile Flower Oil | What-it-does: soothing, perfuming

The essential oil coming from the second most common type of chamomile, the Roman Chamomile. It also contains the biologically active anti-inflammatory componentsbisabolol, and chamazulene, but less than the more commonly used German Chamomile.  It's not clear what Roman Chamomile knows that the German one does not. 

What-it-does: perfuming

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

What-it-does: viscosity controlling

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: HEC | What-it-does: viscosity controlling, emulsion stabilising

A nice little helper ingredient that can thicken up cosmetic products and create beautiful gel formulas. It's derived from cellulose, the major component of the cell wall of green plants. It is compatible with most co-ingredients and gives a very good slip to the formulas. 

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Synthetic Mica | What-it-does: viscosity controlling

Synthetic Fluorphlogopite is the synthetic version of the super commonly used mineral, Mica. The advantage of being synthetic is that it has a more consistent quality, fewer impurities and an even lower heavy metal content than Mica (not that Mica's heavy metal content is high). It is also more transparent and has improved light reflection. 

The two main use cases for Synthetic Fluorphlogopite is being used neat as a superior "filler" or skin tone enhancer or it can also serve as a base for multi-layered, composite pigments such as pearl effect pigments where it is coated with one or more layers of metal oxide, most commonly titanium dioxide. 

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Rosemary Leaf Oil | What-it-does: antioxidant, antimicrobial/antibacterial

The essential oil coming from the leafs of the lovely herb, rosemary. It contains several fragrant components, including the well-known irritant, camphor (around 15%). It has a nice smell, is a potent antioxidant and it's also an antimicrobial agent.

If your skin is sensitive, it's probably a good idea to avoid it.

Also-called: Orange Flower Absolute

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Turmeric Root Extract | What-it-does: antioxidant, soothing, skin brightening, perfuming

Turmeric is the yellow spice you probably know from curry and Indian food. It's also a traditional herbal medicine used in Ayurveda for its bunch of anti-something magic abilities including being anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant and anticarcinogenic. 

As for turmeric and skincare, we have good news: studies show that the root extract and its main biologically active component, curcumin can do multiple good things for the skin. Thanks to its anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activity, it shows some promise for acne-prone skin and a small study from 2013 showed that it might be able to regulate sebum production

If you ever wondered what those little Listerine breath strips were made of, you found your answer! Pullulan is a polysaccharide polymer, which basically means that it’s a big molecule made up of smaller sugar molecule units.

It dissolves in water and can make a thin, elastic, and moisture-absorbing film when spread on the skin that can cause an instant tightening effect. It can also be used as a thickener to get a silicone-like feel and can be used in peel-off masks. Btw, it's made from fungus via fermentation. 

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Ci 77491 | What-it-does: colorant | Irritancy: 0 | Comedogenicity: 0

Red Iron Oxide is the super common pigment that gives the familiar, "rust" red color. It is also the one that gives the pink tones in your foundation. Chemically speaking, it is iron III oxide (Fe2O3). 

Also-called: CI 77019 | What-it-does: colorant

A super versatile and common mineral powder that comes in different particle sizes. It is a multi-tasker used to improve skin feel, increase product slip, give the product light-reflecting properties, enhance skin adhesion or serve as an anti-caking agent.

It is also the most commonly used "base" material for layered composite pigments such as pearl-effect pigments. In this case, mica is coated with one or more metal oxides (most commonly titanium dioxide) to achieve pearl effect via the physical phenomenon known as interference. 

What-it-does: solvent

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

What-it-does: sunscreen, colorant

Titanium Dioxide is one of the two members of the elite sunscreen group called physical sunscreens (or inorganic sunscreens if you’re a science geek and want to be precise).

Traditionally, UV-filters are categorized as either chemical or physical. The big difference is supposed to be that chemical agents absorb UV-light while physical agents reflect it like a bunch of mini umbrellas on top of the skin. While this categorization is easy and logical it turns out it's not true. A recent, 2016 study shows that inorganic sunscreens work mostly by absorption, just like chemical filters, and only a little bit by reflection (they do reflect the light in the visible spectrum, but mostly absorb in the UV spectrum).

What-it-does: viscosity controlling

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: CI 77861, Tin Dioxide | What-it-does: colorant, abrasive/scrub, viscosity controlling

Far from the tin cans you find in the supermarket, Tin Oxide is mostly used when dealing with so-called effect pigments, tricky composite pigments that can do color travel (change color depending on the viewing angle) or give multiple color effect. 

It's often found alongside Mica (as a base material) and Titanium Dioxide (as a coating) to give a glossy, pearlescent effect. Together, they make up a trademarked technology called RonaFlair Blanace from the German manufacturer Merck. According to their info, this combination can balance out undesirable tones in the skin, making it a popular choice for brightening products and highlighters.

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

What-it-does: viscosity controlling

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

What-it-does: abrasive/scrub

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

What-it-does: abrasive/scrub

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

What-it-does: abrasive/scrub

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.

Honey Extract - goodie
What-it-does: moisturizer/humectant

Usually, a glycerin or glycol based extract of honey that has similar properties to pure honey, i.e. moisturizing, soothing and antibacterial magic properties.

If you wanna know more about honey in cosmetics, we have a shiny explanation here >>

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. 

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Argireline, Acetyl Hexapeptide-3 | What-it-does: cell-communicating ingredient, moisturizer/humectant

If you see a cosmetic product that claims that it has "Botox-like effect" then two things are almost certain: one, the product overpromises and two, it contains Argireline. 

So this one is the famous peptide that's marketed by its manufacturer as the "Botox in a jar". The basis for this claim is that it targets the same wrinkle forming mechanism (wrinkles caused by facial muscle movement) as Botox, but the way it works is very different. In addition, the extent to which it can prevent muscles from contracting (and to smooth wrinkles) is very different (otherwise why would anyone use still Botox?). 

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: GHK-Cu, Copper Peptide | What-it-does: cell-communicating ingredient, soothing, antioxidant
  • GHK-Cu is a copper-peptide complex found naturally in yucky bodily fluids (plasma, saliva, and urine)
  • It has unique wound healing properties by stimulating the breakdown of unhealthy, too large collagen in scar tissue and stimulating nice and healthy collagen production afterwards
  • It stimulates the production of several important skin-identical ingredients (e.g. collagen, elastin, and glycosaminoglycans)
  • It has significant anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effect
  • There are a few promising studies showing GHK-Cu can improve skin elasticity, clarity, firmness and reduce lines and wrinkles
  • It can improve hair growth by enlarging hair follicles (and bigger follicles produce longer, thicker hair)
  • There are some urban legends about possible overdosing or facial hair problems (read more in geeky details)
Read all the geeky details about Copper Tripeptide-1 here >>

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Korean Pasque Flower Extract | What-it-does: antimicrobial/antibacterial, preservative

The extract of Korean Pasque Flower that is mostly used for its antimicrobial and natural preservative activities. It usually comes to the formula combined with Zanthoxylum Piperitum and Usnea Barbata, as the three extracts make up a popular Korean natural preservative system trade named EURO-NApre.  

The plant extract is also a traditional oriental herbal medicine that is known for its analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and astringent effects. 

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

What-it-does: antioxidant, astringent, emollient

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: soothing

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: 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).

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.

What-it-does: moisturizer/humectant

A natural high-molecular weight amino acid polymer (big molecule from repeated subunits) that is claimed to have awesome, better than IT-moisturizer HA, skin hydrating properties. It is a film-forming polymer that improves both the moisture binding and retention properties of the skin.

Also-called: Lichen Extract | What-it-does: preservative, antimicrobial/antibacterial, deodorant

The extract coming from the alpine lichen, Usnea Barbata. It is known for its excellent efficacy against gram-positive bacteria, meaning that it can serve as a natural preservative and deodorant agent.

Its main biologically active component is usnic acid (a molecule produced only by lichens) that's not only an antibacterial agent, but also has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and wound-healing promoting effects. According to manufacturer info,  the antibacterial activity of Usnea Barbata makes the ingredient helpful against body odor, blemished skin, and dandruff. 

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

What-it-does: chelating

Super common little helper ingredient that helps products to remain nice and stable for a longer time. It does so by neutralizing the metal ions in the formula (that usually get into there from water) that would otherwise cause some not so nice changes.

It is typically used in tiny amounts, around 0.1% or less.

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