Ingredient
Niacinamide
What niacinamide is, what the name on a label can and cannot tell you, and why one good product with it is enough.
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Skin-care guides
Short answers about skin, routines, ingredients and habits. Every guide ends with a next step.
Ingredient
Hyaluronic acid
Hyaluronic acid and sodium hyaluronate show up in many hydrating products. Here is how to read the name without buying a step you do not need.
Ingredient
Ceramides
Ceramides are lipid ingredients common in moisturizers. What their presence tells you, and what a ceramide claim does not prove.
Ingredient
Panthenol
Panthenol is a common skin-care ingredient. Why a safety assessment is about uses and amounts, not a promise that it suits everyone.
Ingredient
Centella asiatica
Centella asiatica is a signature K-beauty ingredient. Why a plant on the label does not mean a single-ingredient formula or a guaranteed fit.
Ingredient
Vitamin C
Vitamin C comes in several forms in skin care. Why the form and the headline percentage are separate facts, and a bigger number is not a better match.
Ingredient
Retinol and retinoids
Retinol belongs to the retinoid family, which includes prescription treatments. Why our routine builder never adds it for you, and when to ask a professional.
Ingredient
Alpha hydroxy acids
AHAs are exfoliating acids such as glycolic and lactic acid. Why they need their own directions and can make skin more sensitive to the sun.
Ingredient
Beta hydroxy acids
BHA usually means salicylic acid in cosmetics. Why the abbreviation alone does not tell you how to use a product, and what to check instead.
Ingredient
Polyhydroxy-acid labels
PHA is a broad label for polyhydroxy acids such as gluconolactone. Why a reputation for gentleness is not a guarantee for your skin.
Ingredient
Cosmetic peptides
'Peptides' covers many different ingredients. Why a result reported for one cannot be stretched to every serum that uses the word.
Ingredient
Rice-derived cosmetic ingredients
Rice appears in toners, cleansers and creams as extracts, oils and more. Why 'rice' on a label is a theme, not one ingredient.
Ingredient
Snail secretion filtrate
Snail secretion filtrate is the label name behind snail-themed products. What the ingredient is, and why it matters for vegan preferences.
Ingredient
Glycerin
Glycerin is one of the most common ingredients in skin care. Why seeing it on a label is useful but tells you little about how the product will feel.
Ingredient
Squalane
Squalane and squalene are different ingredients with similar names. How to keep them apart and what a squalane label does not tell you.
Ingredient
Heartleaf (Houttuynia cordata)
Heartleaf is a herb found in many K-beauty formulas. What its label names mean and where its safety review currently stands.
Ingredient
Ginseng (Panax ginseng)
Korean ginseng appears on labels under Panax names. What a 2012 safety review concluded, and what that conclusion leaves out.