INCI ingredients database

Azelaic Acid

One of the most useful multi-tasking actives for redness, uneven tone, and blemish-prone skin — effective at modest OTC strengths and unusually well tolerated for an acid.

Benzoyl Peroxide

The gold-standard over-the-counter antibacterial for acne. Kills Cutibacterium acnes, helps prevent antibiotic resistance, and works at surprisingly low concentrations.

Glycolic Acid

The smallest AHA molecule, so it penetrates fast and delivers real collagen and texture data — provided you respect strength, frequency, and your skin barrier.

Lactic Acid

A larger, slower AHA that exfoliates while pulling water into the skin — often the most tolerable acid for dry, sensitive, or first-time exfoliant users.

Niacinamide

One of the most useful, best-tolerated active ingredients in skincare, backed by repeatable clinical evidence across pigmentation, oil control, and barrier repair.

Retinaldehyde

A retinoid one conversion step closer to retinoic acid than retinol, with solid evidence for photoaging and rosacea-prone skin when you want retinoid results with less guesswork.

Retinol

The gold standard for visible signs of aging and a serious supporting act for acne and pigmentation, provided you start low and build up.

Salicylic Acid

The oil-soluble exfoliant that gets inside clogged pores. The right tool for blackheads, whiteheads, and the kind of acne that lives at the surface of the follicle.

Ascorbic Acid

The most-studied form of topical vitamin C, a daytime antioxidant that meaningfully complements your SPF and slowly evens out pigmentation.

Allantoin

A quiet support ingredient for irritated, dry, shaving-stressed, or over-treated skin. Best inside a moisturiser or treatment base, not as a dramatic stand-alone active.

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract

A well-tolerated botanical support ingredient for comfort, light hydration, and irritated-feeling skin. Helpful inside a good formula, but not a magic burn cure or acne treatment.

Alpha-Arbutin

A gentler tyrosinase inhibitor than raw hydroquinone, with a stronger evidence base than most trendy brighteners. Slow, steady, and formula-dependent.

Aqua

The boring-looking base that makes most skincare possible. Aqua is not a treatment by itself, but it helps dissolve, distribute, and deliver the useful parts of a formula.

Arachidyl Alcohol

A non-drying fatty alcohol that helps creams feel smoother, thicker, and more comfortable. Useful formula support, not an exfoliating or acne-clearing active.

Arachidyl Glucoside

A plant-derived-style emulsifier used to help oil and water stay together in comfortable creams. Generally useful and low-drama, though glucoside allergy is possible for a small minority.

Avena Sativa Kernel Extract

A well-tolerated oat-derived soothing ingredient, especially useful for dry, itchy, or easily irritated skin. Helpful inside a balanced formula, but not a stand-alone acne or eczema treatment.

Bakuchiol

A plant-derived retinol alternative with a solid head-to-head trial against retinol for photoaging, plus the practical advantage of daytime and pregnancy-friendly use for many people.

Behenyl Alcohol

A long-chain fatty alcohol that helps creams feel smoother and more stable. Texture and comfort support — not a treatment active, and not the drying alcohol many people fear.

Benzoic Acid

A small organic acid used mainly to help preserve water-based skincare. Useful for keeping formulas safe, but not an acne treatment or a soothing active.

Beta-Glucan

A water-binding polysaccharide with promising barrier and recovery data. Useful for dry, sensitive, or over-treated skin, but still best viewed as support inside a complete formula.

Betaine

A small humectant and osmolyte used to make formulas feel more hydrating and less harsh. Useful support for dehydrated or easily stripped skin, not a treatment active.

Bisabolol

A chamomile-derived soothing ingredient that can make sensitive-skin formulas feel calmer, with the important caveat that rare contact allergy is possible.

Butylene Glycol

A quiet workhorse that keeps formulas spreadable, stable, and comfortably hydrating. Shows up everywhere because it works — rarely the reason a product succeeds or fails on its own.

C20-22 Alcohols

A blend of long-chain fatty alcohols that helps creams feel structured, smooth, and stable. It is texture support, not the drying alcohol people usually worry about.

C20-22 Alkyl Phosphate

An emulsifier that helps oil and water stay together in creams. Useful formula architecture, especially beside fatty alcohols, but not a treatment active.

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

A well-tolerated green tea botanical used for antioxidant and comfort support in daily formulas. Helpful inside sensible routines, not a stand-alone acne or anti-ageing cure.

Candelilla Cera

A plant-derived wax that gives balms, lip products, and creams structure, shine, and light occlusive comfort. Useful in formulas, but not a treatment active.

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

A light, stable emollient made from coconut-derived medium-chain fats. Softens skin and improves cream slip without the heavy finish many plant oils leave behind.

Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer

A modern film-forming emollient used to give formulas slip, softness, and a light protective feel, often as part of silicone-alternative texture systems.

Caprylyl Glycol

A multifunctional 1,2-glycol that adds light hydration, skin conditioning, and preservative support — especially useful in leave-on creams where fewer harsh preservatives are needed.

Centella Asiatica Extract

A well-studied botanical for calming irritated skin and supporting repair pathways. Useful in sensitive-skin formulas, but not a substitute for prescription care when inflammation is severe.

Cera Alba

A classic wax for balm structure, cushion, and surface protection. Helpful for dry lips and rich textures, but too waxy for some acne-prone facial skin.

Ceramides

The structural lipids your skin barrier is literally made of. Excellent support for dry, sensitive, or compromised skin when used consistently in a well-formulated moisturiser—not a single-ingredient miracle.

Cetearyl Alcohol

A non-drying fatty alcohol that gives creams body, softness, and stability. Usually helpful in moisturisers, despite the scary word "alcohol."

Cholesterol

A skin-identical barrier lipid that works best in moisturisers alongside ceramides and fatty acids, especially for dry, sensitive, or barrier-compromised skin.

Citric Acid

A small-but-important pH adjuster that keeps formulas skin-friendly and helps actives stay stable. You will never see it marketed on the front of a bottle — and that is exactly the point.

Cocamidopropyl Betaine

A mild amphoteric surfactant commonly used in gentle cleansers. Helps remove dirt and oil with less stripping than many harsher sulfate-only washes — though rare sensitivity still happens.

Dehydroacetic Acid

A preservative used to help protect water-containing cosmetics from microbial growth. Important for product safety, but not an active skincare treatment.

Dibutyl Adipate

A lightweight ester that improves slip, spread, and comfort in cosmetic formulas, especially textures that need to feel less heavy or greasy.

Dimethicone

A silicone that smooths texture, reduces friction, and helps slow water loss without the greasy feel of heavy oils. Excellent formula support for sensitive or dry skin when the rest of the product is sensible.

Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate

A licorice-derived soothing ingredient with credible anti-inflammatory research — useful for redness-prone and uneven-tone routines, but modest at typical cosmetic concentrations.

Disodium EDTA

A chelating agent that binds trace metal ions so formulas stay more stable and preservation systems work more reliably. Useful, tiny, and not a skin active.

Ectoin

A water-binding stress-protection molecule with promising barrier and dryness data, especially in ectoin-containing creams for compromised or retinoid-stressed skin.

Ethylhexylglycerin

A multifunctional glyceryl ether used mostly to boost preservation and improve skin feel. Helpful in gentle formulas, but not a treatment active.

Ferulic Acid

A plant-derived antioxidant whose best evidence is as a stabiliser and booster for vitamins C and E — valuable in the right formula, oversold as a solo miracle serum.

Glycerin

One of the most reliable, best-studied humectants in skincare — quietly effective in cleansers and moisturisers, and rarely the reason a formula fails.

Glyceryl Stearate

A classic emollient and emulsifier that helps oil and water stay together in creams. More formula architecture than treatment active.

Sodium Hyaluronate

A reliable surface hydrator that draws water into the upper skin layers. Useful, low-risk, but routinely oversold as anti-aging.

Kojic Acid

A well-known tyrosinase inhibitor for melasma and post-inflammatory marks. Effective, but often slower than hydroquinone and more likely to irritate sensitive skin.

Linoleic Acid

An essential omega-6 fatty acid linked with barrier lipids and acne-prone sebum quality, but best treated as formula support rather than a stand-alone acne cure.

Mandelic Acid

The largest common AHA, so it penetrates slowly — a practical choice for pigmentation and acne overlap when glycolic feels too aggressive or skin runs deeper in tone.

Methylpropanediol

A modern glycol solvent that helps treatment formulas spread cleanly and can boost preservative efficacy — common in leave-on actives like salicylic acid treatments.

Panthenol

A well-tolerated provitamin B5 support ingredient that helps moisturisers and treatments feel calmer and more hydrating — excellent in formulas, modest as a stand-alone active.

Peptides

Short chains of amino acids that signal skin to repair itself. Modest, well-tolerated anti-aging support — not a retinol replacement, but a useful second act.

Petrolatum

One of the strongest cosmetic occlusives available: slows water loss, protects compromised skin, and supports barrier recovery. Heavy feel and acne-prone preferences are the main reasons people skip it, not safety scares.

Phenoxyethanol

A widely used cosmetic preservative that keeps water-based products safe through normal use. Rarely sensitising at approved concentrations — and far less scary than an unpreserved cream growing things you cannot see.

Potassium Sorbate

A preservative salt used to help protect water-based formulas, especially against yeast and mould. Helpful for product safety, not a skin-treatment active.

Propylene Glycol

A well-studied humectant and solvent that helps actives spread evenly and keeps leave-on formulas usable. Rarely the villain in a routine when concentration and the rest of the formula are sensible.

Saccharide Isomerate

A plant-derived carbohydrate humectant that binds to skin and helps hold water in place. Strong hydration support inside a moisturiser — not a solo fix for dry or compromised skin.

Silica

A mineral-derived texture and absorbent ingredient used to reduce shine, improve slip, and make formulas feel smoother. Useful in moderation, not a skin treatment.

Sodium Citrate

A citrate salt used to help formulas hold a stable, skin-compatible pH. Useful backstage chemistry, not an exfoliating acid or treatment active.

Sodium Lactate

A natural-moisturising-factor style humectant that helps formulas hold water in the outer skin layer and can support dry, tight, barrier-stressed skin.

Sodium Laureth Sulfate

A widely used anionic surfactant that makes water-based cleansers actually clean. Not a villain — but not innocent either. How it feels depends almost entirely on the full formula around it.

Sodium PCA

A sodium salt of pyrrolidone carboxylic acid — part of the skin's natural moisturizing factor. Reliable humectant support in cleansers and creams, not a solo treatment for barrier disease.

Sorbitol

A sugar alcohol humectant that helps formulas hold water and feel smoother. Useful hydration support, especially in simple moisturising formulas.

Squalane

A stable, lightweight emollient that mimics a lipid your skin already makes. Excellent for dry or easily irritated skin, and unusually well tolerated even by many acne-prone faces.

Sulfur

An old-school acne and keratolytic active with antibacterial bite and a distinctive smell. Modest evidence, but useful for some oily and blemish-prone skin types.

Tocopheryl Acetate

The stable, shelf-friendly form of vitamin E used in most creams. Converts slowly to active tocopherol on skin — useful antioxidant support inside a moisturiser, not a stand-alone anti-ageing treatment.

Tranexamic Acid

A well-supported option for melasma and stubborn uneven tone when used consistently. Strong clinical data for topical use, but melasma usually needs sunscreen and realistic expectations—not one ingredient alone.

Urea

One of the most useful humectants in dermatology skincare: hydrates, softens rough texture, and supports retinoid routines at sensible cosmetic strengths. Too much, too strong, or on very reactive skin can sting.

Tocopherol

A reliable antioxidant support ingredient that works best alongside vitamin C and SPF — useful in moisturisers and day creams, but not a stand-alone anti-ageing treatment.

Xanthan Gum

A microbial polysaccharide gum that thickens and stabilises skincare textures. It helps products feel usable, but it is not a treatment active.

Zinc PCA

A zinc salt of a natural moisturising factor component. Useful in daytime formulas for oily or blemish-prone skin, especially alongside niacinamide—more support act than solo acne cure.

Anthemis Nobilis Flower Water

A gentle-feeling Roman chamomile water used for skin comfort and conditioning. Nice in calm formulas, but the human skincare evidence is modest and allergy-prone users should be thoughtful.

Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil

A well-known antimicrobial essential oil with some acne evidence, but concentration, oxidation, and irritation risk matter. Useful for some people as a targeted step, not as a blanket natural antiseptic for the whole face.