Retinosine Deep Intense Serum

The base most products are built on. It carries the other ingredients and has no safety concern.

A humectant that draws water into the skin. One of the best-studied, best-tolerated ingredients in personal care.

A lightweight humectant and solvent similar in role to propylene glycol, used to carry actives and give lotions a lighter feel. CIR has reviewed it and considers it safe as used in cosmetics.

A corn-derived solvent and humectant that has largely replaced propylene glycol in "clean" formulas; CIR reviewed the alkane diol group and found use concentrations up to about 40 percent in leave-on products like deodorant sticks with no meaningful irritation signal.

A form of vitamin B3 used to support a more even-looking tone and a comfortable barrier. Well tolerated at cosmetic levels.

A glycol used very widely in Korean and Western skincare as a lightweight humectant, solvent, and gentle preservative-booster, often in place of traditional preservatives. It has a low reported irritation rate at use levels and is graded low concern in published assessments.

A humectant naturally derived from sugar beets that helps skin draw in and hold water; it has a long history of safe use with no meaningful irritation or sensitization concerns.

A small glycol used as a solvent and to boost the absorption of actives, and to help preservatives work at lower levels. It is well tolerated and graded low concern in published assessments.

An antioxidant that helps protect a formula and condition skin. Well tolerated.

A water-soluble humectant that holds moisture and gives essences a soft feel. It is well tolerated and graded low concern in published assessments.

A soothing humectant that helps skin and hair look conditioned. Very well tolerated.

A phospholipid emulsifier from soy or sunflower that binds water and oil and helps other ingredients absorb. It is a natural component of skin membranes, well tolerated, and reviewed as safe as used; a soy-derived grade is not a meaningful concern for a soy food allergy because the protein is largely absent.

A lightweight, odorless emollient made by combining coconut or palm-derived fatty acids with glycerin. It spreads easily, feels non-greasy, and has a long history of use in skin and hair products with no meaningful irritation or sensitization signal.

A stable, saturated version of squalene, a lipid the skin already produces, now usually sourced from olives or sugarcane instead of shark liver. It is very well tolerated across skin types and helps reinforce the skin barrier.

A mild emulsifier derived from plant glycerin and stearic acid that is widely used in natural and clean formulations. Published assessments show it to be well tolerated with no known safety concerns at cosmetic use levels.

Carbomer is a synthetic polymer used purely to thicken and stabilize gels and lotions, with negligible skin penetration due to its large molecular size. Safety reviews have found low toxicity and minimal irritation potential even in leave-on use.

A vitamin A derivative used for the look of lines and texture. Effective but can irritate and increases sun sensitivity; usually advised against in pregnancy.

A buffering agent used in tiny amounts to set a product's pH, most often alongside gel-forming polymers. It is graded low concern in published assessments at the levels used.

Xanthan gum is a microbial-fermentation-derived polysaccharide used to thicken and stabilize textures, similarly common in food. Cosmetic panel review of this and related microbial gums found them safe as used, with no meaningful irritation signal at typical concentrations.

A glycerin derivative used as a skin conditioner and preservative booster, often paired with phenoxyethanol to allow lower total preservative levels. It has a low irritation and sensitization profile in safety reviews.

A naturally occurring nucleoside used in anti-aging formulas, often marketed for smoothing the look of fine lines. It has a low irritation profile and no established hazard at cosmetic use levels.

A waxy sterol found naturally in skin and used in cosmetics as an emollient and emulsifier. It supports the skin barrier and is well tolerated across skin types.

A lab-made version of a lipid naturally found in the outer skin barrier. It is added to creams and cleansers to help replace lipids that washing can strip away, and it is not linked to irritation or safety concerns.

Sodium phytate is a plant-derived chelating agent used to bind trace metals and stabilize formulas, often as a preservative booster alongside other preservatives. Available safety reviews have not identified meaningful irritation or sensitization concerns at typical use levels.

A polysaccharide extracted from yeast cell walls or oat bran. Used for hydration and skin conditioning, beta-glucan is well tolerated with emerging evidence for supporting skin barrier function. No safety concerns flagged in cosmetic use.

An emulsifier made from glycerin and stearic acid that stabilizes oil-in-water and water-in-oil formulations. It has a long history of safe use in cosmetics and is assessed as a low-concern ingredient in published safety reviews.

A plant-derived compound (from babchi seed) marketed as a gentler alternative to retinol, with some small clinical studies showing similar skin-texture benefits and less irritation. Evidence is still limited compared to retinoids, and formal safety review data are less extensive than for long-established ingredients.