As part of our commitment to transparency, we've created a straightforward yet comprehensive glossary that provides detailed information on the key ingredients in our products.
This resource allows you to make informed choices about the skincare you trust for your routine.
Antioxidant
Azelaic acid
An acid found in grains such as barley and wheat. It works on the look of blemishes, uneven tone and visible redness at the same time, clearing the pore while exfoliating gently enough to fade the appearance of dark marks. In a 28-day clinical study on the ingredient complex, blemish lesions were reduced by 17%, at less than half the dose we use.
From the root of the liquorice plant. It has anti-inflammatory and skin-brightening properties, and it calms irritation and redness, which makes it suitable for sensitive or blemish-prone skin.
It stimulates the skin's natural synthesis of melanin pigments, which is what keeps a self-tan reading as a tan rather than as a colour laid on top. It also calms, protects against free radicals and helps regulate sebum, and it works on skin structure and tone.
Vitamin B3, and one of the few ingredients that does several things at once. It helps settle oil production, so skin turns less shiny and pores look smaller. It strengthens the barrier, so skin holds on to water and reacts less to cold and wind. And it calms visible redness.
A humectant, sometimes called nature's hyaluronic acid. It attracts water and holds it in the skin, so skin looks fuller and fine lines look shallower, and its antioxidants protect against free radical damage.
A derivative of vitamin A. It promotes cell turnover and stimulates collagen production, so wrinkles and fine lines look shallower, dark spots and hyperpigmentation fade, and texture refines. Vitamin A also helps keep sebum in balance.
A stable form of vitamin C that does not oxidise in the bottle the way pure ascorbic acid does. It brightens the complexion, fades dark spots and hyperpigmentation, supports collagen production and protects against free radical damage.
A lipid-soluble form of vitamin C, which is how it travels past the surface rather than sitting on it. It brightens the complexion, fades dark spots and hyperpigmentation, promotes collagen synthesis and improves tone and texture. It also calms visible redness, which makes it suitable for sensitive or blemish-prone skin.
An antioxidant. It neutralises free radicals, so the skin takes less of the damage that sun and pollution do. Vitamin E also softens and conditions the skin.
Rich in antioxidants. It protects against free radical damage, and it calms visible redness and irritation, which makes it suitable for sensitive or blemish-prone skin.
Coenzyme Q10, an antioxidant. It neutralises free radicals, so the skin takes less of the damage that sun, pollution and time do to it. Q10 also supports the energy production inside skin cells.
Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate, an advanced retinoid. It renews the surface and works on wrinkles, texture and tone, and it promotes collagen production, with less of the irritation that comes with traditional retinoids. In a 12-week double-blind study on the ingredient, skin texture improved significantly against placebo, with none of the irritation that traditional retinol brings.
An extremolyte. Bacteria make it to survive in places where there is almost no water to be had. In skin it forms a shield of bound water around the cells, which is what defends against environmental stress, pollution and dehydration.
In a placebo-controlled study on the ingredient, five days of ectoin reduced a marker of pollution-induced damage by 48% compared with placebo-treated skin.
An acid found in grains such as barley and wheat. It works on the look of blemishes, uneven tone and visible redness at the same time, clearing the pore while exfoliating gently enough to fade the appearance of dark marks. In a 28-day clinical study on the ingredient complex, blemish lesions were reduced by 17%, at less than half the dose we use.
Vitamin B3, and one of the few ingredients that does several things at once. It helps settle oil production, so skin turns less shiny and pores look smaller. It strengthens the barrier, so skin holds on to water and reacts less to cold and wind. And it calms visible redness.
From the babchi plant, and the usual answer for skin that cannot tolerate retinol. It works on the same things: fine lines, firmness and elasticity. Its antioxidant properties protect against environmental damage, without the irritation retinol can bring.
Also known as cica. Rich in antioxidants and amino acids, it calms visible irritation and redness and supports collagen production. It is mild enough for skin that reacts to most things, which is why it suits redness and irritation.
From the root of the liquorice plant. It has anti-inflammatory and skin-brightening properties, and it calms irritation and redness, which makes it suitable for sensitive or blemish-prone skin.
It stimulates the skin's natural synthesis of melanin pigments, which is what keeps a self-tan reading as a tan rather than as a colour laid on top. It also calms, protects against free radicals and helps regulate sebum, and it works on skin structure and tone.
Rich in antioxidants and soothing compounds. Oat extract calms the look of irritated skin, which makes it a good fit for sensitive skin. It also forms a light layer on the surface that slows moisture loss.
A humectant, sometimes called nature's hyaluronic acid. It attracts water and holds it in the skin, so skin looks fuller and fine lines look shallower, and its antioxidants protect against free radical damage.
Rich in antioxidants. It protects against free radical damage, and it calms visible redness and irritation, which makes it suitable for sensitive or blemish-prone skin.
Fomes officinalis, taken from the pulp of the fungus. Through agaric acid it regulates sebum production, so pores look smaller and the surface looks smoother, and it hydrates at the same time. In a clinical study on the ingredient, visible pores were reduced within an hour of application compared with placebo.
A derivative of vitamin A. It promotes cell turnover and stimulates collagen production, so wrinkles and fine lines look shallower, dark spots and hyperpigmentation fade, and texture refines. Vitamin A also helps keep sebum in balance.
Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate, an advanced retinoid. It renews the surface and works on wrinkles, texture and tone, and it promotes collagen production, with less of the irritation that comes with traditional retinoids. In a 12-week double-blind study on the ingredient, skin texture improved significantly against placebo, with none of the irritation that traditional retinol brings.
A cleansing molecule that works by shape rather than by strength. Micelles gather into tiny spheres with their oil-loving ends turned inward, which is how they carry makeup and sebum away without the foaming surfactants a face wash needs, and without taking the skin's own oils with them.
Saw palmetto, argan and sesame. The complex works on sebum production itself rather than on the oil already sitting on the surface, so skin turns less shiny and pores look smaller over time. It also calms irritation, and its antioxidants protect against free radical damage.
A patented moisturising complex. Pentavitin® binds to the skin's own moisture and holds it in place, so hydration lasts through the day instead of leaving in the hours after you wash. It also supports the barrier.
A blend of skin-identical ceramides and barrier lipids. Ceramides sit in the outermost layer of the skin, where they work as the mortar between the cells: they lock moisture in and keep external stress out.
Replacing them improves hydration, supports elasticity and reduces visible dryness and irritation. With regular use skin feels smoother, stronger and more resilient.
Lipids the skin makes itself, and part of what holds the barrier together. They seal water in and keep the outside out. When the barrier runs short of them, water leaves faster than a cream can put it back.
An alpha hydroxy acid. It dissolves the bonds that hold dead cells to the surface, so they lift away instead of building up. What is underneath is smoother and brighter, and fine lines look shallower. Glycolic acid also stimulates collagen production.
A beta hydroxy acid. Unlike the AHAs it is oil-soluble, so it travels down into the pore rather than working on the surface, and dissolves the mix of sebum and dead skin blocking it. Salicylic acid exfoliates the skin and clears the pore, so blackheads and congestion look less visible. It also calms visible redness.
An amino acid taken from sugar beet. It draws water into the skin and helps hold it there, and it supports the barrier, so skin copes better with cold, wind and washing.
From microalgae grown in Icelandic glacial water. They give the skin amino acids it uses to build its own collagen, which is what firmness and elasticity rest on, and what fine lines show the loss of.
A humectant: it pulls water towards the skin and holds it there. Glycerin also sits on the surface as a light film that slows how fast that water leaves again, which is why skin stays soft instead of tightening a few hours after you apply it.
Something the skin already produces. Hyaluronic acid attracts water and holds on to it, so skin looks plumper and fine lines look shallower while it is there.
An extremolyte. Bacteria make it to survive in places where there is almost no water to be had. In skin it forms a shield of bound water around the cells, which is what defends against environmental stress, pollution and dehydration.
In a placebo-controlled study on the ingredient, five days of ectoin reduced a marker of pollution-induced damage by 48% compared with placebo-treated skin.
Something the skin already produces. Hyaluronic acid attracts water and holds on to it, so skin looks plumper and fine lines look shallower while it is there.
A peptide studied for its effect on expression lines, the ones that form where the face moves most. In a half-face study against placebo it reduced the look of crow's feet, the lines at the corners of the eyes that come from movement rather than from time.
Myristoyl Pentapeptide-17. In clinical studies on the ingredient itself, lashes were 25% thicker and longer after two weeks, and density and length rose by 66% after 28 days.
Acetyl Tetrapeptide-3 with red clover extract. It works at the follicle, improving how firmly the lash is anchored and calming the low-grade irritation that makes lashes fall. In clinical studies on the ingredient itself at 2.5%, applied twice daily for eight weeks, there were 46% more new lashes.
A lipopeptide. It prompts the skin to produce collagen, hyaluronic acid and the proteins that hold its structure together, and it reinforces the connections between the skin's layers. In studies on the ingredient, wrinkle volume was reduced over two months of use.
Short chains of amino acids that ask the skin to do more of what it already does. They stimulate collagen and the other components that hold the structure together, which improves firmness, elasticity and texture, and makes fine lines look shallower.
Tripeptides also calm irritation. In a lash serum they promote keratin production in the follicle, which is what a stronger, longer lash depends on.
