Decode Your Skincare.
Plain-spoken, research-backed guides to what's actually in your skincare — what each ingredient does, the concentration that works, and who it's for.
Start with the essentials
- Humectant
1,2-Hexanediol
A multitasking glycol that hydrates lightly, dissolves ingredients that resist water, and makes the environment less hospitable to microbes. That last property lets formulators lean less on classic preservatives, which is why it shows up so often.
Read the guide → - Brightening
3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
An ethyl-ether derivative of vitamin C, engineered to stay stable across a normal formulation pH while keeping a structure close to the parent molecule.
Read the guide → - Brightening
Butylresorcinol
4-Butylresorcinol
A well-studied resorcinol derivative regarded as one of the more effective cosmetic tyrosinase inhibitors for reducing the appearance of stubborn dark spots. It works by limiting pigment enzyme activity.
Read the guide → - Soothing
4-t-Butylcyclohexanol
A soothing agent that works on the nerve side of sensitivity rather than the immune side. It damps TRPV1, the receptor on sensory nerve endings that reports heat, acid and capsaicin, which is the channel behind the stinging and burning of reactive skin.
Read the guide → - Brightening
N-Acetyl Glucosamine
Acetyl Glucosamine
An amino-sugar that helps even skin tone and supports hydration, and is often paired with niacinamide to enhance the look of a brighter, smoother complexion. It is a building block of skin's natural moisturizing components.
Read the guide → - Anti-aging
Argireline
Acetyl Hexapeptide-8
A synthetic hexapeptide marketed as a topical alternative to neurotoxin injections for expression lines.
Read the guide →
Find it by what it does
Every entry, grounded in the published research.
We read the studies so you don't have to. Each ingredient is graded on published evidence — effective concentrations, safety, comedogenicity — and written in plain language. When the evidence is thin or contested, we say so instead of rounding up.
How we research →Evidence over marketing
Every claim traces to credible research, or it does not go on the page.
Honest about uncertainty
When the science is thin or conflicting, we say so plainly.
Conservative on safety
Pregnancy and safety guidance defaults to caution when evidence is unsettled.
Literature review
We start from the published research on an ingredient, not a brand's product page.
Conservative grading
Where sources disagree, we take the more careful number rather than the more flattering one.
Explicit uncertainty
Thin or conflicting evidence is stated plainly. An honest gap beats a confident guess.