La Mer The Regenerating Serum Versus La Mer The Resurfacing Treatment

Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:

Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.

Caffeine is most associated with coffee, tea, and cacao. In skincare, it helps with calming inflammation and is rich in antioxidants.

While caffeine is used to treat cellulite and and dark circles, further studies are needed to prove this. It has been believed to help with these skin conditions due to its ability to dilate blood vessels and increase blood flow.

This ingredient is calcium salt of gluconic acid. It is a humectant, meaning it attracts water to your skin.

This ingredient is a copper salt known for its wound healing properties.

Our bodies use copper to help stabilize our skin's collagen and elastin. Its also an essential for superoxide dismutase, an enzyme with strong antioxidant properties.

Disodium EDTA plays a role in making products more stable by aiding other preservatives.

It is a chelating agent, meaning it neutralizes metal ions that may be found in a product.

This oil is derived from the leaves of Eucalyptus Globulus, a type of Eucalyptus tree native to Australia.

Though this oil shows antibacterial and antioxidant activity, it is also a known skin-irritant due to its fragrance components.

Glycerin is already naturally found in your skin. It helps moisturize and protect your skin.

A study from 2016 found glycerin to be more effective as a humectant than AHAs and hyaluronic acid.

Helianthus Annuus Seedcake is an exfoliant and isn't fungal acne safe.

Laminaria Digitata Extract comes from the dark brown seaweed, Laminaria Digitata. It is a potent antioxidant, which also provides soothing and hydrating benefits.

Many studies show the antioxidant components of Laminaria Digitata to help with anti-inflammation.

Lecithin is a term for a group of substances found in the cell membranes of plants, animals, and humans. They are made up of mixture of phospholipids.

This ingredient has emollient and emulsifying properties.

Limonene is a fragrance that adds scent and taste to a formulation.

It's found in the peel oil of citrus fruits and other plants such as lavender and eucalyptus. The scent of limonene is generally described as "sweet citrus".

Linalool is a fragrance and helps add scent to products. It's derived from common plants such as cinnamon, mint, citrus, and lavender.

Like Limonene, this ingredient oxidizes when exposed to air. Oxidized linalool can cause allergies and skin sensitivity.

We don't have a description for Magnesium Gluconate yet.

We don't have a description for Medicago Sativa Seed Powder yet.

Niacin is the other form of B3, with the other being niacinamide. The two have similar skin benefits: reducing inflammation, strengthening the skin barrier, and fading dark spots.

Parfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.

Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.

Phenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.

It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.

Potassium Sorbate is a preservative used to prevent yeast and mold in products. It is commonly found in both cosmetic and food products.

This ingredient comes from potassium salt derived from sorbic acid. Sorbic acid is a natural antibiotic and effective against fungus.

Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Seed Meal comes from the Sweet Almond tree. This sweet almond seed meal is the residue from expressing almond oil.

As an abrasive, it can help exfoliate the top layer of skin.

Sesame oil comes from sesame seeds. Sesame oil is rich in fatty acids and Vitamin E.

It has antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. The phenolic compounds of this ingredient (including vitamin E) give it these properties.

We don't have a description for Sesamum Indicum Seed Powder yet.

We don't have a description for Sigesbeckia Orientalis Extract yet.

This is the synthetic salt of gluconic acid, a form of PHA and mild exfoliant.

It is mainly used to stabilize oil and butter formulations from going bad. Sodium gluconate is a humectant, pH regulator, and chelating agent.

Sodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.

In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.

Tartaric acid is an AHA with exfoliating and antioxidant properties. It is found in many fruits, such as tamarind, grapes, bananas, and avocados.

AHAs provide chemical exfoliation, helping to improve skin tone and texture.

Tocopheryl Succinate is an antioxidant.

Water. It's the most common cosmetic ingredient of all. You'll usually see it at the top of ingredient lists, meaning that it makes up the largest part of the product.

So why is it so popular? Water most often acts as a solvent - this means that it helps dissolve other ingredients into the formulation.

Xanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.

On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.

Yeast extract is a silky, clear liquid derived from yeast (usually Saccharomyces cerevisiae or Torula yeast).

This ingredient has plenty of skin benefits:

Zinc gluconate has antibacterial and wound healing properties. It is particularly effective against fighting inflammatory acne.

This ingredient is the zinc salt of the PHA gluconic acid. PHAs are gentle cousins to AHAs.