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de_CURE Nourishing Oxygen Serum

Name: Nourishing Oxygen Serum
Brand: de_CURE

This hydrating serum is formulated around Polyglutamic Acid to hydrate skin and strengthen the skin barrier.

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What's inside

Ingredients List

Water

Skin Conditioning

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Masking

Polyglutamic Acid

Skin Conditioning

Perfluorodecalin

Skin Conditioning

Polyperfluoromethylisopropyl Ether

Skin Conditioning

Glyceryl Oleate Citrate

Emulsifying

Enteromorpha Compressa Extract

Skin Protecting

Ascophyllum Nodosum Extract

Skin Conditioning

Palmaria Palmata Extract

Skin Protecting

Aspalathus Linearis Extract

Sclerotium Gum

Phenoxyethanol

Ethylhexylglycerin

Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Polyglutamic Acid, Perfluorodecalin, Polyperfluoromethylisopropyl Ether, Glyceryl Oleate Citrate, Enteromorpha Compressa Extract, Ascophyllum Nodosum Extract, Palmaria Palmata Extract, Aspalathus Linearis Extract, Sclerotium Gum, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin

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Benefits

Ingredients Explained

Water

Skin Conditioning, Solvent

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.

You'll also recognize water as that liquid we all need to stay alive. If you see this, drink a glass of water. Remember to stay hydrated!

Learn more about Water

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Masking, Skin Conditioning

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (aka MCT Oil) is a lightweight emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping to prevent moisture loss.

Though it behaves like an oil, it is not technically one due to its chemical composition. One perk of this ingredient is that it is very stable, resistant to oxidation, and unlikely to go rancid.

In practice, that translates to a long shelf life and a consistently elegant skin feel.

While there is an assumption Caprylic Triglyceride can clog pores due to it being derived from coconut oil, there is no research supporting this. Just patch test if you have concerns.

Fractionated coconut oil and MCT Oil are both listed as Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride according to INCI. This is because INCI names are based on the ingredient’s final chemical composition and not its marketing name or source.

This ingredient is treated as the gold standard fungal acne safe oil. Even though it is coconut derived, the problematic lauric acid is stripped out.

This leaves just caprylic (C8) and capric (C10) acid. These chain lengths actually trend antifungal; a 2020 study found caprylic acid was enough to disrupt Malassezia furfur cell membrane, with a caprylic acid derivative damaging membrane structures at concentrations as low as 0.2%.

Learn more about Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Polyglutamic Acid

Skin Conditioning

Polyglutamic Acid is made up many glutamic acids chained together. It is created from bacterial fermentation.

This ingredient is an effective skin hydrator and may help speed up wound healing. As a humectant, it draws and holds water to the skin. This ingredient is often compared to hyaluronic acid or glycerin. Similarly to hyaluronic acid, it can vary in molecular weights. This means polyglutamic acid is capable of bringing hydration to lower levels of the skin.

Fun fact: Polyglutamic Acid is found in the Japanese food, natto. It is also being used in cancer treatment studies.

Learn more about Polyglutamic Acid

Perfluorodecalin

Skin Conditioning, Solvent

We don't have a description for Perfluorodecalin yet.

Polyperfluoromethylisopropyl Ether

Skin Conditioning

We don't have a description for Polyperfluoromethylisopropyl Ether yet.

Glyceryl Oleate Citrate

Emulsifying, Surfactant

Glyceryl Oleate Citrate isn't fungal acne safe.

Enteromorpha Compressa Extract

Skin Protecting

We don't have a description for Enteromorpha Compressa Extract yet.

Ascophyllum Nodosum Extract

Skin Conditioning

Ascophyllum Nodosum Extract is from brown seaweed that grows in the northern Atlantic Ocean. It is an antioxidant. Antioxidants help fight off free-radicals. Free-radicals are molecules that may damage our skin cells.

Ascophyllum Nodosum Extract is also used to enhance the texture of products.

Palmaria Palmata Extract

Skin Protecting

Palmaria palmata, commonly known as dulse or red dulse, is a red seaweed found in the northern Atlantic and Pacific coasts. It is rich in minerals and antioxidants, giving it skin protecting properties.

Aspalathus Linearis Extract

Skin Conditioning

This ingredient is also known as Rooibos. It is a caffeine-free plant rich in antioxidants such as vitamin C and polyphenols.

Sclerotium Gum

Emulsion Stabilising, Skin Conditioning

Sclerotium Gum is a natural sugar-based fiber made by fermenting a fungus called Sclerotium rolfsii. It's often used as the plant-friendly alternative for synthetic thickeners like carbomer.

In skincare, it works as a thickener, gel former, and stabilizer that keeps heavy ingredients suspended so a product does not separate.

It is non-ionic and forms a triple helix in solution. This is just a fancy way of saying it builds a smooth, cushiony, and non-sticky gel that feels silkier than many other gums.

Another perk of this ingredient is that it is very sturdy and holds up across a wide pH range (~2-11). It's also good at resisting heat and hydrolysis.

Since it holds water at the skin surface, it can provide some light hydration as well.

Typical use levels are around 0.25-2%; formulators usually use 0.2-0.5% to thicken lotions and up to 2% for a firmer gel base.

This ingredient has been found safe in cosmetics with no meaningful evidence of skin sensitization.

Learn more about Sclerotium Gum

Phenoxyethanol

Preservative

Phenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).

It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.

On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.

Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).

You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.

Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.

Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.

Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.

Learn more about Phenoxyethanol

Ethylhexylglycerin

Skin Conditioning

Ethylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:

The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.

Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.

Learn more about Ethylhexylglycerin