Holika Holika Honey Royalactin Serum Mist

Dipropylene glycol is technically an alcohol, but it belongs to the glycol family (often considered part of the ‘good’ alcohols). This means it is hydrating and gentle on skin unlike drying solvent alcohols like denatured alcohol.

As a masking agent, Dipropylene Glycol can be used to cover the smell of other ingredients. However, it does not have a scent.

Studies show Dipropylene Glycol is considered safe to use in skincare.

You might have heard of "niacin flush", or the reddening of skin that causes itchiness. Niacinamide has not been found to cause this.

In very rare cases, some individuals may not be able to tolerate niacinamide at all or experience an allergic reaction to it.

If you are experiencing flaking, irritation, and dryness with this ingredient, be sure to double check all your products as this ingredient can be found in all categories of skincare.

When incorporating niacinamide into your routine, look out for concentration amounts. Typically, 5% niacinamide provides benefits such as fading dark spots. However, if you have sensitive skin, it is better to begin with a smaller concentration.

When you apply niacinamide to your skin, your body converts it into nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). NAD is an essential coenzyme that is already found in your cells as "fuel" and powers countless biological processes.

In your skin, NAD helps repair cell damage, produce new healthy cells, support collagen production, strengthen the skin barrier, and fight environmental stressors (like UV and pollution).

Our natural NAD levels start to decline with age, leading to slower skin repair, visible aging, and a weaker skin barrier. By providing your skin niacinamide, you're recharging your skin's NAD levels. This leads to stronger, healthier, and younger looking skin.

Another name for vitamin B3 is nicotinamide. This vitamin is water-soluble and our bodies don't store it. We obtain Vitamin B3 from either food or skincare. Meat, fish, wheat, yeast, and leafy greens contain vitamin B3.

The type of niacinamide used in skincare is synthetically created.

You might see people debate whether Sodium Chloride is comedogenic, but there actually haven't been any comedogenic tests done on it. Either way, the overall formulation of a product matters a lot more than any single ingredient.

You might see this ingredient used in scrubs as a primary exfoliating ingredient.

As a humectant, honey is great at hydrating the skin. Humectants draw moisture from the air and hold it to your skin.

Honey also has antioxidant and antioxidant properties. Fun fact: darker honey has more antioxidants than light honey.

The antibacterial property of honey may make it effective at helping to treat acne. We recommend speaking with a professional if you have concerns.

Many people wonder if honey is vegan. It is technically a byproduct from bees. This is because honey is created from the digestive enzymes in a bee's stomach.

Remember to be kind to bees :) They are important for many ecosystems and are endangered.

Curcumin also has anti-inflammatory properties and can help soothe skin and reduce irritation. On top of that, curcumin has been shown to help prevent hyperpigmentation from sun damage.

The anti-microbial property of turmeric can make it effective in treating acne. This property has also been shown to help regulate the production of sebum.

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

Typical use levels range from 10-20% in cleansers and 15-30% in shower products.

Once on your skin, your skin's glucoside hydrolases breaks it down into glucose and the parent fatty alcohols.

This ingredient is considered fungal acne safe because its fatty alcohol portion sits outside the Malassezia yeast's metabolization range.

Studies have found adenosine may also help with wound healing.

In skincare products, Adenosine is usually derived from yeast.

For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.

The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.

For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.

One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.

Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.

Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.

The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.

On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.

One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).

Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.

You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.

The flowers of this tree are lilac colored.

Your skin makes glycerin on its own (mostly from sebaceous oil breakdown) and shuttles it to your outermost layer of skin, or your epidermis, via aquaporin-3.

Aquaporin-3 is a transporter that is essential for normal skin hydration, elasticity, and repair. Interestingly, mice lacking in AQP3 have dry and less elastic skin that can be fully corrected with glycerin.

This ingredient is non-irritating, plays well with almost every ingredient, and works across all skin types. Typical use is anywhere between 3-10% but can go up to 79% in some leave-on products.

Just know very high concentrations (>40%) can feel tacky in low humidity.

Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.

Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.

Research shows it can encourage your skin cells to turn over and renew by stimulating keratinocyte and fibroblast proliferation.

It also has mild keratolytic properties to help loosen and shed dead skin cells without being harsh.

Studies also suggest allantoin can help calm inflammation by dialing down some of the chemical signals your skin sends out when it is irritated.

This ingredient is typically used in the 0.1-0.5% range, and the FDA recognizes it as a skin protectant in OTC products up to 2%.

Overall, allantoin is a wonderful addition to most routines; it is stable across a wide pH range (~4-8), works well with other ingredients, and is considered non-sensitizing/non-irritating.

Fun fact: Allantoin is naturally occurring in comfrey root, beets, chamomile, and wheat sprouts. Our bodies even produce it as a byproduct of uric acid metabolism.

There's also some interesting research on its potential to support hair growth by promoting the growth phase of the hair cycle.

Those with an allergy to plants in the daisy family may want to patch test this ingredient. This ingredient is generally well-tolerated otherwise.

False daisy is used in both traditional medicines and foods throughout Southeast Asia and India.

Tocopheryl Acetate is commonly found in both skincare and dietary supplements.

Extracted polysaccharides, galactose and xylose, in red algae showed antioxidant activity. Antioxidants help with anti-aging by neutralizing free-radical molecules. Free-radical molecules may damage your skin cells and DNA. Galactose is also a PHA.

Corallina Officinalis is structurally similar to coral due to its high calcium content.

It plays well with most ingredients and is typically used at 0.1-1%. However, concentrations up to 50% have been reported in moisturizers.

Notably, this ingredient is oxidatively stable for an oil and resists going rancid as fast as other oils.

A small, in vivo study on 32 participants found a cream with this ingredient increased skin hydration with no reported skin irritation. It also found the tocopherol content gave it some antioxidant activity as well.

One thing to flag for fungal acne:
Because this oil is so high in oleic acid, Malassezia can use it as a food source and this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.

For everyone else, this ingredient is well-tolerated and nourishing with a good safety track record.

While Holy Basil has many claims to help fight acne, more research is needed.

One thing to note is the presence of tannins; tannins are naturally found in nature. However, this compound may be skin-sensitizing.

Some studies suggest betaine may support making skin tone more even.

Fun fact: Betaine naturally exists in the skin and the body. In cosmetic products, it can be either plant-derived (most commonly from sugar beets) or synthetically produced for consistency and stability.

Betaine is also known as trimethylglycine.

Hydrolyzed Collagen is created by breaking up proteins into smaller peptide bonds. These peptides act as humectants and emollients.

Humectants are great at holding onto water, keeping skin hydrated. Emollients create a thin barrier on the skin to prevent moisture from escaping.

There is ongoing debate about whether hydrolyzed collagen works because it increases skin hydration. Skin hydration is also linked to elasticity and the appearance of wrinkles.

Collagen or peptide ingredients can be used in the morning or night. They will not increase sun sensitivity, but you should always wear sunscreen during the day.

According to a manufacturer, this ingredient is a great hair conditioner as well.

This ingredient can be extracted from different sources, including:

Vegan collagen is derived from yeast, bacteria, or plant sources. Vegan collagen would go by a different INCI name, such as hydrolyzed soy protein.

The results are varied.

A study from 2021 found hydrolyzed collagen increased elasticity and improved wrinkles in 1,125 participants between age 20 and 70. Another study found increased skin thickness in participants between the ages of 45 to 59.

However, It is difficult to prove that oral collagen will end up working on your skin. Many of the studies using hydrolyzed collagen also add several vitamins and nutrients into the test mixture as well.

Further studies are needed at this time.

In vitro research found an increase in skin hydration by 58% and a decrease in TEWL by 37.8% after 24 hours of applying this ingredient (pretty impressive for a single ingredient!).

Besides hydration, shea butter also contains triterpenes that have anti-inflammatory potential. In particule, lupeol cinnamate has shown the highest anti-inflammatory activity in vivo.

Shea butter also contains vitamins A and E which may contribute to antioxidant activity.

While Shea Butter has an SPF rating of about 3-4, it is not a sunscreen replacement.

This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe because its fatty acids fall within the C11-C24 range that the Malassezia yeast can metabolize.

This ingredient is an emollient, emulsifier, and penetration enhancer. As an emollient, it helps soften and hydrate skin by trapping moisture within. As an emulsifier, it prevents oil and water ingredients from separating.

Hydrogenated Lecithin can form tiny spherical structures made of phospholipid bilayers called liposomes. These liposomes are able to capture compounds inside their structure and deliver them through the skin barrier.

Because phospholipids are a natural component of our cell membranes, this ingredient is inherently compatible with skin.

A 2021 study found lecithin-based surfactants were less harsh and more tolerable comared to Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS).

Like other alcohols, this ingredient helps prevent the growth of bacteria. However, its main purpose is to impact a fragrance.

As a polysaccharide, Maltodextrin has moisturizing properties. Polysaccharides are a type of carbohydrate. The top layer of skin uses polysaccharides to retain water, keeping the skin hydrated.

Maltodextrin is water soluble and has a sweet taste.