Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster

Water is the most common cosmetic ingredient of all. It often makes up the largest portion of a product, and is thus typically found at (or near) the top of an ingredients list.

In most cases, the purpose of water within an ingredient list is to act as a solvent - this means it's there to help dissolve other ingredients into the formulation.

Water also happens to be necessary for all life on Earth. If you see this, drink a glass of water. Stay hydrated!

Ascorbic Acid is is pure Vitamin C. Ascorbic Acid contains large amounts of antioxidants. It is the largest amount of vitamin C found naturally in our skin. Not only is Vitamin C great for your overall health and immune system, it also has plenty of benefits on your skin.

Vitamin C is best used for brightening skin, such as improving dark spots, acne scars, and hyperpigmentation. This is because Vitamin C has been shown to block the process of skin darkening.

Your skin uses Vitamin C to build collagen. Collagen production plays a role in having a strong skin barrier and having plump skin.

Vitamin C is also a key component in helping your skin regulate collagen, thus making it effective in improving wrinkles and fine lines. As an antioxidant, it helps fight free-radicals. Free-radicals are molecules that may damage your skin cells.

When used with Vitamin E, both ingredients help stabilize and provide a boost in benefits. It helps aid in UV protection but becomes unstable when exposed to UV and air. Vitamin C does not replace sunscreen.

Read more about other types of Vitamin C:

• Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate
• 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
• Ascorbyl Glucoside
• Ascorbyl Palmitate

Foods rich with vitamin C include oranges, strawberries, broccoli, bell peppers, and more. When consuming Vitamin C, your skin receives a portion of the nutrients.

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

• It is a solvent, meaning that it helps to dissolve other ingredients. This also enhances the absorption of the product into one's skin.
• It is a humectant, which means that it helps attract moisture into the skin.
• It helps improve product application.

Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient. It is unlikely to irritate skin, and works well with pretty much all other ingredients.

Ethoxydiglycol is a synthetic solvent.

Solvents are used to keep ingredients together in a product. They can help dissolve ingredients to stable bases or help evenly distribute ingredients throughout the product.

Ethoxydiglycol also helps deliver other key ingredients into the skin.

Glycerin is already naturally found in your skin and helps moisturize and protect your skin. A study from 2016 found glycerin to be more effective as a humectant than AHAs and hyaluronic acid.

Glycerin is a humectant, helping the skin retain moisture by pulling moisture to your skin. The low molecular weight of glycerin allows it to pull moisture into the deeper layers of your skin. Having moisturized skin helps improve the skin barrier. Your skin barrier protects against skin irritants and bacteria.

Glycerin has also been found to have antimicrobial and antiviral properties. Due to these properties, glycerin is often used in wound and burn treatments.

In cosmetics, glycerin is usually derived from plants such as soybean or palm. However, animal sources include tallow. It is organic, colorless, odorless, and non-toxic.

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

We don't have a description for Ppg-26-Buteth-26.

Peg-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil is derived from castor oil and polyethylene glycol (PEG). It is used as a emollient and emulsifier.

As an emulsifier, it helps prevent ingredients from separating. It also helps make the other ingredients more soluble; it is often used to solubilize fragrances. This increases spreadability and elongates shelf life in a product.

Emollients help soothe and soften the skin. They do this by creating a protective film on your skin. This barrier helps trap moisture and keeps your skin hydrated. Emollients may be effective at treating dry or itchy skin.

This ingredient may or may not be vegan, depending on the source.

Pentylene glycol is typically used within a product to thicken it. It also adds a smooth, soft, and moisturizing feel to the product. It is naturally found in plants such as sugar beets.

The hydrophilic trait of Pentylene Glycol makes it a humectant. As a humectant, Pentylene Glycol helps draw moisture from the air to your skin. This can help keep your skin hydrated.

This property also makes Pentylene Glycol a great texture enhancer. It can help thicken or emulsify a product. Emulsifiers help stabilize a product. It does this by preventing certain ingredients from separating.

Pentylene Glycol also acts as a mild preservative and helps to keep a product microbe-free.

Some people may experience mild eye and skin irritation from Pentylene Glycol. We always recommend speaking with a professional about using this ingredient in your routine.

Pentylene Glycol has a low molecular weight and is part of the 1,2-glycol family.

Tocopherol (also known as Vitamin E) is a common antioxidant used to help protect the skin from free-radicals and strengthen the skin barrier. It's also fat soluble - this means our skin is great at absorbing it.

Vitamin E also provides some UV protection by reducing the damage caused by UVB rays. Combining it with Vitamin C can decrease sunburned cells and hyperpigmentation after UV exposure.

Vitamin E also helps keep your natural skin lipids healthy. Your lipid skin barrier naturally consists of lipids, ceramides, and fatty acids. Vitamin E offers extra protection for your skin’s lipid barrier, keeping your skin healthy and nourished.

Vitamin E aids in stabilizing Vitamin C. Using the two together helps increase the effectiveness of both ingredients.

There are often claims that Vitamin E can reduce/prevent scarring, but these claims haven't been confirmed by scientific research.

Sodium Hyaluronate is hyaluronic acid's salt form.

Sodium Hyaluronate is great at holding water and acts as a humectant. It plays a role in hydrating and soothing skin.

It is naturally occurring in our bodies and is mostly found in eye fluid and joints; it is commonly derived from sodium salt of hyaluronic acid.

These are some other common types of Hyaluronic Acid:

• Hyaluronic Acid
• Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
• Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer