Purity Woods Pur-Radiance Face Cleanser

Antioxidant components in chamomile make it an effective ingredient to help slow the signs of aging. Antioxidants help fight free-radical molecules, or molecules that may damage your skin.

Essential oils from chamomile have been found to improve wound healing due to its antimicrobial properties.

Ancient Greeks and Egyptians used Chamomile to treat skin redness and dryness. Chamomile has also been used to help treat stomach issues.

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.

Is it bad for your skin?

The answer comes down to concentration. Patch and wash studies have found highly concentrated alcohol-based hand rubs (60-100%) cause less barrier disruption than washing with a basic detergent like SLS. The only measurable effect in these studies was a temporary dip in skin hydration.

Concentrations below 12-15% in leave-on cosmetics is generally well-tolerated. Concentrations above start to see increased transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and reduced hydration.

In concentrations about 58%, it creates temporary channels in your skin's lipid layers to become more permeable and allow other ingredients to slip through easily.

This ingredient can be up to 80% of the formula in alcohol-based perfumes.

Overall, this ingredient is probably harmless if found lower down an ingredients list but worth side-eyeing if it's high up (especially if your barrier is already struggling).

Alcohol can worsen dry skin, eczema, and oily skin, especially at higher concentrations. This is because it can increase transepidermal water loss and decrease hydration to disrupt the skin barrier.

According to the National Rosacea Society based in the US, you should be mindful of products with these alcohols in the top half of ingredients.

True allergic contact dermatitis to ethanol is uncommon, but be sure to patch test if you have dry or sensitive skin.

Witch Hazel has astringent, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antibacterial properties.

The tannin content of witch hazel constrict the appearance of pores by drying out proteins. Witch hazel water gets anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties from its catechin and gallic acid content.

However, witch hazel may be skin-sensitizing due to the tannin and fragrance compounds.

North American Indigenous groups have used witch hazel to help treat inflammation for centuries.

It also has emulsion properties to help keep ingredients together.

The antioxidant and soothing properties of this ingredient come from Vitamin E and polyphenols.

The seed oil comes from the dried kernels of the plant.

The reason this ingredient is so effective is because it forms a thin film on the skin that reduces transepidermal water loss (TEWL) while supplying linoleic acid to the stratum corneum to improve barrier strength.

The high linoleic acid content is particularly noteworthy for acne-prone skin.

Research suggests that acne-prone skin tends to be deficient in linoleic acid in sebum. Topical application may help replenish this to support a healthier follicular environment and less comedone-promoting sebum.

One randomized study found sunflower seed oil preserved skin barrier integrity in adult volunteers with and without atopic dermatitis (outperforming olive oil).

This ingredient is well-studied, gentle, and an effective emollient suitable for most skin types.

On fungal acne: This ingredient may not be Fungal acne (Malassezia folliculitis) safe. This is because it contains fatty acids with carbon chain lengths in the C11-C24 range.

Unlike other plant oils, jojoba wax doesn't easily penetrate skin. It mostly works in the uppermost layers as an emollient. This just means it forms a light barrier on the skin to help retain moisture.

Formulations with jojoba esters up to 90% reduced transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and increased barrier recovery by 81% (outperforming bisabolol at 47%).

Besides barrier support, the science also suggests jojoba to have anti-inflammatory effects and potential applications for skin infections, aging, and wound healing.

Fun fact: Indigenous cultures have used jojoba as a moisturizer and to help treat burns for centuries.

Fungal acne: The Malassezia yeast is known to metabolize fatty acids in the C11-24 range and jojoba's dominant fatty acid components fall into this range. This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.

Linoleic acid helps moisturize your skin as an emollient. Emollients act as a thin film to prevent moisture from escaping.

Cartenoids are an antioxidant. Antioxidants protect your skin against external damage. They also give pumpkins their classic orange color.

Fun fact: Pumpkins were first domesticated in Southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago.

Furanocoumarins bind and destabilize your DNA to increase the rate of sunburn.

Most reputable companies will remove furanocoumarins from their formulations.

Hypnea Musciformis Extract contains vitamins A, C, and E. It also has calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, and iron.

When exposed to air, these two compounds become strong allergens. This ingredient exhibits cytotoxicity at low concentrations; amounts of 0.25% have been shown to damage skin cells.

A study from Japan found this ingredient caused lavender sensitivity after widespread exposure.

Lavender essential oil has some antimicrobial, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties. However, the cons of this ingredient may outweight the pros.

More research is needed to confirm lavender essential oil's effects when used in aromatherapy.

Lavandula Angustifolia is known as the English Lavender and famous for creating purple fields in Provence, France.