Shiseido D Program Overnight Refining Gel Mask

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

This ingredient has plenty of skin benefits:

Trehalose is a disaccharide made of two glucose molecules (glucose is sugar!). Trehalose is used to help moisturize skin. It also has antioxidant properties.

As a humectant, trehalose helps draw moisture from the air to your skin. This helps keep your skin hydrated.

Xylitol is a humectant and prebiotic. It can help with dry skin.

In studies, xylitol has been shown to improve dry skin. It decreased transepidermal water loss, or when water passes through the skin and evaporates. Xylitol also showed to help improve the biomechanical properties of the skin barrier.

You might know this ingredient as a sugar substitute in foods. It is a sugar alcohol with humectant properties.

Humectants attract water to your skin (like glycerin or hyaluronic acid).

We don't have a description for Rehmannia Elata Root Extract yet.

This ingredient is also known as beech extract.

We don't have a description for Angelica Archangelica Extract yet.

Aloe Barbadensis Extract is the extract of the whole Aloe plant. It has anti-inflammatory, moisturizing, antiseptic, and healing properties.

Aloe contains the antioxidants Vitamins A, C, and E. . These vitamins neutralize free radicals.

Olive tree leaves contain more antioxidants than olive fruit.

This is due to its rich flavonoid and polyphenol content. However, the antioxidant content varies depending on plant variety, harvesting method, leaf maturity, and extraction method.

We don't have a description for Phytosteryl/Octyldodecyl Lauroyl Glutamate yet.

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.

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.

Glycerin (or glycerol) is a compound naturally found in your skin. It's a powerhouse humectant that pulls water into the stratum corneum.

Topically, glycerin does several things at once:

Dipropylene Glycol is a synthetically created humectant, stabilizer, and solvent.

This ingredient helps:

Methyl/Phenyl Polysilsesquioxane is a type of silicone.

Diglycerin is a humectant. It is derived from glycerin, which is naturally found in your skin.

As a humectant, it helps draw moisture to the skin from the air.

Peg-8 Dimethicone is a water-soluble silicone. It reduces tackiness, boosts moisture, and enhances the spreadability of products.

This ingredient is a synthetic copolymer (a polymer made from more than one type of building block). It is used to stabilize formulas and control the viscosity.

Because it is a large, inert polymer, it doesn't have biological activities and stays on the surface of the skin.

Carbomer is a high-molecular weight polymer of acrylic acid. It is used to form gels and thicken formulas.

Due to its large molecular size, carbomer has minimal skin penetration and is considered an inert ingredient.

We don't have a description for Sodium Metaphosphate yet.

Potassium hydroxide is commonly known as caustic potash. It is used to fix the pH of a product or as a cleaning agent in soap. In cleansers, it is used for the saponification of oils.

Sapnification is the process of creating fatty acid metal salts from triglycerides and a strong base. During this process, Potassium Hydroxide is used up and is not present in the final product.

This ingredient is a sulfate-free surfactant. It is made by combining a fatty acid with taurine.

According to a manufacturer, the taurine component of this ingredient makes it suitable for sensitive skin. As a surfactant, it helps cleanse without stripping and helps produce a creamy foam.

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.

Sodium metabisulfite is also known as Sodium Pyrosulfite. It is a preservative, antioxidant, and disinfectant.

As a preservative, it helps stabilize cosmetic formulas without affecting their color or scent.

Microcrystalline Cellulose is another name for refined wood pulp. It is used as an emulsifier and mattifying ingredient. As an emulsifier, it helps keep ingredients together.

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.