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Skin Actives Scientific Antioxidant Serum Ingredients Explained

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Published on July 09, 2021 Submitted by BetsD

Overview

What it is

Serum with 28 ingredients that contains hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, peptides and Vitamin C

Cool Features

It is cruelty-free and fungal acne (malassezia) safe

Suited For

It has ingredients that are good for fighting acne, anti aging, brightening skin, oily skin, reducing pores, dark spots and better texture

Free From

It doesn't contain any harsh alcohols, common allergens, oils or sulfates

Fun facts

Skin Actives Scientific is from United States. This product is used in 6 routines created by our community.

We independently verify ingredients and our claims are backed by peer-reviewed research. Does this product need an update? Let us know.

You should know

Here's our breakdown of the notable ingredients, benefits, and concerns we determined from the ingredients in this product. Click any item to learn more.

Notable Ingredients

Vitamin C
Niacinamide
Hyaluronic Acid
Peptides (2)

Benefits

Good For Oily Skin
Redness Reducing (2)
Skin Texture
Reduces Large Pores
Anti-Aging (2)
Dark Spots (2)
Acne Fighting
Brightening (2)

Concerns

Eczema (3)

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and view relevant ingredients.
alcohol-free
silicon-free
fragrance-free
sulfate-free
paraben-free
oil-free
fungal-acne safe
reef-safe
eu-allergen-free
vegan
cruelty-free

Ingredients Overview

Here's our quick-to-read summary of the ingredients in this product. Keep scrolling if you'd like to learn more about what each ingredient does!
Ingredient
Features
1
Skin Conditioning, Solvent
2
Humectant, Skin Conditioning
0 / 0
3
Antioxidant, Skin Conditioning
Vitamin C IconAntioxidant IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconGood for Skin Texture IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconGood for Dark Spots IconHelps brighten skin Icon
4
Humectant, Skin Conditioning
0 / 0
Hyaluronic Acid Icon
5
Antimicrobial, Antioxidant
Antioxidant IconHelps with Anti-Aging Icon
6
Emollient, Humectant, Skin Conditioning
7
Antioxidant, Perfuming
Antioxidant IconFragrance Icon
8
Smoothing
Niacinamide IconGood for Oily Skin IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconGood for Minimizing Pores IconGood for Dark Spots IconHelps fight Acne IconHelps brighten skin Icon
9
Skin Conditioning
10
Antioxidant
Antioxidant IconSilicon Icon
11
Cleansing, Skin Conditioning
12
Antioxidant
Antioxidant Icon
13
Antioxidant, Skin Conditioning
Antioxidant Icon
14
Antioxidant, Skin Conditioning
Antioxidant Icon
15
Skin Conditioning
16
Antioxidant
Antioxidant Icon
17
Skin Conditioning
18
Skin Conditioning
19
Antioxidant, Skin Conditioning
Antioxidant Icon
20
21
Skin Conditioning
Peptide Icon
22
Skin Conditioning
Peptide Icon
23
Antioxidant, Skin Conditioning
Antioxidant Icon
24
Buffering, Masking
AHA IconMay cause irritation IconGood for Skin Texture IconGood for Minimizing Pores IconGood for Scar Healing IconMay worsen Rosacea IconHelps brighten skin Icon
25
Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Solvent
0 / 0
May worsen Eczema Icon
26
Preservative
Preservative IconMay cause irritation IconMay worsen Eczema Icon
27
Preservative
0 / 0
Preservative IconParaben IconNon-Reef-Safe IconMay worsen Eczema Icon
28
Preservative
0 / 0
Preservative IconParaben IconCan worsen Dry Skin IconNon-Reef-Safe Icon

Ingredients Explained

This product contains 28 ingredients. Click on any ingredient to learn more about it
1
What it does: Skin Conditioning, Solvent
Community Rating: Loved

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. Talk about multi-purpose! If you see this, drink a glass of water. Stay hydrated!

Learn more about Water
2
What it does: Humectant, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Loved

Sodium PCA is the sodium salt of pyroglutamic acid and is naturally occurring on human skin.

The PCA stands for pyrrolidone carboxylic acid, a natural amino acid derivative.

Sodium PCA is a has conditioning, anti-inflammatory, and humectant properties. Humectants help hydrate your skin by drawing moisture from the air. This helps keep your skin moisturized.

Learn more about Sodium PCA
3
What it does: Antioxidant, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Liked

Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate (MAP) is a form of Vitamin C and is an antioxidant. It can help to reduce redness, improve skin texture, reduce the effects of aging, reduce the visibility of dark spots, and brighten skin.

MAP is created by combining ascorbic acid with magnesium salt. While MAP more gentle on the skin than ascorbic acid, it is thought to be less easily-absorbed into the skin.

Due to MAP's stability up to a pH level of 7, it is more stable to air and sunlight exposure than ascorbic acid. The best pH range for MAP is between 5 and 6.

Like other forms of Vitamin C, MAP has been shown to help reduce hyperpigmentation and simulate collagen production.

As an antioxidant, it helps protect your skin against the signs of aging.

Learn more about Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate
4
What it does: Humectant, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Loved

Sodium Hyaluronate is hyaluronic acid's salt form. It is commonly derived from the sodium salt of hyaluronic acid.

Like hyaluronic acid, it is great at holding water and acts as a humectant. This makes it a great skin hydrating ingredient.

Sodium Hyaluronate is naturally occurring in our bodies and is mostly found in eye fluid and joints.

These are some other common types of Hyaluronic Acid:

Learn more about Sodium Hyaluronate
5
What it does: Antimicrobial, Antioxidant
Community Rating: Loved

Ferulic Acid is a plant based antioxidant. Antioxidants help fight free-radicals. Free-radicals are molecules that may damage your skin cells. Ferulic Acid can help reduce the formation of fine lines and hyperpigmentation.

When used with Vitamin C, Ferulic Acid has shown to prevent Vitamin C from breaking down. In other words, it acts as a stabilizer.

Ferulic Acid is sometimes used to preserve food. Foods containing Ferulic Acid include: oats, rice, eggplant, citrus.

In medicine, Ferulic Acid is being studied for helping with diabetes, Alzheimer's, and cardiovascular diseases.

Learn more about Ferulic Acid
6
What it does: Emollient, Humectant, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Loved

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract is an extract of the leaves of the aloe, Aloe barbadensis, Liliaceae.

You may know Aloe to be a good sunburn reliever and inflammation reducer. This is because it contains many components that are known to help reduce irritation and itchiness. These include vitamins, amino acids, polysaccharides, and more. The high water content of aloe also helps give a cooling effect.

Aloe contains the antioxidants Vitamins A, C, and E. These vitamins neutralize free radicals. Free-radicals are molecules that may damage your skin cells, such as pollution.

The aloe plant is naturally abundant in polysaccharides, a carbohydrate made of sugar molecules. Polysaccharides help hydrate your skin by mimicking your skin's natural carbohydrates.

As it is easily absorbed by the skin, aloe is a great moisturizer. It is both a humectant and emollient. Emollients help trap moisture in your skin, keeping your skin soft. Humectants draw water from the air to your skin.

Other components of aloe include sugars such as monosaccharides and polysaccharides, folic acid, choline, many common minerals such as calcium, fatty acids, amino acids, and Vitamin B12.

Aloe does not protect against UV rays, despite it soothing sunburns.

There are over 420 species of aloe but Aloe Barbadensis is the most commonly used for topical products.

Learn more about Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
7
What it does: Antioxidant, Perfuming

Camellia Sinensis Catechins is an antioxidant and is a fragrance.

8
What it does: Smoothing
Community Rating: Loved

Niacinamide has emerged as an all-star ingredient due to its many benefits.

It is known to treat acne by reducing inflammation. It also helps fade dark-spots and strengthen the skin by promoting the growth of the ceramide barrier.

Other benefits include smoothing wrinkles and minimizing redness.

The cherry on top? Niacinamide can also help build keratin, a protein that keeps skin firm.

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.

Niacinamide can be mixed with other ingredients to boost benefits. For instance, it has shown to be effective when used with copper, folic acid, and zinc to treat acne.

Learn more about Niacinamide
9
What it does: Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Loved

We don't have a description for Carnosine.

10
What it does: Antioxidant

Hesperidin Methyl Chalcone is an antioxidant and is a type of silicone.

11
What it does: Cleansing, Skin Conditioning

We don't have a description for Carnitine.

12
What it does: Antioxidant

Tetrahydrodiferuloylmethane is an antioxidant.

13
What it does: Antioxidant, Skin Conditioning

Tetrahydrodemethoxydiferuloylmethane is an antioxidant.

14
What it does: Antioxidant, Skin Conditioning

Tetrahydrobisdemethoxydiferuloylmethane is an antioxidant.

15
What it does: Skin Conditioning

We don't have a description for Sorghum Bicolor Leaf/Stem Extract.

16
What it does: Antioxidant

Lycopene is an antioxidant.

17
What it does: Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Loved

Astaxanthin is a carotene pigment and red pigment. It's what makes salmon a pink color.

Astaxanthin is an antioxidant and protects cells from free-radicals. Free-radicals are molecules that damage our cells.

18
What it does: Skin Conditioning

We don't have a description for Fucoxanthin.

19
What it does: Antioxidant, Skin Conditioning

Porphyridium Polysaccharide is an antioxidant.

20
What it does:
Community Rating: Loved

Glutathione is an antioxidant naturally found in our bodies. It is also naturally occurring in plants, animals, fungi, and some bacteria. As an antioxidant, Glutathione helps prevent oxidative damage to parts of our cell.

While Glutathione is said to help with skin lightening, the results from research are inconclusive. Further studies are needed.

21
What it does: Skin Conditioning

Sh-Polypeptide-2 is a peptide.

22
What it does: Skin Conditioning

Sh-Polypeptide-77 is a peptide.

23
What it does: Antioxidant, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Loved

Superoxide Dismutase is found in all living cells. This ingredient is AKA as 'SOD'.

SOD is a strong antioxidant. It protects living cells against oxidative damage by breaking down radical molecules into regular oxygen and hydrogen peroxide.

Antioxidants help fight free-radical molecules that may damage your skin's DNA. This may help with the signs of aging. Due to its antioxidant property, it is used to help treat chronic inflammation.

In cosmetics, SOD is usually obtained from marine phytoplankton, bovine liver, horseradish, cantaloupe, and certain bacteria.

The three major families of SOD include: Copper/Zinc, Iron/Manganese, and Nickel.

When eating SOD-rich foods, our bodies break it down into amino acids before absorption. Foods that contain SOD include: melons, citrus, spinach, broccoli, kale, almonds, sunflower seeds, and blue-green algae.

Learn more about Superoxide Dismutase
24
What it does: Buffering, Masking
Community Rating: Disliked

Citric Acid is an AHA derived from citrus fruits (think oranges, lemons, and limes!).

If you spot Citric Acid near the end of an ingredient list, it's likely there as a pH adjuster rather than an active ingredient.

As an AHA, Citric Acid removes the top layer of skin cells from the newer layer of skin underneath. This helps skin to remove dark spots and look more even.

Read more about some other popular AHA's here:

Learn more about Citric Acid
25
What it does: Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Solvent
Community Rating: Disliked

Propylene Glycol is an odorless, colorless liquid. As a humectant, it helps skin retain moisture. It also aids in delivering active ingredients.

Another role of this ingredient is preventing a product from melting or freezing. Propylene glycol also adds antimicrobrial properties to a product, elongating product lifespan.

This ingredient is considered an organic alcohol and commonly added into both cosmetics and foods.

Those with sensitive skin or conditions may deliver a rash when using this ingredient.

Learn more about Propylene Glycol
26
What it does: Preservative
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Diazolidinyl Urea is a preservative. It can cause irritation and worsen eczema.

27
What it does: Preservative
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Methylparaben is a preservative and is a paraben. It is used to prevent the growth of fungus, mold, and other harmful bacteria. Parabens are chemicals used as preservatives in both cosmetics and food.

Methylparaben can be synthetically created. It can also be found naturally in some fruits, such as blueberries.

Oftentimes, Methylparaben is combined with other parabens to help increase the shelf life.

The safety of Methylparaben is currently being studied. While ongoing studies are looking into the safety of parabens, the results have been very mixed. Some studies have not found Methylparaben to be harmful.

Learn more about Methylparaben
28
What it does: Preservative
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Propylparaben is a preservative and is a paraben with antifungal and antimicrobial properties.

This ingredient can be naturally found in plants and insects, but most of it is synthetically manufactured for human use. In cosmetics, it is usually created by reacting para-aminobenzoic acid and propanol (an alcohol).

You can usually find this ingredient in water-based products.

Parabens have come under controversy due to the claim they are hormone disruptors. Studies show conflicting results. We recommend speaking with a professional if you have any concerns.

Propylparaben is commonly found in food, medicine, and cosmetics.

Learn more about Propylparaben
Embed Ingredients

Here's what our community thinks of the 28 ingredients in this product ✨

39% are loved or liked
0% have mixed ratings
18% are disliked or very disliked
43% have no rating yet

When to use

Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.

Directions

Apply to clean skin on the face daily.

Apply to clean skin on the face daily.

When to use

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