VT Cosmetics D Soothing Series Cica W Cleaning Foam

Safety-wise, the CIR Expert Panel has concluded it to be safe in cosmetics when formulated to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing.

Free stearic acid is a C18 fatty acid that the Malassezia yeast can substrate, so this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.

Research indicates that this ingredient posts a low risk of irritation and sensitization.

Since myristic acid is a C14 fatty acid, it falls within the range that Malassezia can metabolize, and therefore not fungal acne safe.

Using high concentrations of Potassium Hydroxide have shown to irritate the skin.

Lab studies have found that lauric acid is surprisingly good at killing acne-causing bacteria. However, these tests were done on bacteria in a petri dish and not on real skin, so we can't say for certain it works the same in a formulation on a real face.

The comedogenic rating of 4 comes from the 1972 rabbit ear model using undiluted ingredients. Comedogenicity is highly individual and one comedogenic ingredient cannot predict how a formula will behave on skin.

This ingredient is not fungal acne safe and research has confirmed Malassezia can use it as a food source. Even though "fungal acne" has the word "acne" in it, they are completely different. Regular acne is driven by a bacteria called Cutibacterium acnes, clogged pores, and excess oil. Fungal acne isn't really acne; it's caused by an overgrowth of a yeast called Malassezia that already lives on everyone's skin. Because one is bacterial and the other is fungal, they respond to different ingredients.

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.

These compounds allow centella to dial back inflammation, encourage the skin to build and hold onto collagen, support the barrier and hydration, and bring solid antioxidant activity to protect against signs of aging.

Centella also carries a nice supporting cast of Vitamin A, vitamin C, several B vitamins, and amino acids. Put it all together and you get an ingredient that soothes, hydrates, and protects, all at once.

Most of centella's magic comes from the four big compounds (Asiaticoside, Madecassoside, Asiatic Acid, and Madecassic Acid). These are the actives doing the heavy lifting in almost every centella study.

Here is the short version of what they do in the skin:

So it is not just soothing for the sake of soothing. Centella calms the skin AND helps it rebuild.

Just FYI, not all centella on an ingredient list is the same. What you are getting actually depends on the extract:

Fun fact on the ratios: the leaves tend to be richest in Madecassoside and Asiaticoside, and lower in the two acids. The exact amounts shift with where the plant is grown and how it is processed. This means purity really does vary brand to brand.

Centella is one of the most easygoing actives out there.

It layers well with basically everything: niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, peptides, and vitamin C, and also pairs nicely with stronger actives like retinoids and exfoliating acids where it can help take the edge off irritation.

On the safety side, centella and its triterpenes are classified as weak sensitizers, meaning allergic reactions are possible but uncommon.

Patch tests at 1% and 5% came back negative in test panels, and creams at typical use levels did not cause allergic reactions across large groups of people.

But as with any new active, a patch test is still a smart move for very reactive skin.

Centella is widely used because it is effective at low percentages. For context, human safety testing found no meaningful irritation from creams containing centella extract at everyday use levels (the tested amounts were well under 1%).

The irritancy threshold in animal testing was also above 30% (so real-world formulas sit far below anything concerning).

In collagen lab studies, higher concentrations drove more collagen synthesis, so serums built around centella tend to feature it more prominently.

Bottom line: you will find centella working nicely anywhere from a fraction of a percent up to hero-ingredient levels depending on whether it is a supporting soother or the main event.

Fun fact: Centella has been used as a medicine and in food for many centuries. As a medicine, it is used to treat burns, scratches, and wounds.

Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:

Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.

Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.

You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.

Because hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid is smaller in size, it can slip past your outermost layer of skin more easily than full-sized HA.

Most formulations will combine all sizes to get the best of both worlds.

Typical usage levels range from 0.01-1%. Any percentage higher than 2% might become goopy and tacky.

The humectant property of honey draws moisture from the air to your skin. This makes it great at helping to hydrate the skin.

Honey may help reduce the signs of aging due to its 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 by killing acne-causing bacteria.

Many people wonder if honey extract 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.

Manuka-type honey has an extra bacteria-killing compound called methylglyoxal, while all Honey contains a natural antibacterial protein called bee defensin-1.

Honey also nudges your immune cells to release signals that start the healing process. This is why medical-grade Honey is actually used in real wound dressings.

Just keep in mind that most of the strong clinical evidence is for wound care and not everyday cosmetic claims.

On concentrations and safety:
According to industry data, honey is used up to 22% in paste/mud packs, 7% as a honey extract in body/hand products, and face skincare levels sit well below that.

A human repeat insult patch test of 7% honey extract in 112 subjects showed no sensitization.

Allergy-wise, honey itself is a rare sensitizer. The bigger culprit is usually propolis that sometimes tags along in less-refined honey.

People allergic to propolis, conifer, poplar, salicylates, or Balsam of Peru are advised to avoid this ingredient due to shared allergens.

You might see this ingredient listed as either Honey or Mel (they're the same thing). Mel is simply the Latin word for honey.

A lot of people wonder if Honey is vegan, and technically it isn't.

Honey is made by bees; they gather nectar and their natural enzymes turn it into the Honey we know. So because it comes from an animal, it doesn't fit a vegan lifestyle.

And please remember to be kind to bees :). They're vital to so many ecosystems, and many species are struggling so they're worth protecting.

Antioxidants help protect our skin against free radical molecules. These molecules may damage our skin's DNA. Two antioxidant compounds found in royal jelly are ferulic acid and quercetin.

Compounds found in royal jelly include: sulfur, calcium, zinc, iron, and B vitamins.

Royal Jelly is derived from honeybees. This means it is not vegan.

On the safety side, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be safe as used in current cosmetic practices + concentrations.

Typical use levels in a formula run about 1-5%.

Research shows it can help:

It also pairs nicely with hydrating ingredients like niacinamide and ceramides.

Just so you know, Propolis Extract is recognized as a contact allergen. In patch tests done in the EU, roughly 1-6% of patients react to it. Be sure to steer clear of this ingredient if you have a known allergy to bee products.

Since it is an animal-derived product, this ingredient is not considered vegan. For vegan alternatives, check out Galactomyces Ferment Filtrate or Centella Asiatica Extract.

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.

The CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be nontoxic and clinical studies show no sensitization at cosmetic use concentrations.

True allergic reactions are quite rare: a 15-year retrospective study of 6,751 patients found only 0.31% had a positive reaction (and less than half were considered clinically relevant).

It seemed that when sensitization does occur, it's most commonly linked to topical medication (like corticosteroids) and not cosmetics. Allergic contact dermatitis also appears largely limited to individuals with underlying skin conditions.

Overall, propylene glycol is a well-studied ingredient that most people can tolerate without issue.

A study comparing surfactant mixtures found that Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate caused visibly less disruption to skin lipid structure and less irritation than SLS when tested on human subjects; this correlated with the data from in vivo results as well.

The Tenside, Surfactants, Detergents cosmetics industry journal has also concluded that amino acid based surfactants are generally milder than their corresponding alkyl sulfate counterparts. They also stated glutamates in particular are considered one of the gentler options in the category.

The Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel has reviewed dermal irritation and sensitization data for this ingredient at the highest reported use concentration and concluded it to be safe in present practices.

Typical use concentrations tend to run low (generally less than 10%) though the CIR's review noted the highest reported use concentration was 40% as a raw material blend (and not a diluted finished cosmetic product).

You'll usually find this in concentrations between 0.2-5%.

It also calms inflammation and acts as an antioxidant so it can help skin heal faster, rebuild itself, and repair a damaged barrier.

And on naming, even though "acid" is in the name, it's nothing like an AHA or BHA exfoliant. It's a gentle firming and soothing ingredient that supports your skin barrier.

Concentration-wise, Asiatic Acid is potent at very low doses and usually shows up as a small fraction of a broader centella extract.

Analyses of centella material put Asiatic Acid reported in the range of 0.2-3% of the extract.

This ingredient is non-sensitizing and guinea pig sensitization testing also found it to be a weak sensitizer. That means the risk of acquiring contact sensitivty is quite low.

Allergic contact dermatitis does exist but is also very rare; documented cases tend to involve prolonged use on broken skin plus co-sensitization to fragrance ingredients.

First, it turns down inflammation so it helps with things like redness and general upset skin.

Second, it acts as an antioxidant which means it helps protect skin from daily stress and damage.

And third, it nudges the skin to make more collagen and rebuild its support structure.

That combination is why the whole Centella family is known for calming skin, strengthening the barrier, fading redness, and giving anti-aging benefits.

It's worth being honest about the evidence here; a lot of the strongest data is on the full extract or a Madecassoside/Asiaticoside rather than Madecassic Acid alone. Reviewers also note more long-term clinical trials are needed to confirm the full potential.

Concentration-wise, this ingredient is rarely used pure and usually shows up as part of a standardized centella extract where reported content ranges from 0.02-3.06%.

Finished products typically run somewhere in the 0.1-10% range depending on the format.

In real-world tolerance tests, a repeat-insult patch test on an eye lotion with 0.2% Centella extract showed no irritation or allergic contact dermatitis in 54 subjects. And a mascara with 0.5% Madecassoside caused neither irritation nor sensitization in 109 subjects.

Allergy risk is very low, but not zero. Centella and its constituents are classified as weak contact sensitizers and some rare cases of allergic contact dermatitis exist.

Madecassoside pairs well with other hydrating or antioxidant ingredients like Ascorbic Acid or Hyaluronic Acid.

Due to its large molecule size, it doesn't penetrate beyond the skin's surface.

This ingredient has a solid regulatory track record; the CIR Expert Panel first concluded it was safe for use in cosmetics at concentrations up to 100% in 1997. A 2012 reassessment reaffirmed that finding. Safety studies have also found no irritation or evidence of toxicity.

A 2019 study did find this ingredient to grow Malassezia, so this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.

As a preservative, it is used to stabilize products and prevent them from degrading. Specifically, BHT prevents degradation from oxidation.

The concerns related to BHT come from oral studies; this ingredient is currently allowed for use by both the FDA and EU.

However, it was recently restricted for use in the UK as of April 2024.

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%.

This ingredient is typically used in concentrations between 1-10%. Studies have found it to be non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.

A close cousin of this ingredient is Glyceryl Stearate SE ("self-emulsifying"). This just has a small amount of sodium or potassium stearate added so it can emulsify without a co-emulsifier.

Since this ingredient is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize within the C11-C24 range.

Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.

On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.

Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).

You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.

Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.

Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.

Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.

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.