It has been used for a long time in the food industry as an "anti-browning agent" for fresh-cut fruits or shrimps. Sodium hydroxide in itself is a potent skin irritant, but once it's reacted (as it is usually in skin care products, like exfoliants) it is totally harmless. Overall, if you are into retinoids, Retinal is a really awesome and well-proven member of the family that is absolutely worth trying.

This long-named, polymer molecule (big molecule from repeated subunits) is a helper ingredient that's good at emulsifying and stabilizing oils into water-based formulas. If you are someone who likes to know what you put on your face then fragrance is not your best friend - there's no way to know what’s really in it. All in all, Titanium Dioxide is a famous sunscreen agent and for good reason, it gives broad spectrum UV protection (best at UVB and UVA II), it's highly stable, and it has a good safety profile. For example, in case of AHA or BHA exfoliants, the right pH is super-duper important, and pH adjusters like sodium hydroxide are needed. Clinical study in 41 individuals, 100% women, under dermatological and ophthalmological control, 1 application per day.The main concern with nanoparticles is that they are so tiny that they are absorbed into the skin more than we want them (ideally sunscreen should remain on the surface of the skin). Another advantage of squalane is that it is pretty much compatible with all skin types and skin conditions. Retinol is like a grandkid, it has to be converted (through two steps) in the skin to become retinoic acid.

As for hair care, it is a non-volatile silicone meaning that it stays on the hair rather than evaporates from it and smoothes the hair like no other thing. INCI is a list of the standardized and internationally accepted names used in the declaration of ingredients on cosmetic and personal care products. A large sugar molecule (aka polysaccharide) that's used as a gelling agent and comes from brown seaweed. There are different grades depending on the molecular weight ranging from very light, volatile, non-residue leaving ones to more substantial, slight residue leaving ones.A physical/inorganic sunscreen with pretty broad spectrum (UVB and UVA II, less good at UVA I) protection and good stability. The itsy-bitsy Nano-sized particles improve both spreadability and reduce the whitish tint a lot, but unfortunately, it also introduces new health concerns. The generic term for nice smelling stuff put into cosmetic products so that the end product also smells nice. A recent, 2016 study shows that inorganic sunscreens work mostly by absorption, just like chemical filters, and only a little bit by reflection (they do reflect the light in the visible spectrum, but mostly absorb in the UV spectrum).

Its protection is very good between 290 - 350 nm (UVB and UVA II range), and less good at 350-400 nm (UVA I) range. The TL;DR version is that retinoids are the royal family of skincare with tretinoin being the king, the only FDA-approved ingredient to treat the signs of photoaging. The cosmetic industry is, of course, really trying to solve this problem and the best solution so far is using nanoparticles. Interestingly, in both groups, the results were less significant at week 44, so it might be a good idea to have a retinoid break from time to time?A really multi-functional helper ingredient that can do several things in a skincare product: it can bring a soft and pleasant feel to the formula, it can act as a humectant and emollient, it can be a solvent for some other ingredients (for example it can help to stabilize perfumes in watery products) and it can also help to disperse pigments more evenly in makeup products. The big difference is supposed to be that chemical agents absorb UV-light while physical agents reflect it like a bunch of mini umbrellas on top of the skin. According to manufacturer info, it's also a moisturizer and helps to make the product feel great on the skin. and the skin-lightening was indeed visible and significant (though the pigmentation spots did not completely disappear, just so you have realistic expectations).