Category
Glossary
148 entries
- Photolyasea light-activated enzyme, sourced for cosmetics from organisms such as microalgae or bacteria, that helps repair a specific type of UV-induced DNA damage. In...
- SPF Boosteran ingredient added to a sunscreen formulation that increases the measured sun protection factor without itself being a licensed UV filter. These additives improve...
- Inorganic UV Filtera mineral-based sunscreen ingredient, specifically zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, that shields skin from ultraviolet radiation. Often called physical or mineral filters, they sit...
- Organic UV Filtera carbon-based sunscreen ingredient that protects skin primarily by absorbing ultraviolet radiation and converting it into small amounts of heat. Often called chemical filters,...
- UV Filteran ingredient added to sunscreen that absorbs or reflects ultraviolet radiation to reduce how much reaches the skin. UV filters are the functional actives...
- Free Radical Scavengera molecule that neutralizes unstable, reactive compounds called free radicals before they can damage skin cells and structural proteins. In skincare, these are typically...
- Trans-Epidermal Deliverythe process by which a topically applied ingredient moves across the outermost layers of the skin to reach deeper, living tissue where it can...
- Barrier Functionthe skin's ability to keep water in and unwanted substances out, largely carried out by the outermost layer of the epidermis. A healthy barrier...
- Ceramide Ratiothe relative proportions of the key barrier lipids in the skin, classically described as ceramides, cholesterol, and free fatty acids. Maintaining a suitable balance...
- Biomimeticdescribing ingredients or technologies designed to imitate structures, molecules, or processes found in nature or in the skin itself. In skincare this often means...
- Skin Identical Ingredienta substance used in skincare that matches or closely mirrors a component naturally found in healthy skin, such as ceramides, hyaluronic acid, or certain...
- Epidermal Turnoverthe ongoing process by which new skin cells form in the deeper epidermis, migrate upward, and are eventually shed from the surface. This cycle...
- Transdermaldescribing the movement of a substance across the skin and into the bloodstream, so that it acts on the body rather than only on...
- Occlusive Filma thin protective layer left on the skin surface by occlusive ingredients that slows the evaporation of water from the outer skin. By reducing...
- Antioxidant Stabilityhow well an antioxidant ingredient resists degradation from exposure to light, air, heat, or water over the life of a product. Because many antioxidants...
- Photoprotectionthe range of strategies used to shield skin from ultraviolet and, increasingly, visible light, in order to limit sunburn, photoaging, and pigment changes. It...
- Neutralized Acidan acid whose pH has been partially raised, usually with a base such as sodium hydroxide, so that a portion of the molecules exist...
- Buffered Acidan exfoliating acid formula whose pH has been raised, or buffered, to reduce its harshness while retaining exfoliating activity. Buffering shifts some of the...
- Free Acid Valuethe percentage of an exfoliating acid in a formula that is present in its active, unbound acid form rather than its neutralized salt form....
- Derivative (Actives)a modified version of an active ingredient, engineered to improve stability, tolerability, or delivery while retaining the parent ingredient's core function. Derivatives are common...
- Ester (Skincare)a compound formed by combining an acid with an alcohol, widely used in skincare to create ingredients with tailored stability, texture, and skin compatibility....
- Provitamina precursor compound that the body or skin converts into an active vitamin. In skincare, provitamins are used because they can be more stable...
- Retinaldehyde (Term)a vitamin A derivative, also called retinal, that sits one conversion step away from retinoic acid, the active form of vitamin A in skin....
- Enzymatic Exfoliation (Term)a gentle form of exfoliation that uses proteolytic enzymes, often derived from fruit, to break down the proteins binding dead cells to the surface....
