Basic Routine for Sensitised & Reactive Skin

What each ingredient does

• Aqua: Solvent

  Water. The main vehicle for our water based products

• Canola Oil: Emollient and skin conditioning

  Sustainably produced, deodorized and purified Swedish canola oil (from rapeseed oil) gently dissolves makeup and dirt. Canola oil is commonly used in cosmetics and is well-tolerated, skin wise. It is slightly higher in oleic acid (at around 60%), with linoleic and alpha-linolenic acids at a total of just over 30%, making it a good all-around oil for most, and especially for drier and eczema prone skins.

• Cetyl Alcohol: Thickening and emulsion stabilising

  A fatty alcohol made from RSPO certified palm oil. Please note that like sugar alcohols, e.g. glycerin or xylitol, fatty alcohols are not the same as denatured alcohol (ethanol); both sugar alcohols and fatty alcohols have moisturising and conditioning properties, whereas denatured alcohol has a completely different function in skincare products (and can be drying on skin).

• Citric Acid: Buffering agent

  Citric acid is a commonly used buffering, i.e. pH adjusting, agent in cosmetics. It is made through bacterial fermentation and shifts the pH of the product into the acidic range. This is closer to the natural pH of the skin, which may range from 4 to 7, but is usually thought to be between 5 and 6, with recent studies, however, indicating it to be below 5.

• Glycerin: Humectant and skin protecting

  Technically a sugar alcohol, glycerin is one of the oldest, most common and most versatile humectants used in cosmetics. It moisturises and protects the skin, accelerates skin barrier recovery and has antimicrobial properties, among other things. We use vegetable, rapeseed-derived glycerin.

• Glycine Soja Seed Extract: Emulsifier and skin conditioning

  An emulsifier, put simply, enables the mixing of water and oil into an emulsion. This particular one is extremely mild, non-allergenic, and non-irritating, suitable for delicate and sensitive skin. It's a natural, plant-based and highly stable lysophospholipid extracted from a non-GMO soybean source, which is also able to reduce transepidermal water loss (TEWL), maintaining moisture in the skin and strengthening the integrity of the skin barrier. Bonus: it also enhances collagen and elastin production.

• Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil: Sunflower seed oil

  Emollient. Sunflower oil is widely used in skincare, and has a high concentration of natural vitamin E, and is especially well suited for dry and dehydrated skin, due to a high linoleic acid content (at around 60%), which aids in strengthening the skin barrier.

• Phytic Acid: Chelating

  A chelating agent improves product stability. This one is a natural alternative to the widely used EDTA.

• Polyglyceryl-3 Dicitrates/Stearate: Emulsifying and surfactant

  An emulsifier, put simply, enables the mixing of water and oil into an emulsion. This particular one is gentle on the skin, non-ionic, based on glycerin, stearic acid and citric acid, and is made from rapeseed and RSPO certified palm oils.

• Rhamnose: Humectant

  Rhamnose is a plant-based sugar with hydrating, anti-inflammatory, skin soothing and skin rejuvenating properties.

• Sclerotium Gum: Thickening, skin conditioning and emulsion stabilising

  A natural and commonly used thickener in cosmetics, sclerotium gum too is a polysaccharide produced from sugars through fermentation. This one gets its name from the Sclerotium rolfsii bacteria species. Origin: glucose syrup from wheat/corn.

• Sodium Anisate: Antimicrobial, flavouring agent and preservative

  The salt form of star anis derived organic acid.

• Sodium Levulinate: Skin conditioning and preservative

  Sodium levulinate is the sodium salt of levulinic acid, which is an organic acid derived from in this case sugarcane.

• Xanthan Gum: Thickening, gel forming and emulsion stabilising

  A natural and commonly used mainly thickener and gelling agent in cosmetics, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide produced through Bacterial fermentation of pure culture Xanthomonas Campestris with protein and carbohydrate sources, in this case from soy or corn.

• Xylitol: Humectant and skin conditioning

  Xylitol is a sugar alcohol and moisturises and conditions skin, whilst possessing anti-bacterial properties. There is some interesting research that suggests xylitol has the ability to inhibit bacterial biofilm on skin, which in turn may be the cause of many skin issues. The one we use is made in Finland from Finnish oats, and has probiotic properties.