Clarifying Serum

Solvent. Water. The main vehicle for our Clarifying Serum.

Solvent and humectant. Apart from being an excellent, non-irritating solvent, the glycol propanediol has excellent hydrating and preservative boosting properties. The one we use is made from fermentation of glucose, from corn.

Skin conditioning. Ectoin is a powerful, small, multi-tasking and natural stress-protection molecule, a so-called extremolyte. From a chemical point of view, it is a cyclic amino acid derivate. Extremolytes protect extremophilic microorganisms and plants from the extreme conditions of their habitats like salt lakes, hot springs, permanent ice or deserts. The properties of ectoin have been proven by various in-vivo studies: its benefits include long-term moisturisation, diminished skin roughness, skin barrier repair and anti-inflammatory and anti-irritant properties. We get ours from a lovely company in Germany, where it is produced through biotechnological fermentation from a specific, non-GMO strain of the halophilic bacteria Halomonas elongata.

Humectant and skin conditioning. Zinc PCA regulates sebum production, reinforces the skin's barrier function and together with Copper PCA fights pimples. The zinc salt of L-Pyrrolidone Carboxylic acid or L-PCA. L-PCA is obtained by the cyclization of L-glutamic acid, amino-acid from vegetal origin.

Thickening, gel forming and 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. Together with acacia senegal gum, it makes up the gel base for our Clarifying Serum.

Film forming. Also known as gum arabic, acacia gum is a natural gum consisting of the hardened sap of two species of the acacia tree. In cosmetics, acacia gum is used for it's ability to create less stringy, or slimy and sticky, gels. The acacia gum we use is ethically and sustainably handpicked in Africa, and is a 100% renewable raw material.

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 European hardwood.

Humectant and skin conditioning. Copper PCA is also antimicrobial, astringent, sebum regulating and fights impurities. The copper salt of L-Pyrrolidone Carboxylic acid or L-PCA is obtained by the cyclization of L-glutamic acid, amino-acid from vegetal origin. Gives the product a slight blueish colour.

Absorbent. Mesoporous silica, trade named Algica, from Swedish algae, that absorbs impurities and bacteria. Improves skin's moisture retention by its ability to bind water, in a manner similar to hyaluronic acid.

Buffering agent. Citric acid is a commonly used buffering, i.e. pH adjusting, agent in cosmetics. The appropriate pH is vital for a product's preservative system to work, but also to guarantee its skin-friendliness. Citric acid 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.