Decode Your Skincare.
Plain-spoken, research-backed guides to what's actually in your skincare — what each ingredient does, the concentration that works, and who it's for.
Start with the essentials
- Humectant
1,2-Hexanediol
Read the guide → - Brightening
3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Read the guide → - Brightening
Butylresorcinol
4-Butylresorcinol
Read the guide → - Soothing
4-t-Butylcyclohexanol
Read the guide → - Brightening
N-Acetyl Glucosamine
Acetyl Glucosamine
Read the guide → - Anti-aging
Argireline
Acetyl Hexapeptide-8
Read the guide →
Find it by what it does
Every entry, grounded in the published research.
We read the studies so you don't have to. Each ingredient is graded on published evidence — effective concentrations, safety, comedogenicity — and written in plain language. When the evidence is thin or contested, we say so instead of rounding up.
How we research →Evidence over marketing
Every claim traces to credible research, or it does not go on the page.
Honest about uncertainty
When the science is thin or conflicting, we say so plainly.
Conservative on safety
Pregnancy and safety guidance defaults to caution when evidence is unsettled.
Literature review
We start from the published research on an ingredient, not a brand's product page.
Conservative grading
Where sources disagree, we take the more careful number rather than the more flattering one.
Explicit uncertainty
Thin or conflicting evidence is stated plainly. An honest gap beats a confident guess.