Grouped by product, then by what each ingredient is doing in the formula. Evidence level is stated on every entry, and we label it rather than argue it.
A copper-bound peptide the body makes naturally, used on skin to support its own repair signalling.
Evidence: MechanisticWhat it does for you
Supports firmer, more even-looking skin on a timeline of months rather than days. Because it works with a signal your skin already recognises rather than forcing a reaction, most people tolerate it well.
A licensed two-peptide complex from Sederma, made up of Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 and Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, used to support firmness.
Evidence: MechanisticWhat it does for you
Supports firmness and smoother-looking texture alongside the copper peptide. It is the supporting act to VitalCopper's lead active, not a second headline.
A lipid-modified form of the GHK peptide, used without copper, and one half of the Matrixyl 3000 pair.
Evidence: MechanisticWhat it does for you
Works alongside the copper peptide to support firmness. A supporting active, not the lead.
A lipid-modified four-amino-acid peptide included for its calming role, and the second half of Matrixyl 3000.
Evidence: MechanisticWhat it does for you
Supports a calmer baseline alongside the other peptides. A supporting active, not the lead.
The most studied and most reliable humectant in skincare.
Evidence: Human trialsWhat it does for you
Draws water into the upper layers of skin and keeps it there.
Why we use it
It is unglamorous and it works. Formulas that skip glycerin to make room for a more marketable humectant are usually worse.
Mechanism
Glycerin attracts water and also supports the channels skin uses to move water between cells.
Hyaluronic acid broken into smaller fragments so it settles in faster and sits deeper.
Evidence: MechanisticWhat it does for you
The part of the hydration system you feel first, before the heavier forms settle.
Why we use it
The third weight in the system. Surface, mid and fast-acting, so hydration is not just a top layer.
Mechanism
Smaller fragments move past the very surface and hydrate slightly deeper than full-size hyaluronic acid.
The salt form of hyaluronic acid, more stable and smaller than the parent molecule, used both on skin and taken orally.
Evidence: Human trialsWhat it does for you
On skin it holds water where you can feel it. Taken orally, trials report improvements in hydration and fine lines over about twelve weeks.
A large water-binding polysaccharide from the snow mushroom, used as a botanical humectant.
Evidence: MechanisticWhat it does for you
Adds a soft, cushioned feel and helps hold water at the surface.
Why we use it
Chosen for how it makes the formula behave on skin. We include it for texture and surface hydration, not as a headline active.
Mechanism
Like other large polysaccharides, it holds water in a film at the skin surface, slowing evaporation.
Commonly confused with
Often described as a natural alternative to hyaluronic acid. That is a marketing analogy, not a tested equivalence, and we do not use it as a substitute.
A large water-binding molecule the body already makes, used here as the highest-weight layer of a multi-weight system.
Evidence: Human trialsWhat it does for you
Holds water at the surface, which is what gives skin an immediately plumper look.
Why we use it
Used alongside two smaller forms rather than alone. One molecular weight only works at one depth.
Mechanism
Hyaluronic acid binds many times its weight in water. At this size it stays at the surface and forms a hydrated film.
Commonly confused with
Hyaluronic acid, sodium hyaluronate and hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid are the same molecule at different sizes and in different forms, not three different ingredients.
Broken-down forms of the sugar molecules that make up part of skin's own moisture-holding matrix.
Evidence: Formulation roleWhat it does for you
Supports the hydration system and helps the formula stay stable and consistent.
Why we use it
A supporting part of the hydration system rather than a claim of its own.
A fermentation-derived polymer that forms a water-holding film on the skin surface.
Evidence: MechanisticWhat it does for you
Helps the hydration you apply stay put for longer.
Why we use it
It layers well with the hyaluronic acid system without competing with it.
Mechanism
A large, strongly water-loving polymer that binds water and forms a film, slowing evaporation. It is too big to penetrate meaningfully, and it is not meant to.
Commonly confused with
You will often see the claim that polyglutamic acid holds four to five times more water than hyaluronic acid. We cannot trace that figure to a peer-reviewed source, so we do not repeat it.
The amide form of vitamin B3, one of the best-evidenced ingredients in skincare, used for barrier support and evenness.
Evidence: Human trialsWhat it does for you
Helps skin hold onto water, look more even in tone, and stay less reactive day to day.
Panthenol, also called provitamin B5, is a humectant and barrier ingredient that skin converts into pantothenic acid.
Evidence: Human trialsWhat it does for you
Helps skin hold water and feel less reactive. It is one of the reasons a high-active formula can still feel calm rather than tight.
A naturally occurring osmolyte that helps cells manage their water balance.
Evidence: MechanisticWhat it does for you
Takes the edge off. It helps a high-active formula feel comfortable rather than tight.
Why we use it
Tolerance is a feature, not an afterthought.
Mechanism
Betaine helps skin cells hold water without disrupting their internal chemistry, which supports hydration and reduces the sting some actives can cause.
A plant-derived thickener that gives the serum its texture.
Evidence: Formulation roleWhy we use it
Texture is how a serum earns daily use. This is what stops it running off your fingers.
A gelling agent that controls how the formula spreads and sits on skin.
Evidence: Formulation roleWhy we use it
Controlled application means an even dose every time, which matters when consistency is the point.
A solubiliser that keeps every ingredient evenly dispersed through the formula.
Evidence: Formulation roleWhy we use it
A dose only counts if it is the same in the first pump and the last.
A widely used preservative that keeps the formula safe once opened.
Evidence: Formulation roleWhy we use it
A water-based serum without adequate preservation is a microbiology problem, not a clean beauty statement.
Commonly confused with
Phenoxyethanol is not a paraben. It is one of the most reviewed preservatives in cosmetics and is permitted worldwide at up to 1%.
A preservative booster that lets the main preservative work at a lower level.
Evidence: Formulation roleWhy we use it
Less preservative overall, same protection.
A dual-purpose ingredient that hydrates lightly and supports preservation.
Evidence: Formulation roleWhy we use it
Two jobs from one ingredient keeps the list shorter.
Purified water, the base the formula is built in.
Evidence: Formulation roleWhy we use it
Water-soluble actives need water. Being first on an ingredient list says nothing about a formula's quality.
A solvent and humectant that helps dissolve actives and adds mild preservation.
Evidence: Formulation roleWhy we use it
Peptides have to be properly in solution to be delivered evenly.
A light solvent and humectant that affects how the serum feels going on.
Evidence: Formulation roleWhy we use it
Keeps the formula from feeling heavy or tacky under sunscreen.
Commonly confused with
Butylene glycol is not propylene glycol, and neither is related to the ethylene glycol used in antifreeze, despite the shared word.
Type I collagen from fish, broken into short peptides so it survives digestion and reaches the bloodstream.
Evidence: Human trialsWhat it does for you
The most consistent result across research is better skin hydration. Improvements in elasticity and fine lines show up in some trials but not all, so we set expectations at hydration first.
A more finely broken-down collagen fraction, rich in three-amino-acid peptides that are measurably absorbed into the bloodstream.
Evidence: Emerging human dataWhat it does for you
Included to strengthen the signal per gram rather than to add a separate benefit. Trials report better water retention in skin.
An essential vitamin and a required cofactor for the enzymes that stabilise newly built collagen.
Evidence: MechanisticWhat it does for you
Makes sure the step that stabilises collagen is not the thing holding you back. It is insurance on the pathway rather than an active benefit in its own right.
A three-amino-acid molecule that is the body's main internal antioxidant, taken orally for skin tone and brightness.
Evidence: Emerging human dataWhat it does for you
Included for tone and brightness. This is the ingredient in our formula with the least settled evidence, and we would rather say so than imply otherwise.
The salt form of hyaluronic acid, more stable and smaller than the parent molecule, used both on skin and taken orally.
Evidence: Human trialsWhat it does for you
On skin it holds water where you can feel it. Taken orally, trials report improvements in hydration and fine lines over about twelve weeks.
Plant-derived ceramides taken orally to support the skin's own barrier lipids.
Evidence: Emerging human dataWhat it does for you
Supports the barrier from the inside, which shows up as skin losing less water.
Why we use it
Hydration is the outcome oral supplements support most reliably, so we build toward it from more than one direction.
Mechanism
Dietary glucosylceramides are broken down in the gut into building blocks that are absorbed and may feed into, or signal for, the skin's own ceramide production.
The single most abundant amino acid in collagen, making up around a third of its structure.
Evidence: MechanisticWhat it does for you
Supplies the raw material collagen is built from, so the building blocks are not the limiting step.
Why we use it
Included as substrate alongside the peptides that carry the signal. We are clear that this is a supporting role built on biochemistry rather than on skin trials.
Mechanism
Collagen is roughly one third glycine. The reasoning is that the body's own glycine production may not be generous enough for maximum collagen synthesis, making it worth supplying.
An amino acid that, once modified, forms the backbone of collagen's triple helix.
Evidence: MechanisticWhat it does for you
Part of the substrate pool collagen is assembled from.
Why we use it
Proline and its hydroxylated form are collagen-specific in a way most amino acids are not. This is where vitamin C does its work.
Mechanism
Proline is converted to hydroxyproline by an enzyme that requires vitamin C, and that conversion is what allows the collagen helix to hold its shape.
An essential amino acid the body cannot make, used in the cross-links that give collagen its strength.
Evidence: MechanisticWhat it does for you
Supports the step that makes collagen strong rather than merely present.
Why we use it
Cross-linking is what turns collagen strands into structure. Lysine and copper are both required for it, which is why they appear together here.
Mechanism
Lysine residues are modified and then cross-linked by lysyl oxidase, a copper-dependent enzyme. Those cross-links are what give collagen its tensile strength.
A plant source of silicon, a trace mineral involved in connective tissue.
Evidence: MechanisticWhat it does for you
Included for connective tissue support alongside the collagen inputs.
An essential trace mineral required by the enzyme that cross-links collagen and elastin.
Evidence: MechanisticWhat it does for you
Makes sure the enzyme that gives collagen its strength has what it needs.
