Sephora Favorites Skincare Essentials

This product contains astaxanthin, palmitoyl tripeptide-5. These ingredients might be able to help reduce and prevent fine lines and wrinkles, improve skin elasticity and firmness, but there is not enough evidence that it actually works.

This product can help improve hydration of the skin with the two types of ingredients.

The first type is called “humectants”:
these ingredients help attract water. When humectants are on the surface of the skin, they “pull in” the moisture from the outside environment, or from within deeper layers of the skin. The following ingredients in this product do the job: glycerin, pca.

This product also contains ingredients called “occlusives”. They help reduce the speed with which our skin loses moisture to the outside environment. These ingredients also help soften the upper layer of the skin, so it feels less tight and nicer to the touch. The following ingredients in this product do the job: caprylic/capric triglyceride, squalane.

The following ingredients in this product are especially good for supporting the skin barrier and helping with the hydration level: palmitoyl tripeptide-5, panthenol

This product can help reduce breakouts and clogged pores because it contains the following ingredient: salicylic acid. This ingredient is used for treating acne and can have a noticeable effect.

This product can help exfoliate the skin. In other words, it helps break down the bonds between dead cells on the surface of the skin and speed up the skin turnover. Skin often appears softer and brighter after exfoliation, but overdoing it can result in disrupted skin barrier. The following ingredient is doing the exfoliating job in this product: salicylic acid.

This product contains antioxidants (astaxanthin) that can help neutralize free radicals in skin. By doing so, they can lessen the damage the skin gets from the UV light (sun).

The following ingredients - ginkgo biloba leaf extract, palmitoyl grapevine shoot extract also can have an antioxidant effect, but there is less evidence to confirm their effectiveness in skin.