Explained
Squalane rarely gets top billing, which is a shame – it's one of the most useful and least troublesome ingredients you can add to a routine, and it makes almost...
Hyaluronic acid is the most widely used hydrating ingredient in skincare, and the most commonly misused – usually by people applying it to bone-dry skin and wondering why it made...
Vitamin C is the most bought and most wasted active in skincare – wasted because a great many bottles oxidise on a shelf before they're finished. Understanding which form you're...
Niacinamide is the least dramatic active on the shelf and probably the most useful. It doesn't sting, it doesn't require a tolerance-building programme, and it gets along with everything –...
If glycolic acid is the one everyone's heard of, lactic acid is the one more people should be using. It does much the same job with considerably less drama, and...
Glycolic acid is the benchmark exfoliant – the one every other acid gets compared to. It's also the one most likely to be overdone. Here's how to get the results...
AHA is one of those acronyms that appears on half the products in a bathroom without ever being properly explained. Here's what alpha hydroxy acids are, how the main ones...
Witch hazel has been in bathroom cabinets for well over a century, which makes it one of the few skincare ingredients your grandmother and your dermatologist might both have an...
Azelaic acid doesn't get the attention retinol or vitamin C do, but it's quietly one of the most useful actives on the shelf – particularly for anyone whose skin reacts...
Salicylic acid is the ingredient most people reach for when their skin looks congested – and the one most often used incorrectly, usually by applying too much, too often, to...
Retinol has been in cosmetic skincare since the 1980s, which makes it the most studied ingredient on most people's shelves. It also has a reputation for being difficult – and...