All about ingredients
The good stuff
Here’s a list of the ingredients we do include and the benefits you can expect from them. Our products are also fragrance-free and vegan friendly!
VITAMIN C
Vitamin C, or Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, offers many benefits for the skin and is safe for most skin types. It is also one of the key ingredients within our very own Wonderment serum. Benefits include:
- Hydrating and brightening your skin;
- Reducing redness and evening out your skin tone;
- Promoting collagen production – which helps keep your skin firm and youthful;
- Reducing the appearance of under-eye circles;
- Helping to protect your skin against sun and other environmental damage.
VITAMIN B3
Vitamin B3, or Niacinamide, is another key ingredient in our Wonderment serum. It works alongside Vitamin C to provide the following benefits for your skin:
- Preventing water loss and keeping your skin moisturised;
- Reducing redness and inflammation – which is great for treating inflammatory skin conditions like acne and eczema;
- Minimising pores and keeping your skin smooth;
- Reducing skin discolouration, brightening the skin and lightening dark spots;
- Promoting collagen production – which helps keep your skin firm and youthful.
ORANGE BLOSSOM WATER
Orange Blossom Water, or citrus aurantium, is anti-inflammatory, and helps to calm sensitive and problematic skin. It also hydrates and moisturises the skin, keeping it soft and smooth.
HYALURONIC ACID
Hyaluronic Acid is a substance your skin naturally produces, keeping it well hydrated and moisturised. The problem is that environment and age can cause our hyaluronic acid levels to dip. To get these levels back up, eating a diet which is rich in fruit and vegetables, as well as using skincare products which include it in their formula, is necessary.
AHA FRUIT EXTRACTS
AHA Fruit Extracts is a blend of five botanical extracts: bilberry, sugar cane, sugar maple, orange, and lemon. These extracts contain several naturally occurring alpha hydroxy acids, which offer their own unique benefits:
Glycolic Acid exfoliates the skin, removing surface dead skin cells, as well as leaving your skin clearer and brighter.
Lactic Acid treats hyperpigmentation, age spots and other factors which contribute to a dull and uneven complexion.
Malic Acid is important for skin hydration, exfoliation, as well as improving your skin’s smoothness and tone.
Citric Acid has antioxidant properties, which protects your skin against environmental factors like sun damage and pollution.
Tartaric Acid can boost your immune system and shield your body from infections, while also having an anti-ageing effect.
Nasties we don't include
Here’s a list of the ingredients we don’t include in our skincare line because they’re more trouble than they’re worth!
SLS AND SLES
Formed from petroleum and plant sources such as palm oil, SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate) or SLE (Sodium Laureth Sulfate) are used in many beauty products to create a lathering effect. This gives us the illusion of being cleaned.
They often cause skin irritation, particularly around the eyes and mouth, stripping the skin of the natural oils that it needs for protection. Sensitive skin types, as well as those prone to reactions and acne, are most likely to experience major skin irritation from these ingredients.
SLS and SLE aren’t great for the environment either! The synthetic sulfate comes from sources like petroleum and palm oil. Petroleum products contribute to climate change, pollution and greenhouse gases, while palm oil is a leading cause for deforestation.
BUTYLATED HYDROXYANISOLE (BHA)
Butylated Hydroxyanisole, or BHA, is a widely used synthetic antioxidant. It is often found within food, cosmetics and skincare products, like exfoliants. The National Toxicology Program reports that BHA is ‘reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen’. Their studies found a connection between the antioxidant and formation of cancer in the animals who consumed it.
While small amounts of BHA do not cause significant harm to us, frequently eating food and the daily use of cosmetic products which contain BHA increases the risk of being exposed to an unsafe level. If you think about how many times you apply these skincare products to your skin, it all adds up! This puts you at risk of all the negative bodily effects of BHA over time.
PARABENS
Parabens are a type of preservative used in cosmetic products – from makeup to moisturiser, shampoo to shaving gels – often to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria. They can penetrate the skin and mimic estrogen in the body. This has been linked to breast cancer, skin cancer and a decreased sperm count. While the rate of parabens in cosmetics is decreasing, there’s still many products out there which still include them as part of their formula.
PEGS
PEGs, or polyethylene glycol, are the tiny plastic beads found in face, lip and body scrubs, as well as toothpaste. Their popularity stems from being gentler on the skin than more grainy, natural exfoliators, such as walnut shells or rice.
However, when applied to the skin, polyethylene acts as a skin irritant and can cause major skin issues. They are also often contaminated with 1,4-dioxane during processing. As well as being a potential human carcinogen (i.e. linked with cancer), they can cause liver and kidney damage.
PEGs are not only bad for us, but for the environment too! The plastic beads contribute to the pollution of our oceans because they are not filtered out by our sewerage system. This leads to harmful effects to the fish and other marine life which consume them.
RETINOL
Retinol is a popular anti-aging ingredient. It works by absorbing into your skin and speeding up the cell turnover cycle, causing your body to develop a fresh layer of skin quicker. This leaves you with softer, more youthful-looking skin.
However, retinol is a highly reactive molecule. This means it can break down and lose its potency as soon as it is exposed to sunlight – which happens as soon as you apply the product to your skin. It is especially dangerous when it’s included in sun creams, moisturisers and lip products. Instead of helping to keep your skin looking young and fresh, it makes your skin more susceptible to sun damage and can speed up aging.
SILICONE
Silicone is often used to give cosmetic and skincare products a soft, smooth finish. They leave the skin looking and feeling smoother, filling any cracks and crevices, and helping makeup to apply better – making them a popular ingredient for primers.
Silicone is often praised for moisturising and healing the skin, but doesn’t have any antioxidant properties at all. Instead, silicone has been found to dehydrate the skin by preventing moisture from getting in. This can leave you with dry and dull skin, as well as speed up the effects of aging.
People prone to breakouts, acne and irritations often find that their skin conditions worsen when using products that contain silicone. Due to the barrier silicone forms on the skin, it can leave you with clogged and enlarged pores. It also stops other skincare ingredients from being absorbed into the skin, making the products less effective.
Silicone is bad for the environment. Like rubber and plastic, it is not biodegradable and cannot be recycled.
