The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%

The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% ingredients explained: Aqua (Water), Niacinamide, Pentylene Glycol, Zinc Pca, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Tamarindus Indica Seed Gum, Xanthan Gum, Isoceteth-20, Ethoxydiglycol, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin Show all ingredients by function Aqua (Water) solvent Niacinamide cell-communicating ingredient, skin brightening, anti-acne, moisturizer/​humectant superstar Pentylene Glycol solvent, moisturizer/​humectant Zinc Pca anti-acne, moisturizer/​humectant goodie Dimethyl Isosorbide solvent, viscosity controlling Tamarindus Indica Seed Gum moisturizer/​humectant, viscosity controlling Xanthan Gum viscosity controlling Isoceteth-20 emulsifying, surfactant/​cleansing Ethoxydiglycol solvent, moisturizer/​humectant, perfuming 0, 0 Phenoxyethanol preservative Chlorphenesin preservative, antimicrobial/​antibacterial Good old water, aka H2O. The most common skincare ingredient of all. You can usually find it right in the very first spot of the ingredient list, meaning it’s the biggest thing out of all the stuff that makes up the product. It’s mainly a solvent for ingredients that do not like to dissolve in oils but rather in water. Expand to read more Once inside the skin, it hydrates, but not from the outside - putting pure water on the skin (hello long baths!) is drying. One more thing: the water used in cosmetics is purified and deionized (it means that almost all of the mineral ions inside it is removed). Like this, the products can stay more stable over time. A multi-functional skincare superstar with several proven benefits for the skin Great anti-aging, wrinkle smoothing ingredient used at 4-5% concentration Fades brown spots alone or in combination with amino sugar, acetyl glucosamine Increases ceramide synthesis that results in a stronger, healthier skin barrier and better skin hydration Can help to improve several skin conditions including acne, rosacea, and atopic dermatitis A multi-functional, silky feeling helper ingredient that can do quite many things. It's used as an emulsion stabilizer, solvent and a broad spectrum antimicrobial. According to manufacturer info, it's also a moisturizer and helps to make the product feel great on the skin. It works synergistically with preservatives and helps to improve water-resistance of sunscreens. If you have oily, acne-prone skin, Zinc PCA is one of the actives to put on your "TO TRY" list. It's a synergistic association of two great things: Zinc and L-PCA. The Zinc part is there to help normalize sebum production and limit the proliferation of evil acne-causing bacteria. L-PCA stands for pyrrolidone carboxylic acid and it's a key molecule in the skin that helps with processes of hydration and energy (it's actually an NMF, a natural moisturizing factor). L-PCA is not only there to hydrate the skin, but it also helps to increase the efficacy and bioavailability of zinc. An in-vivo (done on real people) test done by the manufacturer shows that Zinc PCA reduces sebum production statistically significantly after 28 days of application (1% was used in the test), and in-vitro (made in the lab) measurements show that Zinc PCA has strong anti-microbial activity against P. acnes (between 0.1-0.25%) and other bacterial strains. If that would not be enough there is also a 2011 research paper saying that based on in-vitro (made in the lab, not on real people) findings Zinc PCA might be a promising anti-aging active that helps with the production of type I collagen (and we all know more collagen = firmer skin). All in all, definitely a goodie for oily, acne-prone skin. A little helper ingredient that can boost the performance and enhance the delivery of active ingredients in a formula. It can penetrate deep layers of the skin helping actives to do the same. It's especially useful to help active ingredients for self-tan what‑it‑does cell-communicating ingredient | skin brightening | anti-acne | moisturizer/humectant solvent | moisturizer/humectant anti-acne | moisturizer/humectant solvent | viscosity controlling moisturizer/humectant | viscosity controlling emulsifying | surfactant/cleansing solvent | moisturizer/humectant | perfuming irritancy, com. preservative | antimicrobial/antibacterial