We only use ingredients we can explain. Here’s what each one does for your skin or hair, in plain language, with the published research behind it — including where the science is strong and where it’s more limited. We’d rather tell you the honest version than oversell.
Jojoba oil Simmondsia chinensis seed oil
the closest thing to your skin’s own oil
Jojoba isn’t really an oil; it’s a liquid wax made of the same kind of building blocks as the oil your skin makes on its own (sebum). That’s why it sinks in instead of sitting on top, why it feels light, and why it tends to be so well tolerated. It’s also what softens coarse beard hair without a greasy film.
The research: Pazyar N, et al., “Jojoba in dermatology: a succinct review,” 2013; Gad HA, et al., “Jojoba Oil: Chemistry, Uses and Toxicity,” Pharmaceutics, 2021.
Straight talk: Jojoba is widely regarded as non-comedogenic (it doesn’t tend to clog pores). That reputation is well earned, though it rests on real-world experience more than a big formal trial.
Sunflower oil Helianthus annuus seed oil
light, and kind to your skin’s barrier
Sunflower seed oil is high in linoleic acid, the fatty acid your skin’s protective barrier is partly built from. In skin studies it helped keep that barrier intact and improved moisture. Not every oil does — some richer oils can actually weaken the barrier — which is exactly why we chose this one as the base of the blend.
The research: Danby SG, et al., “Effect of olive and sunflower seed oil on the adult skin barrier,” Pediatric Dermatology, 2013; Lin TK, et al., “Anti-Inflammatory and Skin Barrier Repair Effects of Topical Plant Oils,” Int. J. Mol. Sci., 2018.
Straight talk: In that study it was olive oil that weakened the barrier, not sunflower — so this is about choosing the right oil, and sunflower is one of the good ones. The benefit was real but gentle, not dramatic.
Linoleic acid
the reason a sunflower oil won’t clog
That same linoleic acid is linked to clearer pores. When skin runs low on it, pores tend to clog; in a small controlled study, applying linoleic acid actually helped shrink early clogged pores over a month. It’s part of why a high-linoleic oil like ours can be worn on the face without the heaviness people expect from an oil.
The research: Letawe C, et al., “Effect of topically applied linoleic acid on … microcomedones,” Clinical & Experimental Dermatology, 1998.
Straight talk: This was a small, older study — we’re not calling our oil a treatment. It simply points the same direction as everything else: linoleic-rich oils are the light, pore-friendly ones.
Glycerin
and why we pair it with hyaluronic acid
Glycerin is one of the most-studied moisturizing ingredients there is: it pulls water into the skin, slows moisture loss, and helps the skin bounce back. We include a full 5% of it in the serum to work alongside the hyaluronic acid — a pairing that, in a clinical test, improved hydration and the skin barrier over a full day. Plenty of bare-bones hyaluronic serums leave glycerin out; ours doesn’t.
The research: Fluhr JW, et al., “Glycerol and the skin,” British Journal of Dermatology, 2008; Milani M, Sparavigna A, “24-hour hydration effects of a hyaluronic 1% + glycerin 5% fluid,” 2017.
Straight talk: That 24-hour study used the same 1% hyaluronic acid and 5% glycerin we use (it also had one plant extract), so we describe it as a formula like ours performing well — not a claim about two ingredients in isolation.
Hyaluronic acid Sodium Hyaluronate
the hydration everyone’s after, at a meaningful amount
Hyaluronic acid is your skin’s own water-holding molecule; applied on top, it draws in and holds moisture, leaving skin plumper and softer. We use it at 1% — the same amount as the clinical test above — and we put it near the top of the list so you’re actually getting it, not a trace.
The research: Papakonstantinou E, et al., “Hyaluronic acid: a key molecule in skin ageing,” Dermato-Endocrinology, 2012.
Straight talk: You’ll notice on the charts that many products bury their hyaluronic acid far down the list. Ours sits at #3 of 5 — near the top, where the amount is real.
Why fragrance is the first thing we left out
Added fragrance is one of the most common reasons skincare makes reactive skin flare — common enough that in 2007 a leading group of skin doctors named fragrance their “Allergen of the Year.” That’s why you’ll see it flagged again and again on the charts, even on products people love. We simply don’t use it — no perfume, no masking scent.
The research: American Contact Dermatitis Society, “Allergen of the Year” 2007: Fragrance; de Groot AC, et al., fragrance safety review.
Straight talk: Fragrance and preservatives trade places for the #1 spot depending on the study, so we say “one of the most common causes,” not the only one. Either way, leaving fragrance out removes the biggest single question mark.
“Natural” and “essential oils” aren’t a free pass
This surprises people: essential oils are still fragrance. Gentle-sounding components like limonene and linalool can turn into skin irritants as they age in the bottle, and some citrus oils can make skin more sensitive to sunlight. That’s why the “all-natural” scented products on the charts still carry allergen labels. Our oils have no essential oils at all.
The research: Sköld M, et al. (2002) and Christensson JB, et al. (2012), on limonene/linalool; de Groot & Schmidt, “Tea tree oil,” Contact Dermatitis, 2016.
Straight talk: To be precise: these components are mild when fresh and become more of a concern as they oxidize over time. Either way, “natural fragrance” is still fragrance.
Benzyl alcohol
yes, it’s in the serum, and no, it’s not the drying kind
Skeptics catch this one, and they’re right to check. Our serum uses a tiny amount (0.3%) of benzyl alcohol to keep a water-based product safe. It is not “alcohol denat.” — the drying alcohol you see high on some ingredient lists. Benzyl alcohol at this level is a gentle preservative; in large skin-testing datasets it rarely causes a reaction, and it’s permitted at more than three times the amount we use.
The research: Benzyl alcohol allergen monograph (NACDG patch-test data, ~0.2% reactions); EU cosmetics rules permit benzyl alcohol as a preservative up to 1%.
Straight talk: This is the honest distinction: a preservative at a fraction of a percent is not the same as a drying alcohol used near the top of a formula. Different ingredient, different job.
Vitamin E Tocopherol
the reason the oil stays fresh
Vitamin E is a natural antioxidant. In the bottle it keeps the oils from going stale or rancid; on skin, it helps protect your skin’s own surface oils. A little goes a long way, which is why it’s just 1% of the blend.
The research: Keen MA, Hassan I, “Vitamin E in dermatology,” Indian Dermatology Online Journal, 2016.
Straight talk: We keep the vitamin E claim modest on purpose — it’s a genuinely good antioxidant and preservative for the oil; we’re not going to promise it erases wrinkles.
Fewer ingredients, fewer things to react to
This is the idea the whole line is built on. Every extra ingredient — especially fragrances and long botanical blends — is one more thing your skin could react to. Skin doctors routinely steer reactive skin toward short, fragrance-free ingredient lists for exactly this reason. It’s why a three- or five-ingredient formula can be gentler than a thirty- or seventy-ingredient one, no matter how many awards the longer list has won.
The research: American Academy of Dermatology guidance on simple, fragrance-free products for sensitive skin.
Straight talk: This is well-established guidance rather than a single headline study — but it’s the reason “read the whole label in ten seconds” is a feature, not a gimmick.
The two most-awarded serums of the year are clean — and so are we. The Ordinary (an Allure Readers’ Choice winner) and The INKEY List (an Allure winner) are fragrance-free and simple, just like ours. If you already love one of those, you and your skin are on the right track. We’re in that same clean camp — with the shortest list of all.
“Top-rated” doesn’t always mean “gentle.” The serum crowned Best Overall by one magazine has a drying alcohol high on its list, a citrus oil, and three silicones — at $120 an ounce. The one called Best for Sensitive Skin has a drying alcohol as its third ingredient, and fragrance. That’s not an attack on them; it’s just what their labels say.
Ours is five ingredients, and you can read every one. Water, glycerin, hyaluronic acid, a tiny bit of preservative, and a pinch of natural thickener. The hydrating hero sits at #3, near the top — where it actually counts.