NEXT GEN ingredients

Feeling unsure (or completely confused) about the ingredients you need in your skincare routine? A new book will help set the record straight

- SALLY HUNWICK

If you've ever stood in the beauty aisle, turned a bottle over and attempted to decode the tiny print on the back, you're not alone.

In an era when "miracle" ingredients touting skin nirvana seem to drop into our social feeds every week, understanding what's inside our skincare and whether it is helping our complexion can feel like it requires a degree in chemistry.

First, it pays to know how these lists are laid out. "Every cosmetic must list its ingredients [above 1 per cent] in descending order of concentration," explains Silvia Stanica, senior manager of scientific communications at Deciem, creators of The Ordinary. "Reading it helps you understand what's really in your skincare and why it's there." Labels are not just about spotlighting a buzzy active, they also reveal the quiet workhorses of a formula: the stabilisers that keep your vitamin C potent; the humectants that help hydration sink in; the preservatives that ensure the formula stays safe and effective. For those with sensitive skin, labels can help avoid potential irritants. For everyone else, they can be a safeguard against over-layering or mixing ingredients that don't pair well.

For essential skincare, Stanica champions a foundational trio: a gentle cleanser, a hydrating moisturiser and a broad-spectrum sunscreen. Then come products proven to help skin get to the next level. Stanica points to ingredients such as retinoids to help with firmness and texture, antioxidants such as vitamin C for environmental protection and barrier-supporters such as ceramides and amino acids to help with resilience.

And the next frontier? Biotech. "Advances in biotechnology and bio fermentation are creating vegan, more sustainable versions of well-known ingredients such as PDRN," she says, referring to the Korean element derived from salmon DNA.