Top 100 Asian Skincare Ingredients Glossary
In Asian skincare, there's a strong focus on extracts, cold-pressed oils, herbal ingredients, and ferments to offer powerful anti-oxidants, hydrate, soothe, and boost barrier function in the skin. A lot of these ingredients can be foreign to those who want to experiment with Korean or Japanese skincare products for the first time. I've made sure to list the top benefits of each ingredient.
You can also search by ingredient in the search bar in our shop to find products that have it. Feel free to ask us in the chat if you have any questions about ingredients and their use, or how to pick the products with the right ingredients for you!
Note: The same ingredient can come in a lot of forms (oil, extract, water, ferment, etc). As a general rule of thumb:
Waters
Derived from seeping an ingredient (ex: ginger, green tea leaves, centella) in water, offers light benefits of the ingredient that absorbs easily into the skin
Oils
Created from cold pressing ingredients (ex: macadamia, camellia, tamanu) to bring concentrated benefits of the ingredient as well as fatty acids as emollients. Often these oils have strong soothing properties, and are non-comedogenic so those with oily skin can also use it.
Extracts
Extract the main benefits of the ingredient from the source. The efficacy depends on the extraction process and how much of the extract is present in a product.
Ferments
Fermenting an ingredient (rice, soybean, yeast) stabilize the natural bacteria on your skin and supports the natural skin barrier through pre and probiotics, contain more fatty acids, and activate anti-oxidants.
Top 100 Asian skincare ingredients
| Acerola Fruit Extract | Anti-oxidants, hydrating, anti-aging, vitamin C/B |
| Adenosine | Anti-aging, soothing, skin restoring |
| Allantoin | Moisturizes, softens skin, decreases itching & flaking |
| Aloe leaf extract | Hydrating, cooling, soothing irritation |
| Apple fruit water | Gentle AHA exfoliant, retains moisture, anti-oxidant |
| Apricot Seed | Vitamin E, fatty acids, nourishing |
| Arbutin | Evens & lightens skin tone, reduces scars, brightening |
| Arginine | Boosts collagen production, skin cell regeneration, skin repair |
| Artemisia extract | Reduce inflammation, clear acne, anti-aging, soothes irritation |
| Beeswax | Moisturizing, occlusive |
| Beet Root Extract | Vitamin C, fights acne, fades spots, reduces pigmentation |
| Beta Glucan | Barrier building, water retention, 20% more hydrating than HA |
| Betain Salicylate | Gentler version of salicylic acid, BHA, clear pores & blackheads, reduces skin congestion |
| Betaine | Moisturizing amino acid |
| Bifida ferment filtrate | Enables skin to repair itself, prevent skin damage, increases collagen |
| Birch Juice | Reduce inflammation, anti-aging, hydrating, deeply absorbed |
| Blueberry | Anti-oxidant, brightening, moisturizing |
| Caffeine | Reduce puffiness, firming, brightening |
| Calendula | Healing, nourishing, anti-inflammatory, moisture retention |
| Camellia Japonica Extract | Moisturizing, hydrating, anti-oxidants, anti-aging |
| Cassia obtusifolia seed extract | Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory |
| Centella Asiatica | Wound healing, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, increases collagen |
| Ceramides | Replenish moisture, build barrier, increase hydration |
| Cholesterol | Balances moisture, with fatty acids & ceramides creates holy trinity of moisture |
| Citric Acid | AHA, brightens skin, gentler due to larger compounds than glycolic or lactic acid |
| Cocoa extract | Antioxidant, moisturizing, firming |
| Coco-caprylate | Prebiotic, lightweight, softens skin, emollient |
| Collagen | Protein keeping skin soft and supple, anti-aging |
| Ferulic acid | Anti-aging, anti-oxidant, reverses sun damage |
| Galactomyces | Yeast ferment, brightening, anti-aging, smoothing |
| Ginseng root water | Anti-aging, reduce inflammation, protect skin barrier, anti-oxidant |
| Glutamic Acid | Hydrating and conditioning amino acid |
| Glycerin | Water retention, smooths skin, moisturization |
| Glycolic acid | Most potent AHA, smooths skin, reduces scarring & texture |
| Grain ferment extract | Nourishing, barrier repair, brightening |
| Green tea (Camellia Sinensis) Leaf | Lightweight, anti-oxidant, vitamin A/B/E, reduce pigmentation |
| Hemp Seed Oil | Balance oil, fatty acids, soothing, anti-inflammatory |
| Hippohae Fruit Extract | Vitamin B/C/E, anti-xidant, soothing, skin conditioning |
| Honey | Glow, anti-inflammatory, acne fighting, improves texture |
| Houttuynia Cordata Extract | Anti-oxidant, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory |
| Hyaluronic Acid | Hydrating, water retention |
| Jojoba seed oil | Anti-bacterial & anti-fungal. Fights acne, heals skin, moisturizing |
| Lactic Acid | AHA, brightens and firms skin, more gentle than glycolic |
| Lactobacillus ferment | Strengthens barrier, soothing, anti-aging, increases collagen |
| Lactobionic Acid | PHA, skin surface exfoliation, more gentle than AHA |
| Lauric Acid | Acne fighting, anti-inflammatory, soothing |
| Licorice Root Extract | Fights acne, reduces pigmentation and scarring |
| Lotus | Anti-oxidant, skin smoothing, anti-aging, brightening, reduces pores |
| Macadamia Oil | Moisturizes, nourishing fatty acids, easily absorbed, supple finish |
| Madecassoside | The most potent form of centella for wound healing, anti-inflammatory, a very small amount is effective |
| Meadowfoam Oil | Softens skin, anti-oxidant, moisturizers, fatty acids |
| Mistletoe leaf extract | Anti-septic, soothing, anti-oxidant |
| Mulberry | Contains arbutin, evens & lightens skin tone, reduces scars, brightening |
| Natto Gum | Moisture retention, skin elasticity, anti-aging |
| Niacinamide | Brightening, improve skin tone, stimulates collagen |
| Noni Fruit Extract | Skin healing, rejuvenating, anti-aging, 100 vmtains and minerals |
| Oat extract | Balance bacteria, reduce itch, efoliates, retains moisture |
| Olive fruit oil | Hydrating, anti-aging, vitamin E, moisturizing |
| Orchid Extract | Moisturizing, anti-oxidant, brightening, firming |
| Palmitic acid | Fatty acid, retains water, softens skin |
| Panthenol | Wound healing, moisturizing, anti-inflammatory |
| Papaya | Gently exfoliating, reduces pigmentation |
| Peptides | Building blocks of collagen, anti-aging, increases elasticity |
| Perilla Seed Extract | Acne fighting, anti-aging, anti-oxidant |
| Phytosphingosine | Replenishes skin barrier |
| Pine Bark Extract | Hydrating, replenishing collagen, wound healing |
| Portulaca Oleracea Extract | Anti-oxidant and fatty acid, brightening, soothing |
| Propolis | Glow, anti-inflammatory, acne fighting, improves texture |
| Purslane Extract | Anti-oxidant, fatty acids, minerals, amino acids, vitamins |
| Red Seaweed extract | Anti-aging, improve elasticity, vitamins and proteins for barrier |
| Rice bran | Brightening, nourishing, evening texture |
| Rose extract | Astringent, cleanse skin, anti-aging |
| Rosehip Oil | Fatty acid, increases collagen production, regenerative properties |
| Rosemary Leaf Oil | Anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-acne |
| Royal Jelly | Glow, anti-inflammatory, acne fighting, improves texture |
| Saccharomyces | Yeast ferment, brightening, anti-aging, smoothing |
| Safflower Seed Oil | Fights acne, atnti-oxidant, moisturizing fatty acids |
| Sake (Rice Filtrate Ferment) | Brightening, smoothing, anti-aging, firming |
| Salicylic Acid | BHA, exfolating, acne fighting, clears pores and regulates oil production |
| Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract | Potent anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal |
| Sea buckthorn | Vitamin C anti-oxidant, brightening |
| Sea water | Vitamins & minerals to nourish & strengthen skin |
| Shea butter | Occlusive, softens skin, condition and soothes, fatty acids and vitamins |
| Snail Mucin | Light hydration, reduces redness, plumping glow, protects against moisture loss |
| Soybean Oil | Linoleic acid, repairs moisture barrier, vitamin E, nourishing, skin softening |
| Squalane | Hydrating, moisture retention |
| Stearic Acid | Fatty acid, retains water, softens skin |
| Sugarcane extract | Exfoliant, softens skin, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory |
| Sunflower Seed Oil | Non-comedogenic, anti-inflammatory, vitamin E |
| Tamanu oil | Nourishing, contains 5 fatty acids for moisture, healing and regenerative |
| Tea tree extract | Acne fighting, anti-fungal, speeds healing of acne |
| Tocopherol / Vitamin E | Healing, sun protection, anti-oxidant, strengthen barrier |
| Tranexamic acid | Brightening, reduces discoloration, hyperpigmentation, fade scars |
| Turmeric Root Extract | Glow, anti-aging, nourishing, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory |
| Urea | Hydrating, draws moisture to skin, lightly exfoliates |
| Vitamin C (Ascorbyl Glucoside) | Boosts collagen, anti-aging, fades pigmentation, reduces scarring, protects against sun damage. |
| Volcanic Ash | Clears pores, astringent, cleanses, reduces sebum, minerals |
| Willow Bark Extract | Gentle BHA exfoliant, skin smoothing, brightening |
| Witch Hazel Extract | Astringent, anti-inflammatory, firming |
| Zinc | Treats acne, anti-inflammatory, wound healing |