Copy the ingredients straight off the back of a bottle or a shopping page. Separate them with commas or put each one on its own line. Your list never leaves your browser, so nothing is stored or sent anywhere.
What is this ingredient?
Quick plain English explainers for the ten ingredients you will spot most often on Asian skincare labels. Tap any one to open it.
How to actually use an ingredient list
Ingredient lists are ranked by quantity, from the most to the least. The first handful of ingredients make up most of the formula, so that is where the real action is. If an active you are excited about sits right at the bottom, there may only be a whisper of it in there. Water, glycerin and a texture agent or two usually lead the list, which is completely normal.
You do not need to recognise every single ingredient for a product to be good. Long names often just mean a preservative, an emulsifier or a plant extract doing quiet background work. Focus on the actives and on anything your skin has reacted to before.
Safe, caution, or avoid: what the ratings mean here
Safe means the ingredient is well tolerated by most people and rarely causes trouble. Use with caution means it works well but can sting, purge or increase sun sensitivity if you overdo it, so ease in slowly and patch test first. Avoid if sensitive flags the ingredients most likely to irritate reactive or barrier damaged skin. None of these are hard rules for everyone, they are a starting point so you know what to watch for.
A note for Asian skin and humid climates
Asian skin is more prone to post inflammatory hyperpigmentation, which means irritation can leave dark marks that linger for months. That is why gentle beats aggressive here, and why daily sunscreen matters so much when you use actives. In hot, humid weather lighter textures tend to sit better, so a heavy butter that feels lovely in winter might feel greasy and clog pores in the tropics.
Keep going
Want the deeper story behind the ingredients in your shelf? These guides go further.