The Glaze

Ingredients: Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Aqua (Water), Hyaluronic Acid, Squalane, Ceramide NP, Ceramide NS, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Ceramide EOS, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Glycerin, Sunflower Oil, Panthenol (Vitamin B5), Jojoba Seed Oil, Green Tea Extract, Irish Moss Extract, Spirulina Maxima Extract, Gotu Kola Extract, Xanthan Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol.

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice 

Aloe barbadensis leaf juice is the juice extracted from the leaves of the aloe plant. It is commonly used for its soothing properties and skin-calming effects. Aloe barbadensis leaf juice is also used as a film former, humectant, and skin-conditioning agent (emollient).

Aqua 

Aqua (also simply known as water) is the most frequently used ingredient. Water’s primary function in skin care formulas is as a solvent.

Hyaluronic Acid

Component of skin tissue. Synthetic variations are used in skin care products to function as a superior skin-replenishing ingredient. Hyaluronic acid has restorative abilities and can boost skin’s moisture content, soothe, and defend against moisture loss. It is capable of holding up to 1,000 times its own weight in water, making it an optimal hydrator for all skin types.

Squalane

Squalane is an emollient that helps prevent moisture loss and restores suppleness to skin. It is also a source of beneficial fatty acids that replenish skin. Despite its sebum-like nature, squalane feels surprisingly lightweight and non-greasy. Squalane can also help strengthen skin’s barrier to help it be less prone to sensitivity and reactiveness. Squalane also functions as an antioxidant. The antioxidant benefit of squalane also helps it protect skin’s oil from what’s known as lipid peroxidation, a process that damages skin’s surface and deeper in the pore lining where oil originates.

Ceramide NP

Ceramide NP is one of several types of ceramides found naturally in skin. It plays a critical role as a major component of skin’s outer layers (healthy skin is generally composed of 50% ceramides, many of which are of the NP variety). “N” stands for the type of normal fatty acid correlated to this ingredient and “P” stands for its phytosphingosine base. 

Research shows skin care products containing ceramide NP can help improve the look and feel of dry or dehydrated skin thanks to its water retention properties. Ceramide NP has also been shown to reinforce skin’s barrier strength to better resist external stressors. Overall, it contributes to supple, resilient, hydrated skin.

Ceramide NS

Ceramide NS in particular is a sphingosine-based ceramide, which when included in skin care formulas, helps skin produce more of its own ceramides. This helps skin better retain its moisture, while simultaneously strengthening its barrier against external stimuli.

Ceramide AP

Ceramide AP belongs to a larger group of ceramides that are naturally occurring, long chains of lipids (fats) in skin. Skin’s general composition of ceramides is around 50% and of that, 16% of those ceramides are of the AP variety. Decreased levels of ceramides have been shown to weaken the barrier, making skin more vulnerable to external stressors. More specifically, a decline in ceramide AP has been linked to skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis.

Ceramide EOP

Ceramide EOP belongs to a larger group of ceramides that are found naturally in skin as long chains of lipids (fats). As a skin care ingredient, topical application of ceramide EOP can strengthen skin’s barrier against external stimuli.

Ceramide EOS

Ceramide EOS (formerly known as ceramide 1) belongs to a larger group of ceramides that are found naturally in skin as long chains of lipids (fats). Healthy skin is made up of 50% ceramides, but when those ceramides decrease, skin’s barrier becomes weaker, making it more vulnerable to external stressors and dehydration. As a skin care ingredient, topical application of ceramide EOS can step in to help fill this gap and replenish skin’s barrier, so it is better able to defend itself from external stimuli.

Glyceryl Stearate

Glyceryl stearate is a mixture of portions of glycerin and stearic acid. Glyceryl stearate functions as an emollient, surfactant, and emulsifier in skin care products.

Cetyl Alcohol

Cetyl alcohol is a gentle fatty alcohol used as an emollient (moisturizing ingredient), emulsifier, thickener, and carrying agent for other ingredients.

Stearic Acid

Stearic acid is a versatile fatty acid that functions as an emollient, emulsifier, cleansing and texture-enhancing ingredient in skin care formulas.

Glycerin 

Glycerin is a skin-replenishing and skin-restoring humectant, meaning it is a substance found naturally in skin, helping to establish normal balance and hydration. It’s one of the many substances in skin that helps maintain a healthy look and feel, defending against dryness and working to maintain skin’s moisture level. Essentially, glycerin is a master at hydration, and works best when combined with other replenishing and emollient ingredients.

Sunflower Oil

Sunflower seed oil is a non-volatile, non-fragrant plant oil used as an emollient in cosmetics. Sunflower seed oil’s 60% (on average) linoleic acid content has the ability to help replenish, strengthen, and soothe skin. This oil also contains other beneficial fatty acids skin can use, including oleic, palmitic, stearic, and a small amount of omega-3 linolenic acid.

Sunflower seed oil is particularly beneficial for dry, dehydrated, or environmentally compromised skin because its linoleic acid content helps skin synthesize its own lipids (fats), including ceramides, visibly repairing its barrier and leading to smoother, healthier-looking skin. Sunflower seed oil also has a natural calming effect on skin, so can be helpful for reducing signs of skin stress or irritation. 

Panthenol (Vitamin B5)

Panthenol is a popular humectant in personal care products due to its ability to attract and hold moisture. When topically applied, it converts to pantothenic acid, which is a naturally occurring substance within the body.

Jojoba Seed Oil 

Jojoba seed oil is a non-fragrant emollient extracted from the seeds of a perennial shrub. It has been shown to enhance skin’s restorative properties and can also provide topical skin-soothing benefits. Jojoba seed oil is a rich source of numerous fatty acids and antioxidants.

Green Tea Extract

Green tea leaf extract is a rich source of antioxidants and a welcome addition to any skin care product. Various studies have found green tea to have multiple positive aspects, including soothing properties. As an antioxidant, it has free-radical scavenging capabilities.

Irish Moss Extract

Irish Moss is a type of seaweed that’s a rich source of many nutrients for skin, including the pigment beta-carotene and potent antioxidants zeaxanthin, lutein, which help protect skin from the visible effects of blue light exposure. The natural polysaccharides, peptides, and amino acids in Irish Moss also help skin to stay hydrated; meanwhile, the numerous antioxidants help shield skin from damaging airborne pollutants. Irish Moss contains a compound known as carrageenan, which forms a flexible film on skin that offers further defense against environmental stressors.

Spirulina Maxima Extract 

Spirulina Maxima extract is the extract from a type of blue-green algae. Research shows it has potent antioxidant and potential calming abilities.

Gotu Kola Extract

Gotu Kola is a perennial herb that grows primarily in Asia. For years, it’s had both culinary and medicinal uses. It has multiple benefits for skin thanks to its active compounds, including madecassoside, which serves as an antioxidant. Gotu Kola has been shown to have potent antioxidant properties and to be a rich source of amino acids, and there’s additional research showing that it’s a good hydrating ingredient to soothe upset or compromised skin.

Xanthan Gum

Xanthan gum in skin care is used as a thickening agent, texture enhancer, and to stabilize emulsions, which is a general term for mixtures of unlike substances such as oil and water.

Ethylhexylglycerin

Ethylhexylglycerin is a synthetic skin-softening agent. Ethylhexylglycerin is used as a preservative and carrier/suspending agent that boosts the efficacy of other preservatives such as phenoxyethanol. It has been shown to have mild humectant properties leading to improved skin hydration without a sticky feel.

Phenoxyethanol

Phenoxyethanol is a widely used synthetic preservative with global approval for use in rinse-off or leave-on cosmetic products.