Journal
We break down cosmetic ingredients, debunk myths, and show what actually works.
- Featured#spf#sunscreen#filters
Legacy SPF filters: what to replace in 2026
UV filters split into three generations. Modern ones cover the full spectrum and stay photostable. Legacy ones underperform and carry extra risk. Here is what to look for.
- Featured#inci#basics#evigrade-extension
How to read INCI: Evigrade traffic light for any cream
INCI is not alchemy, it's EU regulation. The first five ingredients drive 80% of the product. Here is how our traffic-light works and why color matters.
- Featured#retinol#bakuchiol#anti-aging
Retinol or bakuchiol: what actually works in 2026
Retinol has decades of RCTs behind it. Bakuchiol has one sponsored trial with 44 participants. Here is where the hype ends and clinical reality begins.
- #spf#sunscreen#regulation
Oxybenzone and octocrylene: why they get banned
Hawaii, Palau, Key West – jurisdiction after jurisdiction banning old UV filters. It's not only coral reefs: systemic absorption and degradation to benzophenone make these molecules obsolete.
- #pilling#texture#layering
Why cream pills up: 5 signs in the ingredient list
Pilling is not magic. It is polymer-film physics where two films refuse to blend. Five INCI markers tell you before you buy.
- #pregnancy#retinoids#safety
Retinoids in pregnancy: what's actually risky
Oral isotretinoin – hard no. Tretinoin – probably no, caution without strong data. Retinol – gray zone. Retinyl palmitate – fine. Bakuchiol – safer bet.
- #niacinamide#vitamin-c#myths
Niacinamide and vitamin C: why the incompatibility myth is wrong
A 1960s Procter & Gamble experiment on pure substances under extreme heat spawned a myth that refuses to die. In modern leave-on formulas at room temperature, nothing bad happens.