Reading an ingredients list
The label is marketing. The ingredients list is a legal document. Learn to read the second one.
What a face wash is made of
Cleansers are the most commoditised product in the category, and the most heavily marketed. Both facts follow from the same chemistry.
Retinoids for men
If one ingredient in men's skincare has earned its reputation, it is this one. That does not make every retinoid product worth buying.
The actives worth paying for
Four ingredients carry most of the defensible claims in the category. The rest are variations on a press release.
Fragrance and parfum
The most heavily used ingredient in men's grooming is also the one most likely to cause a reaction. It is declared as a single word.
Preservatives explained
The most reviled ingredient class in cosmetics is the one stopping the product becoming a hazard.
The moisturiser decoded
Three ingredient classes, one function, and a price range spanning two orders of magnitude.
This article contains no affiliate links, no sponsored placement and no link to any product, brand, retailer or clinic. Nobody paid for it, nobody previewed it and no sponsor can change a word of it. Our editorial standards set out the single disclosed exception, which applies to four archive articles and not to this one.
Nothing here is medical advice. Speak to a pharmacist, a GP or a dermatologist about your own circumstances.
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