Dr.Melaxin CYANO PINK SPICULE SERUM

Why it’s here: Serves as the solvent base that dissolves or disperses other ingredients, forming the foundation of most creams, lotions, shampoos, and gels.

Plain water, almost always the largest ingredient by weight in a formula and typically purified or deionized before use.

Why it’s here: A humectant — it pulls water from the air and from deeper skin layers to the surface, helping products feel less drying and skin feel softer. It also helps stabilize emulsions and can improve the texture of soaps and lotions.

A small, simple molecule with three water-loving arms, produced by splitting fats and oils (plant or animal) or made synthetically. It has been a staple of skincare and soap for over a century.

Why it’s here: Draws in moisture, helps dissolve other ingredients, and gives formulas a lighter, less sticky feel than some other humectants.

A small synthetic molecule from the alcohol family, used as a clear, colorless liquid.

Why it’s here: Used for its effects on skin appearance and barrier function; formulators include it to help with the look of skin tone, texture, and moisture retention.

A form of vitamin B3 (niacin) that is water-soluble and commonly formulated into serums, moisturizers, and treatment products.

Why it’s here: Works as a solvent and humectant, and is also valued by formulators for its ability to help boost the effectiveness of a product's preservative system, sometimes allowing lower levels of traditional preservatives.

A synthetic diol (a molecule with two alcohol groups), closely related to the more commonly listed 1,2-Hexanediol, used as a multifunctional cosmetic ingredient.

Why it’s here: Functions as an emollient, giving products a smooth, silky slip and helping other ingredients spread evenly across skin or hair without feeling heavy.

An ester formed from cetyl alcohol, a fatty alcohol, and ethylhexanoic acid. It is a light, non-greasy oil-like liquid used widely in skin and hair products.

Why it’s here: It thickens liquids, stabilizes emulsions, and gives gels their characteristic smooth, non-greasy texture.

A synthetic polymer made from acrylic acid, used in powder or liquid form that swells into a clear gel when mixed with water and neutralized.

Why it’s here: It helps oil and water mix into a stable lotion or cream without needing traditional synthetic emulsifiers, and it leaves a soft, non-greasy feel on skin. Formulators also like it because it is derived from a single plant source and is biodegradable.

A wax-like substance made by combining fatty alcohols from olive oil (cetearyl alcohol) with olive oil fatty acids, through a process called esterification. It is usually paired with Sorbitan Olivate in a commercial blend sold under names like Olivem 1000.

Why it’s here: It helps preserve formulas and is often included alongside other preservative systems to boost their effectiveness; it also has mild antioxidant and deodorizing properties.

A synthetic compound related to acetophenone, used in small amounts in cosmetic formulas. It is not a fragrance in the perfume sense, though it has a faint odor of its own.

Why it’s here: Used as a humectant and solvent, helping products draw and hold moisture and helping dissolve other ingredients like fragrance and preservatives.

A small organic molecule, often plant-derived from corn sugar fermentation, that is a clear, odorless liquid.

Why it’s here: Helps blend oil and water phases together in lotions and creams, and is often chosen by formulators as a plant-derived alternative to more synthetic emulsifiers.

An emulsifier made by combining sorbitol with fatty acids derived from olive oil.

Why it’s here: Adjusts and stabilizes the pH of a product, keeping it within a range that is comfortable for skin and stable for the formula's other ingredients.

A synthetic organic compound widely used as a buffering agent in both pharmaceutical and cosmetic formulas.

Why it’s here: It boosts the effectiveness of other preservatives, allowing formulators to use lower amounts of them, and it also softens skin feel and can reduce the sharpness of some preservative systems' scent.

A synthetic compound derived from glycerin, commonly used alongside preservatives rather than as one on its own.

Why it’s here: The hydrolyzed protein fraction is used as a skin-conditioning ingredient, while the structural material from sponge has occasionally been explored for gentle mechanical exfoliation in certain specialty products.

A protein material derived from sponge (commonly freshwater species such as Spongilla) that has been broken down, or hydrolyzed, into smaller peptide fragments. Some products also use the fine silica-based skeletal spicules from sponge tissue as a mild physical exfoliant.

Why it’s here: Marketed as an anti-aging ingredient, included in formulas intended to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

A naturally occurring molecule found in every cell of the body, where it plays a role in energy transfer. The version used in cosmetics is produced synthetically or via fermentation.

Why it’s here: It is included in topical formulas as a conditioning and antioxidant ingredient, often marketed for supporting skin or scalp health, drawing on vitamin B12's known biological roles even though topical absorption and effect are less established than oral use.

A synthetically produced form of vitamin B12, the same compound used in oral and injectable supplements to treat B12 deficiency. In cosmetics it appears as a red-tinted powder or solution incorporated into creams and hair products.

Why it’s here: Added in small amounts as a chelating agent — it grabs trace metal ions in the formula that could otherwise degrade fragrance, discolor the product, or reduce the effectiveness of preservatives.

The disodium salt of EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid), a small synthetic molecule that binds tightly to metal ions.

Why it’s here: Gives lotions, creams, and gels body and a smooth texture, and can help other ingredients stay evenly suspended in a formula.

A synthetic polymer made from glyceryl acrylate and acrylic acid monomers, used as a thickening and film-forming agent.

Why it’s here: It is a humectant: it draws and holds water at the skin's surface, which is why it shows up in moisturizers and serums aiming for a plumped, hydrated look.

A naturally occurring large sugar molecule found throughout the human body, especially in skin and joint fluid, where it holds water and gives tissue its cushion. The cosmetic version is usually produced by bacterial fermentation rather than extracted from animals.

Why it’s here: The smaller fragment size is marketed as allowing better penetration into the upper layers of skin than full-size hyaluronic acid, which sits mostly on the surface. It functions as a humectant, drawing moisture to the skin.

Hyaluronic acid that has been broken down into smaller fragments through a hydrolysis process. Hyaluronic acid itself is a naturally occurring sugar found throughout the body, especially in skin and joints, where it holds onto water.

Why it’s here: It draws water to the skin's surface and holds onto it, giving a plumping, hydrating effect in serums, moisturizers, and some injectable fillers.

The sodium salt form of hyaluronic acid, a naturally occurring molecule found in human skin and connective tissue; the salt form is smaller and more stable for use in formulations.

Why it’s here: Used as a skin conditioning ingredient, sometimes included for its antioxidant content.

An extract made from the fruit of the sweet almond tree, distinct from sweet almond oil, which comes from the seed (kernel).

Why it’s here: It is used in cosmetics mainly as a humectant, valued for its water-binding capacity, which some formulators compare to hyaluronic acid, giving skin a plumper, more hydrated feel in leave-on products.

An extract from Tremella fuciformis, a translucent, jelly-like edible mushroom traditionally used in East Asian cooking and medicine. The extract is rich in polysaccharides that can hold large amounts of water.

Why it’s here: Functions as a pH buffer to help keep a formula's acidity stable, and is also included in some skin conditioning and hair care products for its mineral content.

A salt formed from glycerophosphoric acid and sodium, used as a mineral and buffering ingredient in cosmetic and oral care formulas.

Why it’s here: Included as a skin conditioning agent, sometimes meant to evoke the mineral content of thermal spring waters.

A mineral salt combining potassium, magnesium, and the amino acid aspartic acid, used in small amounts in skin and hair care formulas.

Why it’s here: In cosmetics it functions mainly as a skin-conditioning agent and can also help buffer a formula's acidity or bind trace metals that would otherwise destabilize it.

A mineral salt formed from calcium and gluconic acid, a white crystalline powder that dissolves in water. It is widely known in medicine as an injectable treatment for low blood calcium and for hydrofluoric acid skin burns.

Why it’s here: In cosmetics it serves as a skin-conditioning agent and can help stabilize formulas by binding trace metal ions that might otherwise degrade other ingredients or cause discoloration.

A mineral salt formed by combining magnesium with gluconic acid, a compound derived from the oxidation of glucose. It is a white, water-soluble powder also used as a dietary magnesium supplement.

Why it’s here: Added to formulations primarily as an antioxidant, and sometimes for its conditioning properties or distinctive scent.

An extract derived from the seeds (beans) of the Coffea arabica plant, containing compounds such as chlorogenic acid and caffeine.

Why it’s here: Used as a skin and hair conditioning agent, intended to form a light film and improve the feel of a formula on the skin or hair.

A plant-derived protein. Extensin is a structural glycoprotein found in plant cell walls; the hydrolyzed form has been broken down into smaller fragments for use in cosmetic formulas.

Why it’s here: Used as a conditioning and film-forming ingredient on the skin's surface. It can help the skin feel smoother and temporarily plumper, and it holds some water, giving it mild humectant properties.

A protein extract, usually derived from animal connective tissue (commonly bovine, porcine, or marine sources), processed and purified for use in skincare formulas.