LÉ Blog

AHAs (alpha hydroxy acids) such as glycolic and lactic acid have long enjoyed the spotlight - and for good reason! These are your proven chemical exfoliants essential to most anti-aging, hyperpigmentation skin routines. Beyond these two, there are plenty of “new age” AHAs that get touted for similar skin benefits, and one of the newer kids on the block we want to shine a spotlight on is mandelic acid. As chemists, we always have to look at the available clinical evidence on these newer ingred...

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Hyaluronic Acid is an oldie in skincare but seems to never be out of fashion. This elusive ingredient has been tied to so many different types of skincare benefits ranging from hydration claims to anti-anging claims. Add on the fact that hyaluronic acid serums also come with a wide range of price tags (think sub $10 to $400…?!) plus some concerns around HA causing skin dehydration and presto! Much confusion about hyaluronic acid! But, not to worry. In this guide, we’ll tackle what this ingred...

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Is Glycerin Secretly the BEST hydrator for your skin? The world is never short of glitzy new ingredients that promise you your dewiest self. In the humectants category (water-loving ingredients that hydrate your skin), you may have heard of hyaluronic acid, snail mucin, or other exotic seaweed extracts. These ingredients usually come with impressive claims (ie. “holds up to 1000x its weight in water!”) or exotic origin stories with extra skin benefits (filled with 57819473 amino acids and min...

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“Skin barrier care” seems to be one of the top skincare trends in recent years, and ceramides are the ingredients that are often associated with this trend. But this has also created a lot of confusion around just what ceramides are and what do they really do for your skin topically. In this in-depth guide, we’ll discuss what they are, what ceramides do for skin topically, decipher the types of ceramides you might find in your products, which skin types can benefit from them, and how to shop ...

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Good old anti-aging retinol promises so many benefits. Yet for many (Gloria included!), it’s a temperamental little guy that can wreak havoc on your carefully maintained skin barrier. This means there are always new, buzzy ingredients promising the same glitz and glam of retinol without the snake molting, angry skin onboarding phase. One of the hottest ingredients in this category is bakuchiol, often marketed as “plant-based retinol alternative”. So! What does the science say? Can it ACTUALLY...

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Retinaldehyde or retinal (with an A!) has become the latest, buzz-worthy retinoid on the market. Many seasoned retinoid users are honing in on the fact that in the process of retinoic acid synthesis, retinal would be the more efficient (aka more potent) cosmetic retinoid compared to retinol in getting those sweet anti-aging benefits. You might even hear retinal claims such as “10x more effective than retinol” or even “tretinoin strength without the tretinoin irritation.” Bold claims! While re...

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Retinol has been a longtime fan favorite anti-aging molecule. And for good reason! As a cosmetic ingredient, retinol is one of the few that has decades of research and data behind its efficacy. In fact, this is why in our book, Skincare Decoded, we refer to this active as one the Big Four and stands alongside the champs, ascorbic acid, AHAs, and niacinamide. But, you’ve probably heard of the downside of retinol - flaking, shedding, redness, dryness. While it may sound intimidating, just a cou...

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If your goal is effective skincare, you’ll probably be pretty familiar with the world of retinoids. This family of molecules has a long, rich history of clinical testing to showcase their efficacy in treating a wide range of skin concerns from acne to anti-aging. However, choosing the right retinoid for your skin can quickly become pretty confusing. Every retinoid can come with their own quirks, target percentages, and benefits. In this guide, we’ll take a closer look at the acne superstar, a...

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Tretinoin is by far the most famous retinoid of the Vitamin A category and for good reason. It has a prevalent history of use plus a long long history of validation for multiple benefits including acne, anti-aging, and hyperpigmentation. However, much like any other popular skincare ingredient, with its fame comes a few areas of confusion. Tretinoin beginners may find themselves asking questions like, is using tretinoin long term actually bad for me?. Am I still purging? Or is this concentrat...

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Azelaic acid is one of those hot ingredients with data showcasing its ability to help tackle major skin concerns such as hyperpigmentation, acne, and even rosacea. However, the challenge with this ingredient is that in order to achieve these benefits you’ll need a LOT of it in your skincare (read: major formula challenges for chemists). The other difficulty is that it’s also regulated so you typically would need a prescription to get those higher concentrations (15-20%) and won’t be able to p...

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