Does it actually work — and at what %?
Every active has a concentration below which the science says it just doesn't do much. We grade 64 of them on evidence, not marketing. Pick one to see the effective dose, what it targets, and the products that actually hit it.
3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Effective at 1%
4-Butylresorcinol
Effective at 0.1%
Acetyl Hexapeptide-8
Effective at 10% · 1 graded
Adapalene
Effective at 0.1% · 2 graded
Allantoin
Effective at 0.5%
Alpha Arbutin
Effective at 1% · 5 graded
Ascorbyl Glucoside
Effective at 2%
Avobenzone
Effective at 2% · 1 graded
Azelaic Acid
Effective at 10% · 6 graded
Bakuchiol
Effective at 0.5% · 1 graded
Benzoyl Peroxide
Effective at 2.5% · 1 graded
Beta-Glucan
Effective at 0.1%
Betaine
Effective at 1%
Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine
Effective at 1%
Bisabolol
Effective at 0.1%
Centella Asiatica
Effective at 0.1%
Ceramides
Effective at 0.1% · 3 graded
Citric Acid
Effective at 10%
Coenzyme Q10 (Ubiquinone)
Effective at 0.05%
Colloidal Oatmeal
Effective at 1%
Copper Tripeptide-1
Effective at 1%
Ergothioneine
Effective at 0.1%
Ethylhexyl Triazone
Effective at 1%
Ferulic Acid
Effective at 0.5% · 2 graded
Glabridin
Effective at 0.5%
Gluconolactone
Effective at 4%
Glycerin
Effective at 3%
Glycolic Acid
Effective at 5% · 10 graded
Green Tea Extract
Effective at 1%
Hexylresorcinol
Effective at 0.5%
Hyaluronic Acid
Effective at 0.1% · 6 graded
Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate
Effective at 0.2% · 3 graded
Kojic Acid
Effective at 1%
Lactic Acid
Effective at 5% · 2 graded
Lactobionic Acid
Effective at 3%
Linoleic Acid
Effective at 2.5%
Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Effective at 3%
Mandelic Acid
Effective at 5% · 3 graded
Niacinamide
Effective at 2% · 19 graded
Octocrylene
Effective at 3% · 2 graded
Panthenol
Effective at 1% · 1 graded
Peptides
Effective at 1% · 2 graded
Polyglutamic Acid
Effective at 0.2% · 1 graded
Resveratrol
Effective at 0.5% · 1 graded
Retinaldehyde
Effective at 0.05% · 10 graded
Retinol
Effective at 0.25% · 7 graded
Rosehip Seed Oil
Effective at 10%
Salicylic Acid
Effective at 0.5% · 19 graded
Snail Secretion Filtrate
Effective at 1% · 1 graded
Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Effective at 1%
Sodium PCA
Effective at 1%
Squalane
Effective at 1% · 1 graded
Sulfur
Effective at 3%
Tea Tree Oil
Effective at 5%
Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate
Effective at 1% · 1 graded
Thiamidol
Effective at 0.2%
Titanium Dioxide
Effective at 5%
Tranexamic Acid
Effective at 2% · 4 graded
Trehalose
Effective at 2%
Urea
Effective at 2%
Vitamin C
Effective at 8% · 22 graded
Vitamin E
Effective at 0.5% · 3 graded
Zinc Oxide
Effective at 10%
Zinc PCA
Effective at 0.1% · 8 graded
Get "Efficacy Grade of the Week"
We deconstruct one viral product a week — the active, the dose, the receipts. Free, and you can't pay us to inflate a grade.