Crafting efficacious products and creating a buzz are key goals for skin care companies, and tapping into a hot ingredient story can win over consumers looking for the next best thing to fight wrinkles, retain moisture and decrease the signs of aging skin. Here’s an A to Z look at ingredients—both trendy and steadfast—being touted in today’s skin care formulations…

A
AOBiome, a Cambridge, MA-based company, recently rolled out Mother Dirt AO+ Mist, billed as a first-of-its-kind product containing live ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB). Similar to a probiotic, these patented beneficial bacteria work to enrich the skin’s natural environment. Specifically, AOB consume the irritating components of sweat (ammonia and urea) and transform them into benefits for the skin.

B
Blue poppy seeds work in tandem with raspberry ketone and papaya fruit extract to address breakouts, pigmentation, sun damage and fine lines in EmerginC Scientific Organics’ Blue Poppy Enzyme Polish. The treatment is billed as gentle, yet effective treatment that removes dead skin cells, smooths uneven skin tone and texture and helps diminish fine lines, wrinkles and skin congestion.

C
Used for centuries to flush out toxins from the body, charcoal is becoming increasingly recognized for its ability to detoxify the skin too. This ingredient, known for absorbing 100 to 200 times its weight in impurities, purges pores of deeply rooted toxins. Consumers can find charcoal in products such as Derma e Purifying 2-in-1 Charcoal Mask, Eminence Organic Skin Care’s Charcoal T-Zone Purifier and Biore’s Deep Pore Charcoal Cleanser.

D
Nip+Fab is introducing the healing powers of sap from the Croton lechleri tree, aka Dragon’s Blood, to the masses in the US with its new Dragon’s Blood Fix line, which hit CVS stores this summer. The range includes serum, wipes and a mask. Also tapping this trend in the luxury sector is Rodial, which offers Dragon’s Blood Sculpting Gel. The gel helps to define facial contours and plump sagging skin by forming a second-skin film around the face that protects, reduces redness and firms for a smoother, plumper and more youthful-looking complexion, according to the company.

E
Origins gives a shout out to Epilobium angustifolium, also known as Willowherb or fireweed—right on the pack. The brand’s Original Skin Renewal Serum with Willowherb features Canadian willowherb, which helps counteract changes in skin tone to restore skin’s radiance and vibrancy, according to the Lauder-owned company.

F
Fomes officianals (mushroom) extract helps reduce pore visibility and size in Dermalogica’s new HydraBlur Primer, which hits the US this month. It is the third primer in the brand’s “crossover” category that bridges the gap between skin care and cosmetics.

G
At Lauder’s flagship brand, 24K refined gold works in tandem with licorice and yellow gentian extract to soothe and calm skin in its new Re-Nutriv Ultimate Lift Rejuvenating Soft Crème, part of the Re-Nutriv Ultimate Lift Age Correcting Collection, which debuts this month.

H
German beauty company Herbacin has launched its first face care range, which includes products fueled by industry workhorse hyaluronic acid. The five-SKU facial care range includes an eye cream and anti-age serum, both of which team hyaluronic acid and carnosine.

I
L’Occitane has had a long-running love affair with immortelle; in 2004 the company created a large-scale organic farming program for the flower, which is said to never wilt or fade, even after it’s picked. Today, essential oil from the Corsican immortelle flower is the star ingredient of an entire range of SKUs at L’Occitane, including its best-selling Divine Cream to its latest rollout, Immortelle Precious BB Cream, which comes in three shades and offers SPF30.

J
Known for its creative use of food inspired ingredients, Farmhouse Fresh is rolling out the Marshmallow Melt line, which features formats such as an all-purpose balm and hand and body products. The line is formulated with go-to butters (think shea and cocoa) as well as jojoba seed oil to soothe rough, dry and chapped skin.

K
Plantogen Eye Lift includes vitamin C-rich Kakadu plum. The cream helps minimize the appearance of fine lines and increases skin hydration. “Kakadu Plum found in Australia’s Northern Territory, has the largest concentration of  vitamin C in any known fruit in the world,” said Elda Argenti, CEO and founder.

The superfruit can also be found at Dermadoctor (Kakadu C Serum) and in Jurlique’s Purely White range.
   
L
NeoStrata’s Bionic Eye Cream is formulated with lactobionic acid, a potent antioxidant. In testing, 83% of users reported brighter eyes after just four weeks of twice daily use. (You can hear more about NeoStrata’s launch on Happi.com’s podcast page.)

M 
Micro silver has caught the attention of spa specialist Repêchage, which has rolled out Hydra 4 Red-Out Calming Cleanser and Hydra 4 Red-Out Serum with Micro Silver. By forming micro sponges during processing, the Micro Silver is able remain active on the skin longer, releasing pure, soluble silver ions to the skin surface and forming an invisible layer that both acts as an anti-inflammatory ingredient and reduces skin-irritating microbes, according to the company. Repêchage says it is the first skin care company in the US to utilize this new skin care ingredient in an effective regimen for the treatment of hypersensitivity, rosacea and related conditions.

N
Being on-trend is a good thing, but savvy cosmetic chemists also stick with what works too. At Olay, niacinamide (aka vitamin B3) has been a go-to ingredient for years. In fact, Olay Total Effects was the first mass skin care brand to introduce the ingredient, which the brand calls  “the ultimate multi-tasking anti-aging ingredient.” This year, Olay pumped up the percentage of this workhorse ingredient in the Total Effects line, increasing it by 40% over previous formulations.

O
S.W. Basics has made a name for itself by keeping its ingredient deck simple with founder Adina Grigore’s “kitchen-cabinet” approach to skin care. Take, for example, its USDA-certified exfoliant, which contains only oat flour, almond flour and Maine sea salt—and nothing else.

P
Ferndale Health’s Heliotop 360 Sunscreen features Polypodium leucotomos extract (PLE), a tropical fern native to Central and South America, that has been used for centuries as a remedy for skin related conditions.
This fern, which was once an aquatic plant, adapted to life on land and created its own protection from exposure to harsh UV rays, according to the company, which uses the same antioxidant in its Heliocare supplement.

Q
People may associate it more with mealtime, but quinoa is being used in skin care too. This month, Goldfaden MD will roll out Plant Profusion Energetic Eye Cream, which contains quinoa seed extract.

According to skin care guru and founder Dr. Gary Goldfaden, quinoa is externally beneficial as an ingredient as it contains high levels of riboflavin, which provides elasticity to the skin and increases the production of connective tissue, which helps tone the skin and prevents the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

R
When it comes to repairing damaged skin, retinol remains king of the hill. Offered in the dermatologist’s office and by luxury and mass market skin care companies too, one of the newer launches fueled by this gold-standard ingredient is Dermalogica’s Overnight Retinol Repair. It contains 0.5% retinol and special microencapsulation technology.

S
It may sound a bit icky, but snail extract can be found in skin care formulations such as Mizon’s Snail Repair Perfect Cream, which is sold online at www.peachandlily.com, a website that’s big on bringing Korean skin care secrets to the states. Snail secretion filtrate is known for its anti-blemish and anti-aging properties. 

T
What can be found in the forests of southwestern France and soon, on beauty counters inside department stores? How about truffles? Be on the lookout for black diamond truffle extract, which the R&D team at Estée Lauder says has an astounding ability to promote natural skin vitality, and has been stashed in Re-Nutriv Ultimate Diamond Transformative Energy Eye Creme, which rolls out next month.

U
Uva ursi, also known as bearberry, takes top billing in Eminence’s Bearberry Eye Repair Cream. The extract brightens the look of tired eyes while red clover extract works to reduce the appearance of visible signs of aging. According to Eminence, clinical study results showed a 12.73% reduction in fine lines and wrinkles in 7 days, 30.45% reduction in 14 days and 40.91% reduction in 28 days.

V
Bee venom is another ingredient that’s been generating buzz. It can be found at several brands such as Rodial (Bee Venom Moisturizer) to mass-market options like Mizon (Bee Venom Calming Fresh Cream) and Nip+ Fab (Bee Sting Fix Deluxe Cream).

W
Wild rose is big at Korres, which offers several SKUs where the ingredient takes the stage. The newest treatment is Wild Rose Vitamin C Petal Peel 2-Step Brightening & Resurfacing System. The first step of the peel process relies on natural fruit and lactic AHAs; step two incorporates wild rose oil, AHAs, fruit enzymes and vitamin C.

X
Extracted from the tree native to Africa, ximenia helps soften the skin, which it does in The Body Shop’s Spa of the World Africa Ximenia & Salt Scrub. Suited for all skin types, including particularly dry skin, the formulation also contains Community Trade shea butter and organic beeswax.

Y
Rob Lowe’s new Profile skin care brand, currently a Nordstrom exclusive, is designed specifically for male skin. The line includes products such as Recharge Age Combating Post-Shave Serum, Pro-Comfort Triple Action Shave Gel, Action Rehydrating Cleanser and Revive Eye Rescue Serum, all of which contain organic yerba mate leaf extract.

Z
And finally, when it comes to sun protection, zinc oxide remains a staple in a cosmetic chemist’s toolbox. Companies continually turn to this ingredient to provide top protection from damaging UVA rays in everything from basic sun lotions to moisturizers to alphabet creams. New York-based Sonäge, for example, recently reformulated its Presage Moisturizer SPF 15 to include zinc oxide and titanium dioxide and Arbonne’s latest sun care offerings—Liquid Sunshine Mineral Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 30 For Face and Liquid Sunshine Mineral Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 30 For Body—also contain this go-to ingredient. Growing direct sales firm Ava Anderson Non Toxic opted for non-nano zinc oxide in its BB cream, as did Maine-based Brightwater Bay Science, LLC, which this summer launched Ocean Elements Sheer Daily Moisture SPF 30.