From acids to vitamins, the world of skincare is overflowing with science-y ingredients. Skincare influencers love to recommend trendy ingredients and tout them as the solution to all skin problems. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple.

If you’ve tried various skincare products, you know they’re not all equal. And they’re not all ideal for your skin. So when we’re shopping at Ulta or Target for something to refresh our skin, what the hell are we supposed to buy? 

This is your guide to 11 of the trendiest and most common skincare ingredients. We’ll explain what they are and what they do so you can make informed decisions when you’re spending your money.

Hyaluronic Acid: Our Hydration Hero

Best for: All skin types

This slippery substance is produced in the body naturally and found in high quantities in the skin, eyes, and joints. It makes skin flexible, helps joints function smoothly, and enhances water retention for better hydration. It’s quite a safe skincare ingredient and rarely irritates the skin, even if you’re sensitive. We promise we won’t be saying this about every ingredient on our list, but this one should be part of everyone’s routine.

Retinol: The Fountain of Prolonged Youth

Best for: Anti-aging

Retinol is a derivative of Vitamin A that encourages cell turnover, stimulates collagen production, inhibits melanin production, and regulates sebum. What does all that mean? It keeps your skin fresh by boosting elasticity and cell regeneration. Its ability to reduce melanin and sebum production can also help counteract dark spots, discoloration, and acne. Above all, it combats signs of aging.

Unlike hyaluronic acid, Retinol and its variants can cause irritation. And if you’re using it for the first time, you’re likely to experience a “retinol purge.” This leads to breakouts but should only last a few weeks as your skin adjusts. It’s best used at night because it can cause sunburn when exposed to sunlight. 

Vitamin C: Brighter Than the Sun

Best for: Dull skin

Vitamin C, or L-Ascorbic acid, is a powerful antioxidant. It can protect your skin from damage while evening out skin tone. Its most prominent effect is melanin inhibition, which helps soothe your skin tone and brighten your skin. It’s ideal if your skin looks and feels dull and tired. 

Vitamin E: Natural Protection

Best for: Dry skin

Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin and antioxidant. An essential part of your natural skin barrier, it’s excellent at protecting your skin from damage. While not as powerful as other skincare ingredients, it can boost your skin’s moisture and health. It’s great if your skin produces little to no oil naturally. Otherwise, it’s not essential. If you see it listed as an ingredient in skincare products you use, great!

Niacinamide: The Texture Expert

Best for: Acne-prone or rough skin

Niacinamide is a hot-hot-hot skincare ingredient right now, joining the “must-have” ranks with hyaluronic acid and retinol. Its range of benefits include improving skin immunity, minimizing redness, reducing hyperpigmentation, and preventing oxidative stress. 

More than anything else it can help improve skin texture. It minimizes pores, redness, fine lines, and blotch in healthy-looking skin. And when combined with zinc, it can be an effective acne treatment.

Concentrations can vary drastically, so start with a low percentage, like 2%, and don’t exceed 10%. Niacinamide can dry out skin, causing redness and irritation, so it’s not for everyone.

Salicylic Acid: Dead Skin Begone

Best for: Whiteheads and blackheads

Salicylic acid is also known for helping treat acne, as it exfoliates the skin and clears your pores. It penetrates skin to dissolve dead skin cells that get trapped in your pores. It’s best for chronic whiteheads and blackheads but can help with most forms of acne. Like niacinamide, it can be harsh on sensitive skin. But it’s very diluted in many cleansers and lotions, so start with those. 

Squalane: A Natural Softener

Best for: Dry skin

Squalane is a relatively newer ingredient that’s on everyone’s lips. It’s a lipid found in your skin’s oil that aids in hydration and fights aging. “Squalene” is the same thing in a less stable form, but you likely won’t find that in skincare products. We’re not wildly impressed by Squalane yet, so we still prefer hyaluronic acid for hydration. Plus, sharks have been poached due to the high levels of squalene in their livers. We are not in the business of hurting sharks. 

Glycerin: Hydration on Lockdown

Best for: Severely dry skin

Glycerin is a compound found in vegetable oils and animal fats. It works to hydrate the skin by pulling moisture from the air and deep skin layers to the outer skin layer. It locks this moisture in. Some believe that it’s even more effective at hydrating skin than hyaluronic acid. 

Unlike hyaluronic acid, glycerin can cause severe irritation when used at a high concentration. Because it pulls moisture from your skin, this can lead to blistering in low-humidity conditions. If you have severely dry skin that hyaluronic acid isn’t remedying, up your water intake and try small amounts of glycerin. 

Peptides: King of Collagen

Best for: Anti-aging

Peptides or polypeptides are amino acids found in skin proteins. Collagen is made up of three types of peptide chains that can increase collagen production. Collagen is your skin’s bestie. It firms, improves elasticity, and reduces signs of aging. Anything you can — safely — do to boost collagen production is a win, so peptides are definitely on our nice list. But peptides are pricey, so there are other collagen-boosting ingredients to use, like retinol. 

Ceramides: Fat That’s Good For You

Best for: All skin types

Ceramides are fats found in skin cells and comprise roughly 40% of your skin’s outer layer. Using skincare products with ceramides boosts skin cell health and helps you retain moisture. The best thing about ceramides is that they rarely cause irritation so feel free to add to your routine. There are ceramide serums that can be useful for eczema and seriously dry skin, but we prefer ceramide facial lotions. 

Glycolic Acid: Sun Damage Reversed

Best for: Discolored skin

Glycolic acid works as an exfoliator — like salicylic acid — and smooths skin texture — like niacinamide. It can reverse sun damage, reduce the appearance of stretch marks, and soothe your complexion. While it can reduce acne and signs of aging, it’s usually most powerful as a complexion perfector. 

If you have acne scars, stretch marks, sun damage, hyperpigmentation, dark spots, and other types of discoloring and damage, glycolic acid helps turn back time. However, it can irritate sensitive skin, so stick to lower concentrations under 10%.

Adding These to Your Skin Routine

If you want to try adding any of these ingredients to your skincare routine, slowly incorporate them one at a time. Seriously, only do one at a time. If you do more and something irritates your skin, you won’t know which one is the problem. 

Start with the ingredient that aligns most with your skin and its needs. When in doubt, start with hyaluronic acid. No, this guide is NOT an advertisement for hyaluronic acid — it’s just an exceptional ingredient for skin!

As mentioned, some ingredients are in serum form, others are common in lotions, and some appear in a number of products. Serums should be used after cleansers or toners but before any lotions, creams, masks, or sunscreens. 

Don’t Drown Yourself

It’s tempting to add a new serum to your Sephora cart after a TikTok says everyone has to use this new serum from the land of unicorns and oompa loompas. But it might not be right for you. Or maybe it’s unnecessary and redundant. 

We love skincare, but who has the time to slather on seven serums each morning and night? And who can afford it?

We encourage you to try different serums and skincare ingredients to find what works for you. But don’t get lost in the endless sea of serums and drown your skin. If you have a handful that makes your skin feel and look healthy, don’t let the noise disrupt your hard-won routine!