Packaging glossary

A viscous filtrate used at high percentages in Korean essences, usually as the bulk of the formula rather than a small active.

A vitamin A derivative that degrades on contact with light and air.

A step closer to retinoic acid than retinol, so it works at lower percentages.

Pure L-ascorbic acid oxidises in water and turns orange, then brown.

A water-soluble vitamin used across serums, essences and moisturisers.

Lipids that sit in rich, occlusive formulas.

Short amino acid chains used at low percentages in serums and eye products.

A humectant sold at a range of molecular weights.

A botanical extract that anchors the Korean soothing category.

A Korean clinic ingredient that moved into retail skincare.

Vesicles used in the premium end of regenerative skincare.

A soothing polysaccharide that has moved from a supporting role into hero position on barrier products.

Inactivated bacterial cultures and their by-products, used where live probiotics would be unstable.

Often formulated as a thick, slightly grainy suspension rather than a clear serum.

An oil-soluble exfoliant used in watery toners and in leave-on treatments.

A small-molecule exfoliant used in toners, pads and overnight treatments.

An oil-soluble botanical positioned as a gentler alternative to retinol.

A light, stable emollient sold neat as a single-ingredient oil or blended into oil serums.

Microscopic siliceous needles from freshwater sponge, used in Korean treatments to drive actives into skin.

A sticky resin used at high percentages in Korean ampoules.

A milky, water-thin base used across Korean toners and cleansers.

A dark botanical extract common in Korean soothing lines.

Filters suspended in an emulsion.

A brightening active used in serums aimed at pigmentation and post-inflammatory marks.

A brightening active that darkens on exposure to light and heat, which is a problem for a product sold on evening skin tone..

A humectant that holds more water than hyaluronic acid and leaves a noticeably tacky film..

A larger-molecule acid marketed as the gentle alternative to AHAs.

A humectant and soothing agent that appears in everything from essences to hair products.

A small stabilising molecule used at low percentages in soothing and barrier serums.

Common in eye products and body firming lotions.

The scalp oil that carried hair care into skincare shelves.

The Korean finish that made hydration a look rather than a step.

The category that absorbed most of the market's attention from exfoliation.

Sealing a routine with a heavy occlusive overnight.

Rotating actives across a four-night cycle so exfoliation and retinoids never land on the same evening..

The shift from a look you achieve this morning to a condition you maintain for years.

Fewer products, each doing more.

Formulas made without water, sold as balms, powders, sticks and concentrates.

Selling the outer once and the formula repeatedly.

An unregulated positioning built on excluded ingredients.

Skincare that borrows the visual language of medicine: restrained colour, clinical typography, percentages on the front..

Face-grade actives sold at body volumes.

A bottle with an internal piston that rises as product is used, so air never fills the space above the formula..

A bottle closed with a pipette, dosing by drops.

A dip-tube pump with a small metered output, sized for face products rather than hand wash..

A pump that atomises rather than pours.

A small-volume bottle, usually 10ml to 20ml, sold at a high price per millilitre and often as a short course..

A squeezable tube that stands on its cap, so the product settles at the opening..

A wide-mouth container for anything too thick to dispense.

A hinged closure opened with a thumb, dispensing by squeeze or pour..

A pump that aerates a thin liquid into foam at the nozzle, so the formula in the bottle is much thinner than what comes out..

A glossy treatment in a small tube with a doe-foot or brush applicator.

A light scent in an alcohol or oil base, sprayed over a large area.

A solid or soft-solid in a twist-up barrel.

A solid or semi-solid oil that melts on contact.

A single or few-use quantity, given away or sold cheaply to get a formula into a hand..

A wide-mouth jar with a piston base, so a thick cream can be dispensed without fingers or air..

A bottle closed with a rotating ball, dispensing a thin film.

Glass coloured through the body rather than sprayed, filtering a portion of visible and ultraviolet light..

Clear glass given a matte surface by etching or coating.

The standard clear plastic for cosmetics.

Plastic made from material that has already been through a consumer's hands and a recycling stream..

Deep violet glass that blocks most visible light while passing some ultraviolet, used by brands that market preservation..

Light, opaque and infinitely recyclable.

A pack made from one material family so it can go into a recycling stream without being taken apart..

The smallest quantity a supplier will sell.

Selling a manufacturer's formula under your own name.

Ink applied directly to the container through a mesh, cured to bond with the surface.

Foil pressed onto the surface with a heated die, leaving a metallic mark..

The thread specification at the opening, written as diameter over thread style.

The batch identifier and the open-jar symbol showing how many months a product lasts once opened.

Filling the actual container with the actual formula and leaving it, at temperature, to see what happens..

The printed box a bottle sits inside.