A vitamin C serum with no vitamin C: mostly a basic hydrating formula wearing a brightening label.
None detected
Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E)Sodium HyaluronateJojoba Seed Oil
Dimethyl Sulfone (MSM)Cassia Seed PolysaccharideCentella Asiatica Extract
Horsetail ExtractDandelion ExtractGeranium Extract
Higher efficacy (4.3 vs 3.0)
Higher efficacy (4.5 vs 3.0)
Higher efficacy (4.5 vs 3.0)
Type a product name to check its skincare ingredients. Every ingredient is graded S to D on the clinical evidence behind it, the formula gets an efficacy and a safety score and you see better scored products & dupes. Use the acne & pore-clogging checker to check for acne or fungal acne trigger
We don't rate products on reviews, price or how the brand describes them. We read the full ingredient list and score it against the published research.
An active ingredient is one that changes something in your skin, not just how the product feels. These are the actives the scanner sees most often, with the grade each one gets in the DemythSkin database.
| Ingredient | Grade | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Retinol and retinal | S · Gold standard | Speeds up skin cell turnover; the best-studied over-the-counter option for fine lines and clogged pores |
| Salicylic acid (BHA) | S · Gold standard | Oil-soluble exfoliant that clears inside pores; a go-to for blackheads and breakouts |
| Azelaic acid | S · Gold standard | Calms redness and breakouts and fades dark marks; gentle enough for many with rosacea |
| Glycolic and lactic acid (AHAs) | S · Gold standard | Exfoliate the surface for smoother, brighter skin |
| Vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) | S · Gold standard | Antioxidant that adds to sun protection and fades dark spots |
| Tranexamic acid | S · Gold standard | Fades dark spots and melasma |
| Zinc oxide and titanium dioxide | S · Gold standard | Mineral sunscreen filters |
| Niacinamide | A · Reliable | Supports the skin barrier, evens tone, and can reduce oiliness |
| Hyaluronic acid | A · Reliable | Holds water in the skin's surface for short-term hydration |
| Ceramides | A · Reliable | Rebuild the skin barrier that keeps moisture in |
| Panthenol | A · Reliable | Soothes and hydrates |
| Peptides | B · Promising | Signal skin to support collagen; human evidence is still small |
| Centella asiatica | B · Promising | Soothing; the evidence is mostly small studies |
| Bakuchiol | B · Promising | A gentler retinol alternative with a few small trials |
Grades are for the ingredient. How well a product works also depends on how much is in it and the rest of the formula, which is what the scan checks.
A label can name an active that sits after the tenth ingredient, at a dose too small to do much. The scan shows each active's position in the list, so you can see whether the star ingredient is a real amount or a mention. For a deep dive into one ingredient, see vitamin C serums ranked by evidence, or browse every skincare ingredient, graded.
CosDNA and the EWG Skin Deep database are the best-known ways to look up skincare ingredients. They answer different questions from DemythSkin, so here is what each one does.
| DemythSkin | CosDNA | EWG Skin Deep | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The question it answers | Will this product work, and is it gentle? | Could an ingredient clog pores or irritate? | Is an ingredient linked to a potential hazard? |
| What you get | An S–D grade for every ingredient, plus efficacy and safety scores from 1.0 to 5.0 | Number ratings per ingredient for acne, irritation and safety | A hazard score from 1 to 10 per ingredient and product, plus a data availability rating |
| Rates whether it works | Yes, on the human evidence for each ingredient | No | No |
| Counts how much is in it | Yes, weighs where each ingredient sits in the list | No, each ingredient is rated on its own | No, scores reflect hazards linked to the ingredients |
| Where the lists come from | Full INCI lists we verify; no score if a list is incomplete | Lists submitted by users | EWG's own product database |
| Best for | Choosing a product that will do what it says | A quick look at acne and irritation flags | Reading about regulatory and hazard concerns |
Based on each site's own published descriptions, October 2026. CosDNA and EWG Skin Deep are trademarks of their owners; DemythSkin is not affiliated with either.
A hazard is what an ingredient could do at some dose, in some test. Risk is what it's likely to do at the amount in your moisturizer, on your skin. Hazard-based ratings can flag an ingredient because of a high-dose animal study, while a well-studied active gets a middling score simply because it's potent.
That's why DemythSkin scores efficacy and safety separately, weighs how much of each ingredient is in the formula, and grades each one on human evidence. A product can be very gentle and do nothing, or effective and a little irritating; you should see both.
Many pore-clogging ratings trace back to rabbit-ear tests on pure ingredients, which often don't match what happens on human skin in a finished product. We flag pore-cloggers by group and position rather than by a single number; see the acne & pore-clogging checker.
Tell us once: fragrance, fungal acne, pregnancy. Every scan then checks the formula against your skin, not just skin in general.
Scan the first one and it lands here, ranked against every other product of its type on the same rubric.
Scan one →How scoring works, how we compare with other ingredient checkers, and what "non-toxic" really means.
Type the product's name. DemythSkin finds its exact, full INCI list, grades every ingredient from S to D, and gives the formula a DemythSkin efficacy score and a safety score, each from 1.0 to 5.0.
The ones with the most human evidence: retinoids, salicylic acid, azelaic acid, AHAs, vitamin C, sunscreen filters, and, for the barrier, niacinamide and ceramides. See what each active does, then scan your product to see whether it contains a real amount.
EWG Skin Deep rates ingredients for potential hazards on a 1 to 10 scale. DemythSkin asks whether the product works: every ingredient is graded on the human evidence behind it, how much of it is in the formula counts, and the product gets separate efficacy and safety scores. See the side-by-side comparison.
CosDNA is handy for a quick look at acne and irritation flags, but its ratings are per ingredient, don't account for how much is in the product, and many comedogenic ratings come from old rabbit-ear tests. Product lists are submitted by users, so check they match the current formula. DemythSkin only scores full ingredient lists it can verify.
Not on its own. "Non-toxic" and "clean" aren't regulated terms for cosmetics, so each brand defines them its own way. Whether a product is safe for you depends on what's in it, how much, and your skin, not on the label. Our safety score looks at the actual ingredients, and a free profile flags your own triggers, like fragrance.
We only score complete ingredient lists. If a brand hasn't published its full INCI list anywhere we can verify, we say so instead of guessing.
Yes. 5 scans a week with no account, 5 a day with a free account, unlimited with Pro. The scores are identical either way.
Yes. Use the acne & pore-clogging ingredient checker or the fungal acne ingredient checker. Both run the same scan and also name every flagged ingredient with its position in the list, free.