Water, perhaps the most important ingredient in our routines, keeps our skin happy for many reasons, and we need an ample source within our skin’s barrier for the ingredients in our skincare routines to function efficiently. For best results, hyaluronic acid should be incorporated into any skincare regimen that also includes other humectants and moisturizers to protect against transepidermal water loss.

Enzymes act as catalysts to bring about complex biochemical reactions. But not all enzymes are the same—some go to work for our skin, others for our gut, for food, and so on. 

Question: What are the best ingredients for calming stressed out skin?

A: When conducting research on the symptoms of stressed-out skin, formulators tend to focus on the appearance of stress. Symptomatically, stress can look like redness, dullness, fatigue, or uneven tone, but stress can also manifest as feelings of sensitivity and irritation. Sensitivity can happen due to myriad reasons, such as environmental stress, or using highly active cosmeceuticals, like retinoids or vitamin C. Regardless of the reasons why your skin is stressed, it’s important to find out what can help skin destress, and there are a lot of amazing ingredients for this.