Verified Beauty Data / The record
Every number on this site traces to a primary source — lab data, the EU CosIng register, or a brand disclosure stated plainly. Every verdict is backed by aggregated consensus, not affiliate incentives. Browse the library three ways.
★ / Tools & data
The data layer no one else publishes — every active priced, every brand graded, any label decoded.
The Actives Index
The cheapest effective dose of each active — and how far the price of the same molecule stretches.
Open the index →The Disclosure Scorecard
We graded the brands on whether they publish their active concentrations — or make you guess.
See the grades →The INCI Decoder
Drop any product's ingredient list in and we pull out the actives that actually do something.
Decode a list →01 / Browse by concern
Each concern maps to the verified actives and formulas with real data behind them.
Dullness, dark spots, uneven tone — the actives and formulas with evidence behind the glow.
Free-radical and photodamage protection — what genuinely shields skin, sourced from the literature.
Collagen support and fine-line work — the ingredients with the deepest clinical record.
Breakout and congestion concerns — coverage is early; entries are added as they clear verification.
Moisture retention and barrier support — coverage is early; entries are added as they clear verification.
Calming reactive, rosacea-prone and easily-irritated skin — the soothing and barrier-supporting actives with evidence behind them, every claim sourced. Soothe-and-support, not a substitute for medical rosacea or eczema care.
Restore and strengthen a compromised or dehydrated moisture barrier — the barrier lipids, humectants and soothers with evidence behind them, every claim sourced. A support-and-restore layer, not a substitute for medical eczema or dermatitis care.
Smooth rough, bumpy texture and soften the look of enlarged or clogged pores — the exfoliating acids, retinoids and oil-regulating actives with evidence behind them, every claim sourced. You can refine pores’ appearance, but you can’t shrink them permanently.
02 / Dupe Reports — the series
Each report ranks every dupe ingredient-by-ingredient against the original. New numbers ship as we verify them.
7 formulas ranked ingredient-by-ingredient against the $185 original. Patent expired; the winner costs $9.99.
Read the report →Phloretin barely exists in affordable skincare. 7 formulas ranked against the $185 oily-skin original.
Read the report →Cheap commodity acids in a $90 bottle. The brand collapsed. 7 formulas ranked against the original — the winner costs $24.
Read the report →1% retinol in a squalane base — the $76 price was the brand. 6 formulas ranked; No7 replicates the same active and signal peptides for $39.
Read the report →SPF filters are commodity. The 5% niacinamide is the moat. 6 formulas ranked — DRMTLGY keeps both zinc + niacinamide for $32 vs $41.
Read the report →The Miracle Broth ferment cannot be sourced — no one can dupe it. But the occlusive base is commodity: Nivea Crème seals the same barrier for $5 (a 50x price cut per mL). 5 formulas ranked against the $210 original.
Read the report →TFC8 is patented — no brand can source or replicate it. The base emollients are commodity: Vanicream matches them for $15. 5 formulas ranked against the $290 original. Honest verdict: there is no dupe.
Read the report →L'Oréal owns SkinCeuticals and the proxylane patent — and uses the same molecule (Hydroxypropyl Tetrahydropyrantriol) in a $25 drugstore eye cream. 4 formulas ranked against the $113 original. Real dupe: L'Oréal Revitalift Triple Power Eye.
Read the report →The 22-botanical Phyto Radiance Infusion (21-day cold-process) cannot be replicated — the moat is breadth plus process, not one active. 5 formulas ranked against the $195 original. Honest verdict: there is no dupe. Closest pick: Herbivore Phoenix (9 of 22 botanicals, $58).
Read the report →A $60 cult lactic-acid treatment whose acid sits 8th on the INCI — below 7 botanicals — at an undisclosed percentage. The Ordinary states 10% lactic acid on the label for $9. 2 disclosed-strength dupes ranked against the original; the glow is emollients, the value is honesty.
Read the report →Pitera is galactomyces ferment filtrate — a yeast filtrate SK-II markets at an undisclosed % for $100+. MIZON discloses 94.5% of the same active for $23. 2 ferment essences ranked against the original. Honest verdict: the active is the same class; the premium is the ritual.
Read the report →ANR's hero is Bifida Ferment Lysate — a probiotic ferment at an undisclosed % marketed as "ChronoluxCB." Missha Time Revolution First Essence RX contains the same active class for $29.90 vs $115. 1 ferment-family candidate ranked against the original. Honest verdict: format (essence vs. serum) and ferment priority both differ — read the caveats.
Read the report →The 2:4:2 ratio (2% ceramides, 4% cholesterol, 2% fatty acids) is real barrier-repair science — cholesterol-dominant, targeting aging skin. CeraVe delivers the same three lipid classes for $17 vs $148. 1 ceramide+cholesterol+fatty-acid candidate ranked. Honest verdict: the ratio is evidence-grounded; no head-to-head trial proves it beats a well-formulated generic.
Read the report →The signal peptides are real but undisclosed-% near the bottom of a 47-ingredient INCI. Revolution Pro Miracle Cream was explicitly designed as the dupe — copper peptide, hyaluronic acid, shea butter — for $14 vs $100. 3 peptide moisturizer candidates ranked. Honest verdict: you are paying for brand, scent, and texture.
Read the report →Nine peptides, fragrance-free, silicone-free — the formula was never the problem. The brand collapsed 65% in Q1 2025. Naturium shares the Matrixyl 3000 pair (Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Tetrapeptide-7) for $19 vs $68. 3 alternatives tested. Honest verdict: the stack is real, the brand is in freefall, the dupe is incomplete.
Read the report →The P50 1970 is built around phenol — a keratolytic restricted in US/EU cosmetics. No mass-market formula can replicate it. 4 acid toner alternatives ranked against the $56 original. Honest verdict: there is no P50 dupe. What exists is effective daily acid exfoliation for $10.
Read the report →Crystal Retinal 10 is 0.1% encapsulated retinaldehyde — the most potent OTC retinoid. 3 retinal serums ranked against the $109 original. Winner: Geek & Gorgeous A-Game discloses the same 0.1% for $20.
Read the report →2% salicylic acid is the OTC maximum and a commodity active. 3 formulas ranked against the $36.50 cult exfoliant — The Ordinary discloses the same 2% for $6.70.
Read the report →A five-acid pad at ~$3 a use. No exact dupe of the blend, but The Ordinary Glycolic 7% does the daily-resurfacing job for $13.50 vs the $94 original.
Read the report →It's 10% azelaic acid — a disclosed, commodity active. The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10% discloses the exact same number for $12.20 vs the $27.30 original. Identical active; you pay the premium for a richer, more soothing base.
Read the report →It's 10% niacinamide — a disclosed, commodity active. The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% discloses the exact same number for $6 (bigger bottle) vs the $34.30 original — about an eighth the price per gram. The premium buys a real brightening/antioxidant supporting cast, not a stronger dose.
Read the report →It's 2% alpha arbutin — a disclosed, commodity brightening active. The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA discloses the exact same number for $11.50 vs the $25 original. Identical hero active at the lowest sticker; COSRX's premium buys a bigger bottle and a fuller brightening stack (niacinamide, tranexamic acid, glutathione), not a stronger dose.
Read the report →03 / Browse by ingredient
Effective concentration, pH, derivative ladders — every claim sourced. 3 dossiers, more in research.
The gold-standard brightening antioxidant — if you nail the formulation (pH under 3.5, 10-20%, ferulic acid present, opaque airless packaging), it is one of the most clinically supported topical actives in skincare.
The ingredient that makes your vitamin C serum actually work — its own solo resume is solid but modest; it's a power-up, not a headliner.
Vitamin E is the reliable second chair your vitamin C serum can't play without — but pure vitamin E oil on its own is the skincare myth dermatologists most want to retire.
04 / Most researched
Ranked by depth of aggregated consensus — where the evidence is deepest right now.
05 / Decide what to use
The library tells you what's true; these tell you what to do.