Every active ingredient in the Glow Table, with what it does for your skin, its evidence tier, and where you'll most commonly find it. Filter by function, product type, or evidence strength, or search by name, INCI label, or alias.
Showing 22 of 129 ingredients.
Niacinamide
A multitasker that calms redness, evens out skin tone, and helps oily skin balance out. One of the safest do-a-little-of-everything ingredients.
Ascorbic Acid
Brightens dull skin and helps fade dark spots. Also defends against everyday UV and pollution damage when worn under sunscreen.
Ascorbyl Glucoside
A gentler, more stable form of vitamin C. Same brightening benefits with less chance of stinging.
Azelaic Acid
Calms redness, fades acne marks, and clears bumps, all without aggravating sensitive skin. Pregnancy-safe.
Hydroquinone
The gold-standard fade ingredient for dark spots and melasma. Prescription-only and meant for short-term use under a dermatologist.
Tranexamic Acid
Fades stubborn dark patches like melasma and deep marks left behind by acne or hormonal shifts. The one to reach for when other brighteners haven't worked.
Galactomyces Ferment Filtrate
A yeast-based ingredient that brightens skin tone and refines the look of pores. Made famous by SK-II essences.
Alpha-Arbutin
A safer, slower-acting alternative to prescription-strength dark-spot faders. Built for long-term use without irritation.
Kojic Acid
A brightening ingredient derived from fungi that fades dark spots and evens skin tone.
Oryza Sativa Bran Extract
A traditional Japanese brightener with built-in antioxidants. Softens, hydrates, and adds glow.
Galactomyces Ferment Filtrate (Pitera)
SK-II's signature ingredient, a specific yeast filtrate that improves clarity and texture over time.
Citrus Junos Seed Extract
A citrus-derived antioxidant from Japan that brightens and protects the skin surface.
Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
A gentle Asian-skincare brightener derived from licorice root. Fades dark spots and calms redness, and it's a pregnancy-safe alternative to stronger fade ingredients.
Glutathione
A "master antioxidant" your body already makes. In skincare it gently lightens overall tone and helps fade pigmentation when used consistently over months.
Resveratrol
A grape-derived antioxidant that defends skin from daily oxidative damage and helps even out tone. Often paired with vitamins C and E in nighttime serums.
Acetyl Glucosamine
A gentle brightener that fades dark spots while quietly boosting hydration. Pairs especially well with niacinamide.
4-Hexylresorcinol
A potent dark-spot fader long favored by dermatologists. Pairs strongly with niacinamide for stubborn discoloration without the irritation of hydroquinone.
Rosa Canina Fruit Oil
A dry oil that absorbs quickly and brings a tiny trickle of vitamin-A-like activity. Good for scarring, post-acne marks, and barrier rebuild without feeling greasy.
Morus Alba Root Extract
A "natural skin lightener" with actual clinical-trial backing for melasma. A placebo-controlled study showed real MASI improvement. Sits well alongside vitamin C, alpha-arbutin, or niacinamide in a brightening stack.
Phytic Acid
A plant-derived acid that blocks the enzyme your skin uses to make pigment, fading dark spots and post-acne marks. Clinical trials show it measurably reduces hyperpigmentation and improves skin luminosity, with significantly less irritation than stronger AHAs. A good option for sensitive skin that still wants a brightening acid.
Isobutylamido Thiazolyl Resorcinol
A standout dark-spot fader. It blocks the human pigment-making enzyme more strongly than most brighteners, so with daily use it visibly lightens melasma, sun spots, and post-acne marks over a few weeks. Pairs well with sunscreen and niacinamide.
Saccharomyces/Rice Ferment Filtrate
The rice-water glow trend behind viral rice toners and essences. Lab and animal studies point to brightening and hydration, but human studies are still thin. Think of it as a pleasant, low-risk hydrator with promising early evidence rather than a proven brightener.
Every ingredient in this list traces back to peer-reviewed sources. See our methodology for how we evaluate, cite, and verify research from PubMed, the Korean Citation Index, J-Stage, and the MFDS regulatory record.