— The Catalog · Twelve Formats
Our full working catalog of face and body cream formats — each profiled with its actives, texture and best use. This is an educational reference: we describe formats, we don’t sell them.
01 / FormatHumectants & emollients · daily hydrator
The cornerstone. Humectants like glycerin pull water toward the skin, emollients smooth the spaces between cells, and a light occlusive seals the work in — three jobs in one jar, repeated twice a day. Every other format in this guide is a variation on the theme it set.
02 / FormatRich emollients · overnight replenisher
The overnight shift. Skin loses more water while you sleep and runs its repair cycle hardest after dark, so night creams answer with richer oils, butters and lipids than their daytime twins. The format that turns eight horizontal hours into the most productive part of a routine.
03 / FormatLightweight actives · under-eye care
The specialist. The skin under the eyes is thinner than anywhere else on the face and moves thousands of times a day, so eye creams are built small-molecule light, fast-absorbing and fragrance-cautious. A pea per eye, tapped with the ring finger — the weakest digit is the gentlest tool.
04 / FormatCeramides & lipids · barrier first
The mason. Ceramide-rich creams rebuild the mortar between skin cells — the lipid barrier that keeps water in and irritants out. The format dermatologists reach for when skin is over-cleansed, over-exfoliated or simply weathered, and the quiet backbone of any recovery routine.
05 / FormatVitamin A derivative · renewal
The night-school classic. Retinol supports the skin’s natural renewal rhythm — encouraging fresh cells to arrive at the surface on a steadier schedule. Begin twice a week at night, buffer with a good moisturizer over it, and let patience do the rest. The most-studied active in the cabinet.
06 / FormatAscorbic acid · antioxidant
The morning glass of juice. Vitamin C is an antioxidant that helps defend the skin against everyday environmental stress and supports a brighter, more even look. Stable in cream form, happiest in a morning slot, and the reason many routines start smelling faintly of citrus.
07 / FormatHyaluronic acid · water magnet
The reservoir. Hyaluronic acid is famous for holding many times its weight in water, and creams built around it are all delivery — drawing moisture toward the surface and plumping the look of fine, dry lines on contact. Layer it over damp skin and under something richer, and it works shifts all day.
08 / FormatVitamin B3 · balancing
The diplomat. Niacinamide is the rare active that gets along with everyone — supporting an even tone, a calm complexion and a balanced feel for oilier skin without the drama stronger actives bring. The format K-beauty built a whole routine around, and for good reason.
09 / FormatCollagen & emollients · plumping
The optimist. Collagen creams pair the skin’s own favorite structural protein — in topical, moisturizing form — with emollients that give an immediately smoother, cushioned look. A cream cannot rebuild architecture, but it can furnish the rooms, and the plumped look a good one leaves behind is real enough in the mirror.
10 / FormatAloe, oat & calendula · calming
The peacemaker. Built around botanicals with a long folk history — aloe, colloidal oat, calendula — soothing creams exist for skin that has had a day: sun, wind, retinol or its own opinions. Light, minimal and fragrance-shy, they are the softest entries in any cabinet.
11 / FormatGlycerin & shea · pocket repair
The commuter. Hands are washed more than any other skin and protected less, so hand creams pack fast-absorbing glycerin and richer shea into pocket-size tubes. The correct format is the one within reach when you need it — desk, bag, bedside, all three.
12 / FormatShea & cocoa butters · deep feed
The deep feed. Whipped shea and cocoa butters are the richest thing this side of a spa: dense emollients that stay with skin through winter days and sink in slowly overnight. For shins, elbows and heels — the places face cream never reaches — nothing else in the jar family works as hard.