There are a lot of buzzword ingredients in skincare and, don’t get us wrong, most of them are very much worth knowing about. From retinol and vitamin C to salicylic acid and ceramides, when it comes to skincare, it pays to know what’s really inside your formula. After all, knowing your skin type is all well and good, but if you know which ingredients really work together with your skin to achieve your skin goals, you’ve instantly just boosted your routine. 

But, how do you know that the ingredients inside your skincare will really work? Well, that’s where encapsulated skincare or ‘slow-release’ formulas could come into play. They ensure that the ingredient in question is delivered to your skin in its most potent and hardworking form – without losing any of its benefits along the way. 

Encapsulated skincare – or more specifically, encapsulated ingredients – refers to the practice of coating ingredients with a protective layer, allowing them to reach the surface of your skin in their purest form. Think of it like this: at a molecular level, the ingredient is coated in a protected sphere – that allows it to reach the surface of your skin unchanged or unaffected by things like unsuitable packaging, UV light, oxygen or heat. Once applied to your skin, the protected sphere then melts away, letting the ingredient get to work. 

“One of the real benefits of this is that the active ingredient is then drip-fed to the skin over a 12, 24 or 48-hour period,” explains Dr Ifeoma Ejikeme, founder and medical director of Adonia Medical Clinic.

Active ingredients that are unstable and hard to control are the ones that most commonly benefit from encapsulation – think vitamin C and retinol. Encapsulation can help to protect the active ingredient from going off or, in the case of retinol, allow for a slow, controlled release over time, resulting in gentler results for sensitive skin.

“All different skin types can benefit from these slow-release products,” continues Dr Ejikeme. “For example, someone with dry skin can get long-term moisturisation and someone with sensitive skin will be able to tolerate an active and strong ingredient when it’s drip-fed throughout the day.”

Now don’t get us wrong, formulating this level of science-backed skincare can get pricey, so some of these skincare picks are absolutely not a ‘must-have’ in your routine but more of a ‘lust-have’. If you’re obsessed with skincare, want to really see results from your formulas and/or have sensitive skin when it comes to actives, then looking out for encapsulated ingredients may be the way to go. Keep scrolling for our round-up of the best-encapsulated skincare formulas that really work.

Images: Stylist, courtesy of brands