Every Zen Botanics formula, ingredient by ingredient, chosen for what it actually does on skin rather than how it reads on a label. This page is the reference for the ingredinets we we use: what it is, how it works, and which product carries it.
Jump to an ingredient: Bakuchiol · Blue Tansy · Bulgarian Rose Otto Hydrosol · French Green Clay · Hyaluronic Acid · Jojoba · Kakadu Plum · Lavender Essential Oil · Niacinamide · Pentavitin® · Prickly Pear Seed Oil · Shea Butter · Squalane · Vitamin C · Willow Bark · Canadian Willowherb™
Bakuchiol
Found in: Super Restore Oil (0.5%) · Super Glow Oil (1%)
Bakuchiol works through retinol-like gene expression, meaning it interacts with similar gene pathways to retinol. That overlap is why it produces comparable visible results without the irritation retinol is known for.
It's extensively studied alongside retinol in published dermatology research. A 12-week randomised, double-blind trial published in the British Journal of Dermatology found equivalent reductions in the appearance of fine lines and uneven texture compared to retinol, with significantly better tolerability. We source ours from Trulux and NDA, never white-labelled.
Blue Tansy
Found in: Super Restore Oil · Dream Cream
Blue Tansy is studied for its calming properties on skin. In formulation, it's associated with skin appearing visibly calmer, which is useful for the redness and reactivity that often shows up alongside stress or congestion.
Bulgarian Rose Otto Hydrosol
Found in: Bulgarian Rose Hydration Mist
A hydrosol is the water-based byproduct of steam-distilling rose otto essential oil. It retains more of the rose's beneficial minerals and aromatic compounds than diluted rose water, which makes it a meaningfully different, and better, ingredient. We use certified organic Bulgarian Rose Otto Hydrosol specifically, never rose water. The mist also contains 0.002% naturally derived alcohol, which we disclose fully.
French Green Clay
Found in: Purifying Green Clay Mask · Green Clay Cleanse Bar
Clay adsorbs, meaning it binds to oil and impurities sitting in pores and lifts them out when rinsed away. Our mask is sold as a dry powder mixed fresh with water, honey or face oil depending on what your skin needs that week. Because there's no water activity in the dry format, no synthetic preservatives are needed to keep it stable.
French Green Clay helps draw out impurities, helps absorb excess oil for a visibly mattified appearance, and helps skin look cleaner with pores appearing more refined.
Hyaluronic Acid
Found in: Clearing Rescue Serum
Hyaluronic Acid is a humectant that helps draw and hold moisture at the skin's surface. That's why it's associated with a visibly plumper, more hydrated look, particularly relevant for oily skin that's overcompensating for a lack of moisture by producing more oil.
Jojoba
Found in: Super Restore Oil
Jojoba is technically a liquid wax, not an oil, which is part of why it sits so cleanly on skin without adding to surface congestion. It closely mimics what skin naturally produces, which is why oily and combination skin tend to tolerate it particularly well.
Kakadu Plum
Found in: Bulgarian Rose Hydration Mist
Kakadu Plum is one of the richest natural sources of Vitamin C. It's associated with helping fight free radicals and supporting a brighter-looking complexion.
Lavender Essential Oil
Found in: Dream Cream · Purifying Green Clay Mask
Lavender is associated with a calming sensory effect and has documented antibacterial properties as an ingredient, alongside its naturally calming scent profile in the finished formula. It helps skin look clearer as part of a consistent routine.
Niacinamide (5%)
Found in: Clearing Rescue Serum
Niacinamide is a form of Vitamin B3 that's absorbed into skin cells and used in cellular processes that support the skin's appearance over time, including how visible pores and oil look on the surface. We always state the inclusion rate because the percentage matters: ours is formulated at 5%.
Niacinamide helps reduce the appearance of pores and oil, and helps skin look clearer and more even. It is not the ingredient responsible for purging during a new routine; that effect comes from turnover-accelerating actives, not niacinamide.
Pentavitin®
Found in: Bulgarian Rose Hydration Mist
Pentavitin is a 100% natural, plant-derived ingredient with a clinically proven claim for deep hydration: up to 72 hours, even after cleansing. It's ECOCERT and COSMOS approved.
Prickly Pear Seed Oil
Found in: Super Restore Oil (20% inclusion)
Vitamin E is skin's primary fat-soluble antioxidant. It sits inside cell membranes and helps neutralise the oxidative stress linked to congestion and visible ageing. Prickly Pear Seed Oil carries more Vitamin E than any other plant oil, the highest of any plant oil on the market, so a meaningful inclusion rate actually delivers a meaningful amount.
Ours is organic, cold-pressed, and unrefined. At roughly $800 a litre, it's one of the most expensive plant oils used in skincare by volume. Most formulas that list it use a decorative amount; ours doesn't. It absorbs without leaving residue and is non-comedogenic, which is why it suits oily and blemish-prone skin specifically, despite being an oil.
Shea Butter
Found in: Dream Cream · Pink Clay Cleanse Bar · Green Clay Cleanse Bar
A rich, fatty emollient that sits on skin and helps it retain moisture, with a long-established reputation for softening and smoothing texture. Known moisturising properties, nothing more dramatic claimed than that, because that's genuinely what it does well.
Squalane (Olive derived)
Found in: Super Restore Oil · Super Glow Oil · Dream Cream · Simply Squalane Face Oil (100%)
Squalane is structurally close to squalene, a lipid your skin produces naturally as part of its own sebum. Because it's so similar to what's already there, skin absorbs it readily and rarely reacts to it, regardless of skin type, including oily skin.
Derived from olives, lightweight, fast-absorbing, with no residue. Hypoallergenic and fragrance-free. Helps support the appearance of a healthy skin barrier without adding heaviness.
Vitamin C (Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate)
Found in: Super Glow Oil (4%)
Standard Vitamin C breaks down quickly once exposed to air and light. This stabilised, fat-soluble form penetrates skin more readily and stays active in skin cells far longer, around 40 to 80 times longer than standard forms, which is why a lower concentration still does meaningful work.
It's light-stable, won't oxidise the way standard Vitamin C does, and helps brighten the appearance of dull, uneven skin tone. At roughly $484 per 100ml, it's one of the most expensive stable Vitamin C forms available, not a commodity input.
Willow Bark
Found in: Clearing Rescue Serum
Willow Bark contains natural salicin, a compound related to salicylic acid. It's associated with helping skin look smoother and more refined as part of a regular routine.
Canadian Willowherb™
Found in: Clearing Rescue Serum (2%)
A clinically studied botanical extract with antioxidant properties. Consumer studies show a reduction in the visible appearance of blemishes with consistent use. We use it at 2%, a genuinely premium, clinically validated extract at a meaningful inclusion rate, not a token amount.
Why We Formulate This Way
Every Zen Botanics product is formulated to have as minimal ingredients as possible so the ones that make the cut, actually have the space to work beneficially for your skin.
Oils are cold-pressed rather than refined, and every one is chosen for how it actually behaves on skin, absorbing fully, hydrating well and never sitting greasy before it earns a place in a formula. We don't use synthetic fragrances, drying alcohols, mineral oils or parabens.
If an ingredient costs more to source properly, that's reflected in the formula, not skipped. The Prickly Pear Seed Oil in Super Restore Oil and the stabilised Vitamin C in Super Glow Oil are two of the clearest examples: both are among the most expensive inputs available in their category, and both are used at a concentration that actually matters, not a decorative trace amount.
This page is for educational purposes and reflects the formulation choices behind Zen Botanics products. It is not medical advice. If you have a specific skin concern, consult a dermatologist or GP.