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.