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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at FIU chapter.

What’s Niacinamide? How about Glyceryl Stearate or Hyaluronic Acid? Skincare jargon is hard enough to make anyone think twice. Here’s a list of ways you can research what you’re putting on your face.

Review trusted Youtube Channels

YouTube can be your best friend if you can find channels that can support their claims with data and evidence. Beauty Within is one of my favorite skincare channels to watch when I’m trying to figure out what an ingredient is. They’re helpful and plainly tell you what makes up a chemical. I love them because they explain when, how and why we use certain ingredients, like Vitamin C.

Research your ingredients online

Websites like Paula’s Choice and Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) can give you ratings on how an ingredient might interact with your skin. EWG even provides information on how ingredients interact with the environment. For example, when you rinse your shampoo out of your hair and it goes down the drain, what effect can those ingredients have on the ocean floor?

If you’re still unsure, you could also check the FDA’s website and see if they’ve tested certain chemicals in your moisturizer.

Some extra reading material

Websites and magazines like allure and Refinery29 are awesome! They’re constantly writing articles and creating content that centers around skincare; especially ‘allure’! They have reviews on skincare and even announce when new skincare lines are going to drop. Allure’s magazine is filled with articles specifically about skincare trends.

Julia Gomez is a student of journalism at Florida International University and hopes to become an investigative journalist. She is experienced in writing about politics and pop culture, and has a passion for music and photography.