Introducing Ectoin, The Most Underrated Skincare Ingredient | British Vogue

Mar 24, 2025

If you rarely, if ever, look at a skincare ingredient list, I can’t blame you. Often written in tiny font and exclusively in capital letters, deciphering exactly what’s inside whatever serum, spray or cleanser you’re popping on can feel like more trouble than it’s worth. Especially if there are a few hero ingredients championed on the front or side of said product. The only thing about this approach is that you may have missed an ingredient used in several brilliant formulations but rarely sold on its own: Ectoin.

“Ectoin is an amino acid derivative,” consultant dermatologist and founder of Joonbyrd Dr Alexis Granite explains. “It’s known as an ‘extremolyte’, meaning it’s one of a group of compounds that protects plants and microorganisms from extreme conditions like the desert and deep ocean.” So can Ectoin help combat the stressors our skin faces every single day, such as pollution? In a word: yes. “Ectoin helps to create a seal over the skin, preventing transepidermal water loss, which is what makes it a powerful hydrator,” Dr Granite continues.

Ectoin can…

“Because Ectoin is often found in serums, ideally, it would be the second step in your routine after cleansing but before moisturising,” says Dr Granite. It pairs well with brightening vitamin C, nourishing ceramides and clarifying niacinamide, she adds. Not sure where to start? Try any of the Ectoin-rich products below, handpicked for their ability to soothe, repair and renew stressed-out skin.

Allies Of Skin Copper Tripeptide & Ectoin Advanced Repair Serum

Space NK

The Inkey List Ectoin Hydro-Barrier Serum

Cult Beauty

Byoma Barrier+ Treatment

Cult Beauty

Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Ectoin-Infused Moisture Cream

Boots