Most cosmetic products are built by adding a small amount of a "concept" ingredient on top of an already-existing formula. That's not a stylistic choice - it comes down to practical limitations.
Building a new formula from scratch requires months of stability testing, typically six months to a year, since it has to be tested for physical and chemical stability across a range of conditions: usage environment, temperature, storage and shipping.
Most brands can't afford to wait that long. Fast planning and fast launches have become a survival strategy in this market, which is why it's become standard practice to take an OEM/ODM manufacturer's pre-made, already-stable formula and add only a trace amount of a "concept" ingredient - just enough not to disrupt that stability. Products built this way naturally end up with similar textures, similar effects, and similar overall feel. That's the real reason so many brands and concepts look different on the outside while what's actually inside is strikingly similar.
SkinStandard works entirely outside that structure. We design our formulas ourselves, starting from the ground up so the formula's entire structure is built around letting the active ingredient actually work. For example, to stabilize niacinamide at 30%, we engineered the formula's structure, pH, and viscosity - down to how each raw material interacts with the others.
The only reason we've been able to build these ultra-high-concentration formulas is that we're a formulation lab that builds everything ourselves. Stability testing, formula review - every step of the process is something we manage directly, which is what makes this possible.
What That Approach Actually Produced
Any brand can say it designs its own formulas. The claim only means something if there are products behind it, with numbers on the label. Here is what the lab has released so far - in each case, one active, and a formula built around that active's specific problem.
75% Dexpanthenol Add-on Serum - 75% (750,000 ppm), roughly 15x the ~5% in a typical pharmacy ointment. Active D-form only, with paraffin, white beeswax and lanolin left out; a nano-squalane absorption design; pH held at 5.5 ± 0.5 with citric acid; 7 ingredients, each disclosed down to 0.001%.
75% Dexpanthenol Add-on SerumShop this product on skinstandard.com
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30% Pure Vitamin C Add-on Serum - 30% pure L-ascorbic acid, not a derivative. 0% purified water (anhydrous), in an opaque black airless bottle to keep water, light and air out; testing at an internationally accredited laboratory confirmed it stays clear for over a year at room temperature after opening, with no refrigeration; 3 ingredients.
30% Pure Vitamin C Add-on SerumShop this product on skinstandard.com
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30% Niacinamide Add-on Serum - 30%. Stable with no crystallization or precipitation, and a water-gel texture that doesn't pill; a high-purity raw material with reduced nicotinic acid, paired with a mildly acidic pH; low-irritation certification completed; 6 ingredients.
30% Niacinamide Add-on SerumShop this product on skinstandard.com
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2% Micro Hyaluronic Acid Add-on Serum - 2% ultra-low-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid as the single active. Molecular weight of 0.5-10.1 kDa; no carbomer or other synthetic thickeners - viscosity is controlled with 0.4% high-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid instead; 5 ingredients.
2% Micro Hyaluronic Acid Add-on SerumShop this product on skinstandard.com
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Each of these is an add-on serum: rather than replacing anything, you mix a pump into the hydrating serum or cream you already use, and control the strength by how much you add.
If you're tired of products that all deliver roughly the same results, experience SkinStandard's completely different approach for yourself. Your skin will notice the difference first.
A New Standard for Your Skin, SkinStandard
