Ingredient glossary
Cholesterol
On your shelf ✓What Cholesterol does for your skin, who it suits, and what to watch for.
INCI: Cholesterol
In short: Cholesterol delivers barrier support and repair, suits dry and sensitive skin best, and the evidence behind it is strong.
- What it does
- Barrier support, repair
- Best for
- Dry, Sensitive skin
- Evidence
- Strong
The molecule
The Glow take
One of the ingredients I trust most.
When your goal is repairing a stressed moisture barrier, Cholesterol delivers, and the research properly backs it up. It tends to suit dry skin best.
— Maya
What it does
- barrier support
- repair
- texture
strong evidenceBarrier repair studies show equimolar and cholesterol-enriched ceramide-cholesterol-fatty acid mixtures accelerate recovery of transepidermal water loss in damaged and aged skin and improve atopic dermatitis outcomes.
Who it's for, and who should skip it
Tends to suit
- dry
- compromised barrier
- atopic
- photoaged
- sensitive
Approach with care
No specific group flagged to avoid it.
- Clogs poresLow
- Irritation riskLow
How it fits each skin type
- DrySuits
- CombinationNeutral
- OilyNeutral
- SensitiveSuits
Often chosen for compromised barrier, atopic, photoaged.
Where it fits in your routine
Plays well with
- ceramides
- fatty acids
- linoleic acid
Cholesterol, answered
Is Cholesterol safe during pregnancy?
Yes. Cholesterol is considered safe to use during pregnancy and breastfeeding. As with anything, if you are unsure it is worth a quick word with your doctor or midwife.
Who should avoid Cholesterol?
No specific group is flagged to avoid Cholesterol. It is well tolerated by most skin. Still, introduce anything new one product at a time.
What concentration of Cholesterol actually works?
Its concentration is rarely printed on the label, so use the ingredient list as your clue: near the top third it is likely doing real work, near the bottom it is more of a sprinkle.
This, for every label you own
One ingredient is easy. A full label is where it gets confusing. The Ingredient Decoder reads any product and tells you the honest truth, ingredient by ingredient.