Intelligence · Ingredients

The ingredient narratives reshaping clean beauty.

Ergothioneine

aka egt · l-ergothioneine · mitopro

The 'longevity vitamin' (per Bruce Ames's 2018 framing) — a sulfur-containing amino acid antioxidant with a dedicated transporter (OCTN1) that concentrates it in oxidatively-stressed tissues including skin. Mibelle's MitoPro biotech ergothioneine put it into the pro-formulator toolbox; clean-prestige brands (Augustinus Bader, Symbiome, Allies of Skin) and the longevity-skincare wave drove it into 2024–2025 hero status.

Benefits
  • potent ROS quencher with skin-specific transporter accumulation
  • mitochondrial support and senescence-pathway evidence
  • stable across pH and temperature — formulator-friendly
Example uses
  • longevity serums (Symbiome, Augustinus Bader)
  • AOX and mitochondrial-support complexes
Formulation notes

Effective at 0.1–1% in serums and creams. Stable, compatible with virtually any system. Pairs with niacinamide, peptides, and vitamin C.

Watchouts

Cost — fermented ergothioneine is expensive, and some 'ergothioneine' claims use sub-active doses. Long-term clinical skin data is still maturing.

Clean beauty perception

Strongly positive, biotech-clean aligned.