Counter Intelligence
Ingredients That Define Arctic Performance Skincare
From glacial minerals to botanical extracts, discover the science-backed ingredients that power our formulas and protect your skin in the harshest conditions.
From Sharon
Every ingredient we choose must earn its place in our formulas—not just for what it does, but for how it performs in extreme conditions.
The Ingredients
Calendula
What it is
An Alaska-grown botanical we infuse into oil for a soft, comforting skin feel.
Why it made the cut
Calendula is one of the ingredients that makes this brand feel like this brand. It is grown here, handled here, and used where I want the formula to feel calm, soft, and quietly cushioned without turning into spa brochure nonsense.
Where it shows up
Find it in First Light →
First Light AM Face Oil and select body care formulas
Wild Harvested Fireweed
What it is
A wild Alaska botanical that shows up bright, resilient, and impossible to ignore during our short summer season.
Why it made the cut
Fireweed carries the Alaska story without trying too hard. It is local, seasonal, and tied to the kind of skin care I actually want to make: grounded, beautiful, useful, and not pretending to be made in a glass tower somewhere.
Where it shows up
Find it in body care →
Select body oils, bath, and seasonal formulas
Wild Harvested Yarrow
What it is
A hardy Alaska botanical with a long history of use in traditional skin comfort routines.
Why it made the cut
Yarrow has that no-nonsense Alaska energy. It is not flashy, but it brings a grounded botanical layer to formulas made for skin that wants comfort, not drama.
Where it shows up
Find it in Safe Harbor →
Safe Harbor Calm Face Oil and select botanical infusions
Wild Harvested Red Clover
What it is
A wild botanical we infuse into oil for a soft, supple, skin-conditioning finish.
Why it made the cut
Red clover is not a background extra around here. It brings a real wildcrafted Alaska layer to the formula and helps give the oil that soft, conditioned feel changing skin keeps asking for.
Where it shows up
Find it in Last Light →
Last Light PM Face Oil and select body oils
Sea Buckthorn
What it is
A rich golden-orange botanical oil known for its vibrant color and cushiony skin feel.
Why it made the cut
Sea buckthorn brings richness, softness, and that more padded feel dry, changing skin tends to want at night. It gives the formula backbone without making it feel like a heavy cream situation.
Where it shows up
Find it in Last Light →
Last Light PM Face Oil and Safe Harbor Calm Face Oil
Rosehip Oil
What it is
A lightweight botanical oil used for its silky feel and conditioning finish.
Why it made the cut
Rosehip keeps face oils from feeling too heavy. It brings softness and slip, so the formula feels polished and wearable instead of greasy or overdone.
Where it shows up
Find it in First Light →
First Light AM Face Oil and Safe Harbor Calm Face Oil
Bakuchiol
What it is
A plant-derived skincare active often used as a retinol-adjacent option for smoother-looking skin.
Why it made the cut
Bakuchiol fits real life. You can still use retinol, Botox, SPF, facials, lasers, and all your grown-woman tools. This adds a smoother-looking, softer-feeling finish without making the routine precious.
Where it shows up
Find it in First Light →
First Light AM Face Oil and Safe Harbor Calm Face Oil
Squalane
What it is
A lightweight emollient that gives oils a silky, breathable, skin-compatible feel.
Why it made the cut
Squalane helps oils behave. It gives cushion and slip without the greasy, hair-stuck-to-your-cheek situation. It is one of the reasons Safe Harbor feels comforting without feeling heavy.
Where it shows up
Find it in Safe Harbor →
Safe Harbor Calm Face Oil and Body Oil
Sodium Hyaluronate
What it is
A smaller-form hyaluronic acid ingredient used for lightweight, water-based hydration.
Why it made the cut
This is the water step. Changing skin can feel dry even when you are using oils and creams, because sometimes it needs hydration first. Sodium hyaluronate helps Deep Current feel light, fresh, and drink-it-in before you seal.
Where it shows up
Find it in Deep Current →
Deep Current Hydration Serum
Niacinamide
What it is
A form of vitamin B3 used in skincare for smoother-looking texture, comfort, and a more even-looking finish.
Why it made the cut
I use niacinamide because changing skin gets bossy: dry here, shiny there, dull by lunch, cranky for no clear reason. It gives Deep Current a useful, grown-up active without turning the routine into a 17-step project.
Where it shows up
Find it in Body Butter →
Deep Current Hydration Serum
Sunflower Oil
What it is
A lightweight botanical oil used for softness, slip, and a comfortable skin feel without heaviness.
Why it made the cut
Sunflower oil is one of those ingredients that does not need to be flashy to matter. It helps carry botanical infusions beautifully, gives formulas a smooth glide, and keeps the finish comfortable instead of greasy. Basically, it does the behind-the-scenes work so the fancy ingredients do not show up acting ridiculous.
Where it shows up
See it across the collection →
Face oils, body oils, and select botanical infusions
Shea Butter
What it is
A rich plant butter used for cushion, creaminess, and lasting comfort in body care formulas.
Why it made the cut
Shea butter brings the plush part. It is what gives body care that dense, creamy, sink-your-hands-into-it texture without pretending dry skin just needs another watery lotion. I use it where I want real comfort, better cushion, and that soft, wrapped-up feeling skin wants when it has had enough.
Where it shows up
Find it in body care →
Body Butter and rich body care formulas
Science Meets the Arctic
Each ingredient is selected for its proven efficacy and ability to perform in extreme conditions.
