For your skin
A traditional Japanese botanical (Job's tears) that hydrates and calms irritated skin.
Want the science? Keep reading ↓Mechanism of action
Coix seed extract traditionally used in Japan; anti-inflammatory with mild humectant action.
Why we tier this moderate
4 cited papers across 2 countries. The mechanism is well-described and there's at least one controlled trial in the literature, but we tier this Moderate rather than Strong to stay honest about how many specific papers we cite directly.
Cited research
Uehara S et al., Effect of the Hot Water Extract of Coix lacryma-jobi L. var. ma-yuen Stapf with Husks on Skin Improvement, Japanese Journal of Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2019;16(1):33-38 — 8-week trial in 10 women: 1g/day coix seed extract significantly increased skin translucency and improved skin texture
Zhu F, Coix: Chemical composition and health effects, Trends in Food Science & Technology 2017;61:160-175
Amen Y et al., Melanogenesis inhibitors from Coix lacryma-jobi seeds in B16-F10 melanoma cells, Natural Product Research 2017;31(23):2712-2718 — isolated compounds from Coix lacryma-jobi seeds inhibited melanin production
Manosroi A et al., Biological activities of fructooligosaccharide (FOS)-containing Coix lachryma-jobi Linn. extract, Journal of Food Science and Technology 2014;51(2):341-346 — Coix extract antioxidant activity comparable to vitamin C
Sources: PubMed · KCI · J-Stage · CNKI · Wanfang · SFD · MFDS · Cochrane · SCCS · CIR. Every entry points to a specific document. See methodology for what each outcome label means.