The miraculous beginning of Ictasol is a story that transcends geological time scales and endures geographic evolutions.

The holy grail has a rich, ancient history that can be traced back to 1000AD. Masawaih Al-Mardini, a physician from Baghdad, first described a method of producing shale oil from Bituminous Oil Shale. In 1880, a scientific breakthrough of shale oil usage in human medicine by Rudolf Schroeter (pictured in portrait) brought the ingredient into commerce. Later, in 1882, Paul Gerson Unna, a German physician and a pioneer in Dermapathology, established Ictasol as an effective treatment of inflammatory skin diseases such as acne vulgaris and since then, Ictasol has been trusted and used by doctors in hospitals and private practices.

Ictasol was first discovered in its natural form – the Shale Rock.

Found deep within the French Jura Mountains, the prized Shale Rock is a limestone rich in organic matter with most parts of it contained in the dark black lines of the sedimentary rock. The extraordinary sulfur-rich limestone can be tracked back to phytoplankton from the Mesozoic era and holds within it immense potency to combat acne skin conditions unlike any other compounds.

Since the Mesozoic era, over 150 million years ago, laminated organic rich carbonates of the French Jura were deposited in a dazzling lagoonal environment sheltered by a gorgeous reef barrier in Jurassic Europe. The deposits gradually formed the Shale Rock.

Fast forward 100 million years later, geographic evolutions in the area led to the formation of a magnificent mountain range in Orbagnoux, also known as the French Jura Mountains today. The former lagoon is now enclosed within the mountains and the Shale Rock is accessible only by deep mining, the first step of its international journey across European lands.

Ictasol is developed in a multinational cooperation, following strict regulatory standards of France, Austria and Germany, as well as the European Union.

Its cross-border journey commences in France, where the mining company Les Mines d’Orbagnoux is situated on the side of a lushly forested mountain surrounded by wine-growing areas beside the river Rhone. The Shale Rock is moved out of the French Jura Mountains by rail, distilled to form Shale Oil which is then transported to the Alps of Tyrol, Austria by truck. Here, it is refined in a plant by the border of Karwendel National Park. Subsequently, Ictasol travels to Hamburg, Germany to be manufactured and distributed commercially.

Shale Rock is a raw material that has to be refined in order for its acne-fighting properties to be suitable for topical application.

The limestone undergoes dry distillation, forming shale oil which is then passed through a vacuum distillation. The shale oil fraction resulting from the process is sulfonated. Water used in the chemical process of sulfonation is natural spring water of drinking quality from the wells situated along the border of Karwendel National Park. The compound is synthesized to form Ictasol, which is formulated with other science-backed ingredients to birth thoughtful skincare solutions for Asian skin with genetic and climate considerations.

Ictasol is our star ingredient for very good reasons.

The active ingredient is favoured for acne treatments due to its multifunctional efficacies. Acne is often triggered by a combination of several interlinked factors, such as excess oil and bacteria on the skin, therefore an ingredient that delivers a broad spectrum of anti-acne properties will be best suited to tackle it.

The ingredient is anti-seborrheic and regulates sebum production which helps to prevent pores from getting clogged. It is anti-inflammatory and therefore is effective at soothing inflamed skin, reducing the appearance of redness and swelling. In addition, this powerful ingredient is anti-microbial and kills acne-triggering bacteria on the skin thus, reduces the recurrence of breakouts. The compound is suitable for all skin types, non-irritating, non-comedogenic, non-phototoxic, non-mutagenic and non-carcinogenic.

We are committed to deliver effective skincare powered by ingredients with clinically proven acne treatment efficacies.

Ictasol is clinically proven to improve the overall appearance of acne-prone skin condition by 94% in a multicentric study on the efficacy of a cream containing 1% of Ictasol, with 101 test persons who suffered mild to moderately severe acne over a period of 6 weeks.

The holy grail ingredient is also proven to reduce the number of pimples by about 80% in another monocentric study on the efficacy and tolerance of a cream containing 1% of Ictasol on 20 test persons who suffered from mild to moderately severe acne over a period of 8 weeks.

Nature is a source of inspiration for the synthesis of Ictasol. Ecologically sustainable practices are implemented throughout the ingredient’s journey, from the refinement plant in Austria powered by hydro-electricity, to the recycle and reuse of chemical solvents used in the manufacturing process.

We pledge to preserve Ictasol’s green footprint by encapsulating our skincare in modern glass bottles which are sustainable alternatives to single-use plastic packaging. Product information is printed directly on the bottles thereby minimizing label packaging waste, all orders are packed in reusable skincare pouches and shipped box-free.

Stay tuned for more eco-initiatives coming your way.