Built around the same three ceramide subtypes (NP, AP, EOP) the corneum’s own lipid matrix uses, in roughly the ratio the published skin-barrier literature associates with that matrix — not a single ceramide type standing in for all three. Niacinamide is included at a barrier-support level, not an exfoliating or brightening dose.
Cholesterol and phytosphingosine are included alongside the ceramides because barrier lipid research generally points to the three working together, not any one alone.