Water is a great solvent. It’s neutral and doesn’t provide any strong positive or negative effects. It just helps components to mix better and to transport active components.
Cetearyl Alcohol is used mostly for formulation purposes. It’s a very good emulsifier and emulsion stabilizer. It helps the ingredients mix better and it makes the product spread on your skin evenly. It also makes the product thicker. It doesn’t belong to harmful alcohols and it will not dry your skin.
Glycerin is one of the most outstanding and helpful skincare components. It's used in many skincare products because it works and provides notable results. It's one of the best moisturizers. Molecules of Glycerin can absorb water and deliver it into deep layers of the skin making it hydrated.
Betaine is used a lot in “organic” skincare products. It is a good moisturizer that not only hydrates the skin but also strengthens the cell membrane. This helps to lower the water loss over time. It also softens the skin and reduces irritation and redness. It’s often used at a 3-5% concentration depending on the product.
Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil protects the skin from dryness. It’s a very effective organic moisturizer. In hair care, it creates a protective film around hair protecting it. It has slight comedogenic activity, meaning the product may clog pores if there is too much Coconut oil in it.
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Saccharide Isomerate
Roles: Humectant
Moisturizing
Hair conditioning
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Sodium Levulinate
Roles: Skin conditioning
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Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Roles: Skin conditioning, Antistatic, Film former, Hair conditioning, Viscosity controlling
Hair conditioning
Hair gloss
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride is a very good conditioner. Used mostly in haircare products. It can recover damaged hair and make them shine much better.
Xanthan Gum is used as a thickener or rheology modifier and emulsion stabilizer. It doesn’t provide any notable skin-related effects and is used mostly for formulation purposes. It makes the product’s texture smooth and even. It’s a naturally-derived thickener. Notable fact: it can also be found in the food you eat every day, so it is 100% safe.
Lactic Acid is the most popular and the least aggressive acid among all the AHAs. Unlike Salicylic and Glycolic acids which can irritate your skin, Lactic Acid will hardly cause any problems. The combination of its soft action and effectiveness makes it a real brilliant. It exfoliates dead cells, makes the skin tone even, clears pores, kills bacteria, moisturizes the skin and helps to keep water, helps the cells to produce Hyaluronic Acid. It also works as a strong antioxidant and anti-aging component.
It's a great acid for getting familiar with the world of AHAs. If you want to start using "fruit acids" but struggling for some reason, try to use Lactic Acid first. If your skin accepts it well, you can try stronger acids.
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Citric AcidAntioxidantAHA
Roles: Buffering, Chelating, Fragrance, Masking
Cleansing
Exfoliating
Soothing
Lightening
Lifting
Hair growth stimulating
Citric Acid is one of the AHAs and it is a super useful component! It’s a great antioxidant. It acts as a soft peeling that removes dead cells and kills bacteria. It becomes even more effective if used with other cosmetic acids. Combined formulations are more active, but can irritate sensitive skin if used too often. The component can also whiten the skin and remove dark areas.
It can be an irritator due to its naturally lower pH level of 2.2. But manufacturers also use it as a pH adjuster so in most cases you will not have any issues.
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Sodium Citrate
Roles: Buffering, Chelating, Masking
Sodium Citrate is a water-soluble soft organic surfactant with strong stabilizing and conditioning effects. It helps to produce foam and lowers the negative impact of hard water on your skin and hair. It also helps to regulate the pH level of the product. It’s a natural ingredient and it’s safe for most people. It’s used in food (additive number E331).
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Potassium Sorbate
Roles: Fragrance, Preservative
Antifungal
Antiseptic
Potassium Sorbate is a preservative that increases the shelf life of the product. It’s a great alternative to parabens. That's why manufacturers like to use this component. It is safe in concentration of up to 10% but it is used in cosmetics in amounts of 1% or even lower.
