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.
2
Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate
3
Isododecane
Roles: Emollient, Fragrance, Solvent
Softening
Isododecane is an emollient and a good base for colorants. Very often used in powders and shades because it spreads on the skin nicely. It also helps to soften the skin and helps to lower water loss making all the moisturizing components work better.
Cyclopentasiloxane is a fluid silicone. It’s non-greasy and doesn’t have any scent or color. It evaporates pretty fast which makes this ingredient essential when it comes to making products that have to dry quickly. It also gives a nice silky feeling when you apply the product to the skin and hair. It leaves a thin film that protects the skin after evaporation.
Cyclopentasiloxane is chemically neutral, meaning it doesn’t react with other components.
7
Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate
UV Protection
8
Tinosorb M
9
Dimethicone
Roles: Skin conditioning, Antifoaming, Emollient
Silicones
Dimethicone is the most popular silicone. It makes the skin softer and forms a film adding smooth and silky feeling. This film not only improves how the skin feels but also works as a protective barrier. It also improves the visual appearance of your skin by filling small wrinkles. That's why some people think dimethicone removes wrinkles. Actually, it does not. It's just a visual effect.
One of the most important characteristics of this component is that it helps to spread other ingredients evenly on the surface to provide good coverage. It's very important because you want all your skin cells to receive an equal proportion of the components.
Dimethicone is considered as safe, but remember that it is rather difficult to wash off! This may lead to clogged pores and acne if you use it too often and don't wash off quite well.
10
Titanium Dioxide
Roles: Colorant
UV Protection
Titanium Dioxide is a very effective sunscreen. It belongs to physical sunscreens, meaning it reflects the UV rays like a mirror. The component is a mineral with white color. That’s why it’s also used in different powders as a pigment or brightener.
The component can be both safe and unsafe. It’s reported to be possibly carcinogenic to humans when inhaled. That’s why we don’t recommend using products where TiO2 is used in the form of powder and can be inhaled.
Sometimes it can be a nanoparticle. We recommend avoiding this form because it’s not researched well enough. A safer option is to use a non-nano form.
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.
Decyl glucoside is a surfactant. It provides degreasing and wetting effects. It removes dirt and sebum gently. It doesn’t irritate the skin but at the same time, it’s an effective cleanser. It’s considered to be the safest among all the other surfactants.
Stearic Acid doesn’t belong to aggressive acids. It’s a fatty acid that can be found in Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter, and many natural butters and oils. The component is mostly used for formulation purposes. It makes the product spread and feel better. It’s one of the most important fatty acids in our skin cells.
22
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).
23
Timonacic
24
Triethoxycaprylylsilane
Roles: Binding
25
Disteardimonium Hectorite
26
Ethylhexylglycerin
Roles: Skin conditioning, Deodorant
Moisturizing
Softening
Antiseptic
Deodorant
Ethylhexylglycerin makes the skin softer, smoother and more hydrated. It acts deeply but without any heavy or sticky feeling. In haircare products, it works as a conditioner and scalp cleanser. It is safe but only in concentration below 8% in rinse-off products and below 2% in leave-on products. Can be an irritator in higher concentrations. In general, this component is great if you see it somewhere at the bottom of the list.
Propylene Glycol is a useful componet with many positive effects. It’s a very good moisturizer. It helps to deliver ingredients into deeper layers of the skin. It creates a protective layer on the skin preventing water loss. The component is researched very well and doesn’t have notable side effects. It’s used even for making food.
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.
30
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5
Roles: Skin conditioning
31
Tocopherol Oil
32
Ergothioneine
33
Phenoxyethanol
Roles: Fragrance, Preservative
Antiseptic
Phenoxyethanol is one of the most popular preservatives. It kills bacteria and makes the product live longer. Manufacturers like this ingredient because it can dissolve in any liquid, even in oils.
Another purpose of this component is the fixation of aromas in perfumery. Phenoxyethanol is also used as a strong antiseptic and a good antibacterial agent. It is widely used in dermatological cosmetics alongside natural antiseptics such as chamomile, sage, and calendula.
Dipropylene Glycol is a solvent, emulsifier, viscosity decreasing, and masking agent. It helps to extract useful chemicals from plants and leaves, making natural components in a product more effective. It also helps to hydrate the skin. Considered safe for health and doesn't irritate the skin in common concentration.
35
Fragrance
Roles: Deodorant, Fragrance, Masking
Fragrances
Fragrance is a mix of chemical ingredients (usually 20-30 chemicals but up to 200 sometimes) that help the product to smell better. It can hide many bad things. Synthetic fragrances may contain many different chemicals, but manufacturers don’t want to reveal each of them for some reason and hide them behind the word "Fragrance".
36
Benzyl Salicylate
Roles: Fragrance, Masking
UV Protection
Allergens
Benzyl Salicylate is a fragrance component with a pleasant flower odor. It can be an allergy trigger and should be used carefully. Pay attention to this ingredient in a formulation if you have sensitive skin or if you have an allergy.
37
Limonene
Roles: Fragrance
Antiseptic
Allergens
Limonene provides a nice and fresh citrus scent. It can be found in many plants. It's used in cosmetics because of its low price and pleasant smell.
38
Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
Roles: Fragrance, Masking
Allergens
39
Linalool
Roles: Deodorant, Fragrance, Masking
Allergens
Linalool gives the product a nice and fresh lavender scent. It can be found in many essential oils. It oxidizes during air exposure and becomes allergenic. It can lead to irritation causing problems for people with sensitive skin. The threat is even higher if the product was opened several months ago. In such products, more Linalool is oxidized.
40
Lilial
Roles: Fragrance, Masking
Allergens
41
Hydroxyl Citronellal
42
Lyral
Allergens
43
Citronellol
Roles: Fragrance, Masking
Allergens
Citronellol makes the product smell better. It’s one of the most frequently used fragrance ingredients in the world. It smells like a fresh cut of apple peel mixed with a citrus scent. It’s also used to enhance flower scent. It has slight anti-bacterial activity.
Beware! This component is in the list of potential allergens and can cause allergic contact dermatitis.
44
Geraniol
Roles: Fragrance, Masking
Allergens
Geraniol is a fragrance ingredient that gives product a nice rose scent. That’s why it’s used by many manufacturers. In addition to its pleasant scent, it also provides an antifungal effect increasing the shelf life of a product. There are several ways of obtaining this ingredient but all of them are chemical.
45
Titanium Dioxide
Roles: Colorant
UV Protection
Titanium Dioxide is a very effective sunscreen. It belongs to physical sunscreens, meaning it reflects the UV rays like a mirror. The component is a mineral with white color. That’s why it’s also used in different powders as a pigment or brightener.
The component can be both safe and unsafe. It’s reported to be possibly carcinogenic to humans when inhaled. That’s why we don’t recommend using products where TiO2 is used in the form of powder and can be inhaled.
Sometimes it can be a nanoparticle. We recommend avoiding this form because it’s not researched well enough. A safer option is to use a non-nano form.
46
Iron Oxides
Roles: Colorant
Moisturizing
Iron Oxides are colorants. They give different colors to the product: yellow, red, or black. Different scientific researches show that they are much safer than other organic colorants. That's because they are much more stable and they don’t provoke allergic reactions. Though they can be received from minerals organically, manufacturers don’t use natural Iron Oxides. They chemically synthesize them in a laboratory to get a pure component without extra chemicals.
47
Iron Oxides
Roles: Colorant
Moisturizing
Iron Oxides are colorants. They give different colors to the product: yellow, red, or black. Different scientific researches show that they are much safer than other organic colorants. That's because they are much more stable and they don’t provoke allergic reactions. Though they can be received from minerals organically, manufacturers don’t use natural Iron Oxides. They chemically synthesize them in a laboratory to get a pure component without extra chemicals.
48
Iron Oxides
Roles: Colorant
Moisturizing
Iron Oxides are colorants. They give different colors to the product: yellow, red, or black. Different scientific researches show that they are much safer than other organic colorants. That's because they are much more stable and they don’t provoke allergic reactions. Though they can be received from minerals organically, manufacturers don’t use natural Iron Oxides. They chemically synthesize them in a laboratory to get a pure component without extra chemicals.
