Castor Seed Oil is a cosmetic ingredient people know and use from ancient times. It was used in ancient Egypt for eyebrow and hair care. It’s a great moisturizer for people with dry skin. It helps to reduce small wrinkles and recover damaged skin. It fights bacteria and can be used to lower acne inflammation.
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Cera Alba/Beeswax/Cire D'abeille
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Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Oil
Roles: Skin conditioning, Emollient
Malassezia unsafe
Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Oil is an ingredient known from ancient times. It’s the oil people receive from Sunflower Seeds and use for different purposes, including cooking. It contains a lot of Lenoic acid which moisturizes the skin, makes it softer, and reduces inflammation. The oil also works as an occlusive agent that forms a protective film and helps to keep skin hydrated.
As for haircare, it’s the second most popular basic oil used in haircare products. It helps to lower hair fragility and make hair softer.
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Octyldodecanol
Roles: Emollient, Fragrance, Solvent
Moisturizing
Softening
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Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter
Roles: Skin conditioning, Viscosity controlling
UV Protection
Moisturizing
Anti-aging
Malassezia unsafe
Shea Butter is a great natural moisturizer everybody knows about. And it’s popular for a reason. It contains 5 essential fatty acids (palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic, and arachidonic), vitamins (A, D, E, F), and catechins, which are antioxidants. It moisturizes the skin and protects it from UV, cold, and other negative factors. It can be used on its own and will not harm your skin even in very high concentrations.
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Polyhydroxystearic Acid
Roles: Emulsifying
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Candelilla Cera/Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax/Cire De Candelilla
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Mica
Roles: Colorant
Mica is a natural mineral used in cosmetics because of its beautiful and shiny appearance. It’s used in powders, highlighters, and other makeup products. It’s absolutely neutral to our skin and will not cause any skin-related problems.
Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil is a great vegetable oil to counter dryness. It reduces inflammation and it’s a very nice ingredient for people with redness, eczema, and rosacea. It’s accepted very well by humans skin because its chemical structure is very similar to sebum. That’s why it will hardly provoke any allergy. It’s a very good helper for people with dry skin.
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Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Roles: Skin conditioning, Fragrance
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride is an emollient that also hydrates the skin without leaving a fatty film. When applied, the component feels smooth and light. In haircare products, it’s also used for hydrating purposes. It makes hair silky, lowers tangling, and makes hair smooth.
It’s safe for most people, except for people with allergic reactions to coconut or palm oil because these oils are usually used for producing the component.
Olea Europaea (Olive) Oil is a great natural ingredient rich with Vitamin E and Vitamin A. It’s an antioxidant that helps to slower aging, recover elasticity and slower wrinkle forming. It makes the skin softer, smooth and lowers inflammation. In antient times people used Olive Oil for healing wounds.
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Persea Gratissima (Avocado) OilAntioxidant
Roles: Skin conditioning
Moisturizing
Softening
Soothing
Anti-aging
Nutrifying
Regeneration
Hair follicle nutrition
Comedogenic rating [ 3 ]
Good for dry skin
Bad for oily skin
Avocado oil is a natural ingredient with an excellent rejuvenating and moisturizing effect. It's so effective because it contains a lot of squalene - a very strong chemical that protects the skin and helps to keep it hydrated. It's also a nice antioxidant that helps to slower aging. Avocado oil also contains different vitamins (A, B, E), lecithin, and beta-carotene.
Caprylyl Glycol is a vey popular skincare ingredient. It makes the product spread better and feel better on your skin. It’s a preservative and it improves the effect of other preservatives. It’s also a humectant which helps to retain water. It’s good for keeping your skin in good shape. But manufacturers use it as a supporting component rather than the main one.
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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.
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Tocopheryl AcetateVitaminsAntioxidant
Roles: Skin conditioning
Softening
Nutrifying
Tocopheryl Acetate is a form of Vitamine E. It’s used as an alternative to Tocopherol because it is more stable in the formulation. It has all the positive effects of Tocopherol plus better stability. It’s a brilliant component. It conditions and nourishes the skin helping it to resist aging. It also helps to protect the skin from the sun. High concentrations of Tocopheryl Acetate can lead to irritation and allergic reactions.
Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract is an organic herbal extract derived from Rosemary. It contains a lot of useful chemicals like rosmarinic acid, caffeic acid, betulinic acid, carnosic acid, ursolic acid, carnosol, and camphor. These chemicals help the ingredient to lower inflammation, kill bacteria and fungus, and decrease pain. It’s a great antioxidant to counter signs of aging. It helps tighten the skin and improves elasticity. It also helps to get rid of small wrinkles and fine lines.
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TocopherolAntioxidant
Roles: Skin conditioning, Fragrance
UV Protection
Anti-aging
Regeneration
Comedogenic rating [ 3 ]
Good for dry skin
Tocopherol is one of the most popular active ingredients in cosmetics. It’s a brilliant component. It's a form of Vitamin E and it does help the skin and hair a lot. It conditions the skin, strengthens its barrier, protects it against harm, and makes the tone even. It also helps your skin and hair to resist the sun. It’s safe but can irritate sensitive skin sometimes. Pay attention to concentration!
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Acacia Decurrens Flower Cera/Wax
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Polyglycerin-3
Roles: Humectant
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Salicornia Herbacea Extract
Roles: Skin conditioning
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May Contain/Peut Contenir (±) : CI 15850 (Red 7 Lake)
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D&C Red No. 30 (Ci 73360)
Roles: Colorant
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.