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
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil
Roles: Skin conditioning, Fragrance
UV Protection
Moisturizing
Softening
Soothing
Hair strengthening
Hair growth stimulating
Malassezia unsafe
Good for dry skin
Bad for oily skin
Sweet Almond Oil is rich in Vitamin D, Vitamin E, and different minerals. It’s a very effective soothing component known from ancient times. It helps to protect the skin from the sun, make it softer and heal small wounds.
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.
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.
5
Propanediol
Roles: Solvent, Viscosity controlling
Moisturizing
Hair conditioning
Propanediol is a good solvent, emollient and humectant. It helps to moisturize the skin and prevent moisture loss. In haircare products, it conditions hair and improves absorption of the product.
6
Polyglyceryl-3 Rice Branate
7
Hydroxystearyl Alcohol
8
Hydroxystearyl Glucoside (Derived From Wheat And Castor Seed Oil)
Niacinamide is a form of Vitamin B3 and it’s a superman in cosmetics. This ingredient is researched very well. It has a lot of positive reviews from scientists and experts. It's very important for healthy skin. The lack of this vitamin can cause dryness, itching, and sun sensitivity. The component removes small wrinkles and fine lines, heals wounds, and prevents the forming of cancer cells. It also makes the skin tone even by removing dark spots. It increases ceramide synthesis which increases the overall health of your skin. It fights acne and lowers pores.
Researches say that 4-5% of Niacinamide is the most effective concentration for skincare use.
13
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.
14
Ribose
15
Sodium Hyaluronate
Roles: Skin conditioning, Humectant
Moisturizing
Softening
Anti-aging
Rejuvenation
Good for dry skin
Sodium Hyaluronate is an amazing component! It plays very important role in skin hydration process. It helps to maintain water balance and lower water loss. Scientists have found a direct dependence between the level of Sodium Hyaluronate in cells and skin aging. That's why this component is so much important. It must be in your routine if you want to have a healthy and fresh looking skin.
Some people think that Sodium Hyaluronate and Hyaluronic acid are different names of the same component, but it is not entirely correct. Hyaluronic acid is a different chemical but with similar effects. Actually, Sodium Hyaluronate is used in cosmetics much more often because it’s more stable and has much better resistance to oxidation.
Panthenol is a proud member of a league of the best-performing components. It's a stable form of Vitamin B5 and is also known as Pro-Vitamin B5. It’s a very good and effective component for hydration, healing, and soothing irritated skin. It works so soft and gentle that it’s even recommended for people with skin problems like eczema.
In haircare products it’s used for protecting the fiber. It’s researched very well and doesn’t have any negative side effects.
17
UbiquinoneAntioxidant
Roles: Skin conditioning
Anti-aging
Lightening
18
Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract
Roles: Skin conditioning, Fragrance
UV Protection
Acne fighting
Soothing
Lightening
Healing
Deodorant
Hair structure improvement
Good for dry skin
19
Althaea Officinalis Root Extract
Roles: Skin conditioning
Moisturizing
Acne fighting
Softening
Soothing
Healing
Regeneration
20
Oenothera Biennis (Evening Primrose) Oil
Roles: Skin conditioning, Emollient
Comedogenic rating [ 3 ]
Good for dry skin
Bad for oily skin
21
Acacia Senegal Gum
Roles: Binding, Film former, Fragrance, Masking
22
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!
23
Sodium Hydroxide
Roles: Buffering
Sodium Hydroxide is used mostly for formulation purposes. It helps to hold the pH level of a product. It also works as a chemical exfoliator that removes dead cells. Usually concentration of this component is low in skin care products and it’s used mostly for adjusting pH.
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.
25
Pentylene Glycol
Roles: Skin conditioning, Solvent
Moisturizing
Hair conditioning
Pentylene Glycol is a great replacement for Propylene Glycol. It has very similar characteristics but it’s derived from plants (usually from corn). Natural cosmetics lovers will find this component very useful. It enhances the moisturizing effect of cosmetic products, improves the efficiency of preservatives and it’s an effective emulsifier. It’s approved by ECOCERT and COSMOS so it’s considered to be 100% safe and can be used in vegan products.
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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.
27
Silybum Marianum Ethyl Ester
28
P-Anisic Acid
Roles: Flavoring, Fragrance, Masking
29
Sodium Levulinate
Roles: Skin conditioning
30
Levulinic Acid
Roles: Skin conditioning, Fragrance
Moisturizing
Soothing
Antiseptic
Regeneration
31
Totarol
Roles: Deodorant
32
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".
33
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.