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
Dpg
3
Isopentyldiol
Roles: Solvent
Moisturizing
Hair structure improvement
4
PEG-20 Glyceryl Isostearate
Roles: Emulsifying, Surfactant
PEG
5
PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate
Roles: Emollient, Emulsifying, Surfactant
Cleansing
Malassezia unsafe
PEG
6
PEG-8
Roles: Humectant, Solvent
Soothing
PEG
7
Cetyl Ethylhexanoate
Roles: Emollient
8
PEG-20 Glyceryl Triisostearate
Roles: Emollient, Emulsifying, Surfactant
Malassezia unsafe
PEG
9
Polyglyceryl-2 Isostearate
Roles: Emollient, Emulsifying, Surfactant
10
PEG-12 Isostearate
11
Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Roles: Humectant
12
Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate
Roles: Film former, Humectant
13
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.
14
Carbomer
Roles: Emulsion stabilizer, Gel forming, Viscosity controlling
Moisturizing
Carbomer is used for formulation purposes. It helps to control the viscosity and flow of a product. It’s considered safe but only if it’s well purified. Poorly purified carbomers may contain benzol which may lead to irritation.
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.
17
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.
18
Methyl Paraben
19
BHTAntioxidant
Roles: Fragrance, Masking
BHT is a stabilizer and antioxidant. It helps to keep the product fresh for a long time, preventing the oxidization of components. It is stable even in high temperatures, that’s why it’s an essential component in some products. It also protects the skin from free radicals. As for safety, the component isn't researched very well. It’s considered to be safe in low concentrations. But there is still not enough scientific data collected.
