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.
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.
Butylene Glycol is a very popular synthetic alcohol. It helps the product to absorb deeper and faster. It is also a solvent for other ingredients. As for the skin benefits, it helps to attract water and helps to make the skin softer.
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.
Sodium PCA is a nice moisturizer and skin softener. It contains amino acids and Sodium Hyaluronate. It’s part of the Natural Moisturizing Factor (NMF) that is responsible for keeping the outer layer of the skin hydrated. If you don’t have enough NMF you can face dryness even if you don’t have other skin problems.
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Polyglutamic Acid
Roles: Skin conditioning
Moisturizing
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HydroxyacetophenoneAntioxidant
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Sphingolipids
Roles: Skin conditioning, Emollient
Moisturizing
Softening
Elasticity improvement
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Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Roles: Emulsion stabilizer, Film former, Viscosity controlling
AcrylatesC10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer is a synthetic non-toxic gel used mostly for formulation purposes. It helps manufacturers to achieve the necessary texture of the product (it makes the product thicker). It also has sight healing and antistatic activity.
Lecithin is a great emulsifier. It also has slight antioxidant activity, but it’s not enough if you are looking for a strong and effective anti-oxidant. Our skin cells contain Lecithin and that’s why this component will hardly cause any problems or negative reactions. It soaks in pretty fast and it’s accepted by skin cells very well.
Arginine is an essential amino acid. It works as an antioxidant when used in skincare products. It also helps the skin to regenerate and stay hydrated. In hair care, it is used to decrease damage from oxidative coloring or bleaching.
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.
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1,2-Hexanediol
Roles: Solvent
Moisturizing
Good for dry skin
1,2-Hexanediol can do a lot of good things for the formulation of the product. It’s an emollient, preservative, and humectant. It keeps skin hydrated and soft. It’s a good component for dry and dehydrated skin.
Sodium Lactate is very effective for recovering the natural lipid layer of the skin. It’s safe and doesn’t provoke negative reactions. It provides a strong moisturizing effect. It’s a nice soothing ingredient.
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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.
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Allantoin
Roles: Skin conditioning
Moisturizing
Pore Shrinking
Softening
Soothing
Regeneration
Good for dry skin
Good for oily skin
Allantoin usually doesn’t catch too much attention, but it is an essential ingredient for sensitive, dry, and problem skin. It is a good moisturizer that makes skin hydrated. But manufacturers love it because of its strong soothing effect. It also exfoliates dead cells, stimulates recovery of your skin, and helps to protect the skin from the sun, frost, and similar negative impacts.
The component is researched very well and its soothing activity is confirmed by scientists. Used in concentration between 0.5-2%.
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Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate
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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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PPG-13-Decyltetradeceth-24
Roles: Emulsifying, Surfactant
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Pelargonium Graveolens (Geranium) Extract
Roles: Emollient, Fragrance
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Sophora Angustifolia Root Extract
Roles: Skin conditioning
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Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Roles: Humectant
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Bisabolol
Roles: Skin conditioning, Fragrance, Masking
Softening
Soothing
Lightening
Healing
Antiseptic
Protection
Bisabolol is one of the most effective healing ingredients in cosmetics. It is a great component for reducing inflammation. It contains a lot of Vitamin B5 known as Panthenol, but it acts much better than Panthenol due to its wider effectiveness. It softens the skin and helps to recover skin cells after dryness. It is also a nice protector – it helps to protect the skin from aggressive chemical and physical impact. Bisabolol, Panthenol, and Allantoin are the true saviors and very often you can find all these 3 components mixed in a product for better efficiency.
Glycine is the building block of skin proteins. But you should know one important thing: the body can produce this component itself and it will not accept the ingredient you put on your skin for this purpose. It will not help to improve your own glycine level. As a cosmetic component, it can work only on the surface of your skin.
Arginine is an essential amino acid. It works as an antioxidant when used in skincare products. It also helps the skin to regenerate and stay hydrated. In hair care, it is used to decrease damage from oxidative coloring or bleaching.
Disodium EDTA is an emulsion stabilizer and chelating agent. It deactivates the metal ions preventing them from reacting with other active ingredients. It improves the stability of a cosmetic formula and keeps the product’s consistency, texture, and pH unchanged. It doesn’t have any skincare effects and is used for formulation purposes only.
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PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Roles: Emulsifying, Fragrance, Surfactant
Cleansing
Soothing
Malassezia unsafe
PEG
PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil helps ingredients to mix better. It has nice cleansing activity helping to remove sebum and dirt from the surface of your skin. It's also responsible for making soft foam in soaps, shower gels, etc. Despite it having "PEG" in the title, it's considered to be safe.
