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.
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.
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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.
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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Polypropylsilsesquioxane
Roles: Binding, Film former
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Silica
Silica is used for improving texture of the product. It helps the product to spread out evenly. Very often it’s used in different exfoliants as an abrasive. It's safe and non-toxic.
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Polymethyl Methacrylate
Roles: Film former
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Lauryl PEG-10 Tris (Trimethylsiloxy) Silylethyl Dimethicone
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.
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.
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Triethoxycaprylylsilane
Roles: Binding
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Glyceryl Tribehenate/Isostearate/Eicosandioate
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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.
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Disteardimonium Hectorite
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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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Disodium EDTA
Roles: Chelating, Viscosity controlling
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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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.
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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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Zinc Oxide
Roles: Bulking, Colorant
UV Protection
Antiseptic
Comedogenic rating [ 1 ]
Good for oily skin
Zinc Oxide is a great physical sunscreen, meaning it deflects the UV rays. It’s the only natural mineral sun protector recommended by the FDA for babies. It’s good for sensitive skin because it’s less irritating than chemical sunscreens.
It has very nice spectrum protection. It helps to protect from UVA I, UVA II, and UVB and nowadays it’s the broadest range of sunscreen used in cosmetics. In other words, it’s brilliant in its league.
The negative side is that it can feel heavy on the skin. It can leave a slight whitish tint on the surface of the skin and some people may not like this. Keep in mind that it’s relatively easy to wash off, so it’s better to use water-resistant sunscreens if you are swimming.
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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.
