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
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.
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.
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.
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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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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.
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Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil
Roles: Skin conditioning, Fragrance
Acne fighting
Healing
Antiseptic
Good for oily skin
Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil is known for ages. It has a pleasant scent but it's not the only great property of this component. It has great antiseptic and antibacterial activity which is great for oily skin. It also helps to heal small wounds and calm down the skin.
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Laminaria Saccharina Extract
Roles: Fragrance
17
Whey Protein\lactis Protein\proteine Du Petit-Lait
Salicylic Acid is an amazing component for oily skin. It’s a famous BHA that chemically exfoliates dead cells, kills bacteria, and prevents acne. It works as a strong pores cleanser. AHAs are not effective for removing sebum from pores, while BHAs are leaders in this space. Salicylic Acid also helps to shrink pores, remove acne scars and make skin tone even. Pay attention: concentration matters! This ingredient is rather aggressive. It can lead to irritation in high concentrations. If your skin has never seen this component before test the product first.
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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Polysorbate 80
Roles: Emulsifying, Fragrance, Surfactant
Malassezia unsafe
Polysorbate 80 is a formulation component. It helps the components to mix better and makes the product feel smooth on the skin.
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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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Sodium Chloride
Roles: Flavoring, Viscosity controlling
Antiseptic
Sodium Chloride is a very famous ingredeint also known as Salt. Yes, it’s the same salt you can find on your table. In cosmetics, it is used as a preservative helping the product to live longer. It is also used as a peeling agent in different scrubs. Human contact with this element since ancient times and that's why it is 100% safe.
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.
Hexylene Glycol is mostly used for formulation purposes. It’s a good surfactant, emulsifier, and viscosity-reducing agent. It maintains the density of the formulation of the product preventing it from separating. It also makes the product feel better.
Linalool gives the product a nice and fresh lavender scent. It can be found in many essential oils. It oxidizes during air exposure and becomes allergenic. It can lead to irritation causing problems for people with sensitive skin. The threat is even higher if the product was opened several months ago. In such products, more Linalool is oxidized.
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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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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.
Benzoic acid is a preservative and pH adjuster. Human skin accepts this component very nicely. It doesn’t cause irritation or other negative reactions. In 2017 there was a Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel meeting that confirmed the safety of this ingredient in skincare.
40
Potassium Sorbate
Roles: Fragrance, Preservative
Antifungal
Antiseptic
Potassium Sorbate is a preservative that increases the shelf life of the product. It’s a great alternative to parabens. That's why manufacturers like to use this component. It is safe in concentration of up to 10% but it is used in cosmetics in amounts of 1% or even lower.
41
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.
42
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.
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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.
44
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.
45
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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Bismuth Oxychloride
Roles: Colorant
UV Protection
Antiseptic
47
Carmine
Roles: Colorant, Fragrance
48
Chromium Hydroxide Green
Roles: Colorant, Hair colorant
49
Chromium Oxide Greens
Roles: Colorant, Hair colorant
50
Ferric Ammonium Ferrocyanide
Roles: Colorant
51
Ferric Ferrocyanide
Roles: Colorant
52
Manganese Violet
Roles: Colorant
53
Ultramarines
Roles: Colorant
54
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.