If you’ve ever taken a moment to read the back of your makeup. you’ve probably seen a long column on big words filling out the ingredients section.
Some of those words might best you in a spelling bee, but what are they, and what do they do? We’ll look into the most common cosmetics ingredients and break down their chemical composition and their purpose.
The Job of Cosmetics Ingredients
Cosmetic developers don’t throw in ingredients for the fun of it. Every addition is intentional and serves a specific purpose. The most common needs that must be met in your cosmetics are shelf life, function, and appearance.
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Preservatives
These ingredients help your makeup maintain its specified shelf life. The most common cosmetic preservatives are parabens, salicylic acid, and benzyl alcohol.
Parabens are having their moment in the spotlight, but not in a good way. Some sources say that your body can’t process them and can lead to cancer. However, exhaustive studies have proven that parabens harmlessly pass through the body.
Thickeners and Emulsifiers
The job of thickeners and emulsifiers is to blend the rest of the ingredients together. This creates a consistent mixture that won’t separate out over time.
Polysorbates, potassium cetyl sulfate, and Laureth-4 are the most commonly found emulsifiers. The most common thickeners are carbomer, magnesium aluminum silicate, cetyl alcohol, carnauba wax, and xanthan and guar gum.
Emollients
Emollients are added to retain moisture once it has been applied to your skin. They are most commonly found in lotions, lipsticks, and cosmetics. Different oils (like mineral, olive, and coconut) and popular, as well as beeswax, glycerin, petrolatum.
Appearance
A lot goes into the pigmentation of your make-up. The degree to which it matters ranges, whether it’s shampoo or eye shadow. Several common cosmetics ingredients are for the sole purpose of how your makeup looks.
Glyceryl stearate SE goes in shampoos, conditioners, and lotions to give them that pearly, luminous look. Titanium oxide gives products a more opaque and white appearance.
For shimmer in your makeup, the most common ingredients added are mica and bismuth oxychloride.
The Most Common Ingredient of All
It’s probably no surprise that the most common ingredient in cosmetics is water. Take any bottle off your bathroom shelf and water is right there at the top of the list.
It’s tempting to assume cosmetic manufacturers are using water as filler, but water plays an important role to dissolve the other ingredients.
It’s also worth noting that the water listed on your lotion, shampoo, conditioner, or cream is not just tap water. All the toxins, minerals, microbes, and impurities are filtered out by the distilling process.
Know the Make-Up of Your Makeup
It’s good to be curious about the cosmetics ingredients– you’re using them on a daily basis. All cosmetics are tested by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) before being released.
For more like this, be sure to check out our Beauty and Makeup sections.
