Clinique Smart Custom Repair Serum Review

When you see “water\aqua\eau” on a product’s ingredient label, it simply means water. Manufacturers of cosmetics and personal care products are required by law to list all of the ingredients...

It is important for those who use makeup products to know what ingredients are contained within them, and a common substance that is often found in many cosmetics is isododecane....

Dimethicone, which is a silicone oil, is also known as polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and is used in a number of health and beauty products. Those who purchase skin care products with...

Cyclopentasiloxane is one of the most common ingredients used in personal care products today. Synthetically manufactured, it is a silicone derivative that carries a variety of skin and hair applications,...

Polysilicone-11 is a synthetic cross-linked siloxane (a type of silicone) that functions as a film-forming agent in cosmetics and skin care products....

When reading skin care product ingredient lists, you may come across a chemical called butylene glycol, and wonder about what it does and how it works. After all, this ingredient...

Ascorbyl glucoside is a form of vitamin C that has a structure in which the C2-hydroxyl group of ascorbic acid (pure vitamin C) is masked with glucose. Ascorbyl glucoside has

Peg-10 dimethicone is a type of silicone that is used in hair and skin care products as a conditioning agent, lubricant, and skin protectant....

Citrus grandis fruit extract is another example of an ingredient with naming inconsistency. Citrus grandis is generally considered a name for a pomelo, which may also be referred to as...

Morus nigra is a species from the genus Morus, which comprises 10 to 16 species of deciduous trees commonly known as mulberries. Morus nigra produces an edible fruit known as...

Scutellaria baicalensis, also known as Baikal skullcap, is a species of flowering plant in the mint family (Lamiaceae). Extracts from its roots have been widely used as a medicinal plant...

Cucumis sativus (cucumber) fruit extract is used in cosmetics and personal care products due to its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and skin-conditioning properties....

Algae is an informal term that describes a large group of simple, chlorophyll-containing organisms in a family that includes more than 20,000 different known species. There are many different species

Plankton are the diverse collection of organisms, such as bacteria, archaea, protozoa, and algae, that live in large bodies of water and are unable to swim against a current. The...

Triticum vulgare, also known as common wheat or bread wheat, is a cultivated wheat species that makes up about 95% of all produced wheat. In skin care products, there are...

Glycerin is an ingredient that can be found in many beauty products because of its moisture locking properties. It is a form of sugar alcohol that is available naturally in...

Oryza sativa is the plant species most commonly referred to in English as rice. Bran is the hard outer layer of the grain, often produced as a by-product of milling...

The term “Faex” is the ingredient designation required by European Union regulations for yeast extract. Yeasts are single-celled microorganisms belonging to the fungus kingdom. Yeast extract is added to skin...

Acetyl hexapeptide 8, which is also known as Argireline, is a peptide compound that is used in skin care products to reduce the appearance of wrinkles brought on by repeated...

Palmitoyl oligopeptide is a blend of several fatty and amino acids that has recently been used in a number of cosmetics and anti-aging creams. This ingredient is being studied for...

Ergothioneine is a naturally-occurring amino acid that is found in some foods, such as black beans, kidney beans, oat bran, and oyster mushrooms, and is also made by some bacteria

Whey is one of the two proteins in milk, the other being casein. In cosmetics and personal care products, whey protein primarily functions as a skin and hair conditioning agent.

Polysorbate 20 is a surfactant, emulsifier, and fragrance ingredient that is used in a variety of cosmetics and personal care products....

Micrococcus lysate is an end product of the controlled lysis of Micrococcus luteus, a gram positive bacteria.  Micrococcus occurs in a wide range of environments, including water, dust, and soil.

Cholesterol is an organic molecule that is added to cosmetics and skin care products for its functions as a skin-conditioning agent and an emulsifier....

Di-C12-18 alkyl dimonium chloride is a quaternary ammonium salt. Quaternary ammonium salts, also known as quaternary ammonium compounds or “quats”, are the primary and most frequently used conditioning agent in

Salicylic acid is a beta-hydroxy acid that is commonly used in skin care products, particularly anti-aging and acne treatments....

Isohexadecane is a synthetic ingredient used as a cleansing agent, skin-conditioning agent, and a texture enhancer in a variety of cosmetics and personal care products....

Caffeine is being increasingly used in cosmetics and skin care products due to its high biological activity and ability to penetrate the skin barrier, providing benefits such as reducing signs...

Glycine soja, also known as the wild soybean, is an annual plant in the legume family. Extracts from Glycine soja seeds are rich in amino acids, protein, vitamins, and minerals.

Tocopheryl acetate is a form of vitamin E used in skin care products due to its powerful antioxidant properties and natural skin-conditioning effects....

Acetyl glucosamine is a skin-replenishing ingredient that functions to reduce signs of aging through several mechanisms....

Caprylyl glycol is a skin conditioning agent that adds moisturization and wetting properties to many cosmetics and personal care products, as well as functions as a preservative booster....

Glyceryl polymethacrylate is a synthetic ingredient that is an ester of glycerin and polymethacrylic acid. In cosmetics and personal care products, glyceryl polymethacrylate primarily functions as a film-forming agent. Upon

Synthetic fluorphlogopite is a synthetic mineral based on fluorine, aluminum, and silicate. It may also be referred to as synthetic mica because it is intended to provide similar effects as

Glycyrrhetinic acid is one of the major active constituents of licorice. Licorice is the root of the Glycyrrhiza glabra plant, an herbaceous perennial legume native to southern Europe and parts

Tromethamine is a synthetic ingredient that is used in a variety of cosmetics and personal care products as a pH adjuster and a fragrance ingredient....

Polysorbate 80 is a synthetic ingredient that is used in cosmetics and personal care products as a surfactant, emulsifier, and solubilizer....

Sodium hyaluronate is the water-soluble sodium salt form of hyaluronic acid, a natural substance found in various connective tissues of humans that has a unique capacity for retaining water. Skin...

Sodium RNA is the sodium salt of ribonucleic acid (RNA). RNA is a polymeric molecule that is essential in various biological roles in coding, decoding, regulation, and expression of genes....

Many beauty and skin care experts have lauded the effects of squalane on the skin. This oil, which occurs naturally in the body, is also found in olive oil and...

Aminopropyl ascorbyl phosphate is a water soluble, stable derivative of vitamin C that is created by combining ascorbic acid (pure vitamin C) with 3-APPA (3-aminopropyl dehydrogen phosphate). Aminopropyl ascorbyl phosphate

The term "PEG" is an abbreviation for polyethylene glycol and is used to describe synthetic polymers of ethylene oxide. The number following PEG (i.e. PEG-8) is based on the number

Lecithin describes a natural substance made up of fatty acids that functions as an emollient, emulsifier, and penetration enhancer when added to formulations of cosmetics and personal care products....

Hexylene glycol functions as a surfactant, emulsifier, and a viscosity-reducing agent in many different cosmetics and personal care products....

Acrylamide/sodium acryloyldimethyltaurate copolymer is a synthetic copolymer of acrylamide and sodium acryloyldimethyltaurate monomers. In cosmetics and personal care products, this ingredient functions as an emulsion stabilizer and viscosity-increasing agent.  

Sodium hydroxide is a highly alkaline ingredient that is used in small amounts in cosmetics and personal care products to establish and hold the pH of a product....

Tin oxide, also known as stannic oxide, is an inorganic compound with the formula SnO2. The mineral form of tin oxide is called cassiterite, and this is the main ore

Disodium EDTA is an ingredient used in shampoos, moisturizers, cleansers, and other personal care products as a chelating agent to improve product stability....

Phenoxyethanol is glycol ether used as a preservative in cosmetic products and medicines. This is a kind of ether alcohol with aromatic properties that can enhance a skin product’s scent....

Yellow 5 is a synthetic lemon yellow azo dye. Other names for Yellow 5 include tartrazine, CI 19140, E Number E102, and FD&C Yellow 5. It is FDA-approved for use

Red 4 is a synthetic petroleum-derived red azo dye. Other names for Red 4 include CI 14700, FD&C Red No. 4, and Scarlet GN. It was once used as a

Titanium dioxide is the naturally occurring oxide of the element titanium. In cosmetics and personal care products, titanium dioxide functions as a sunscreen active ingredient, pigment, and thickener. Titanium dioxide