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Kundal Honey & Macadamia Nature Shampoo [#baby Powder]

Honey & Macadamia Nature Shampoo [#baby Powder]

Contains 10,000 ppm of honey and macadamia and 10,000 ppm of plant-derived erythritol to hydrate and nourish hair.
Uploaded by: noo on

Ingredients overview

Water, Sodium Cocoyl Alaninate, Lauryl Hydroxysultaine, Lauryl Glucoside, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Erythritol, Glycerin, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Honey Extract, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Extract, Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Extract, Oenothera Biennis (Evening Primrose) Flower Extract, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Seed Extract, Vaccinium Angustifolium (Blueberry) Fruit Extract, Undaria Pinnatifida Extract, Fragaria Chiloensis, Strawberry) Fruit Extract, Morus Alba Root Extract, Cornus Officinalis Fruit Extract, Taraxacum Officinale (Dandelion) Leaf Extract, Rubus Fruticosus (Blackberry) Fruit Extract, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Extract, Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract, Angelica Gigas Root Extract, Rosa Centifolia Flower Extract, Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Ulmus Davidiana Root Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Flower Extract, Melissa Officinalis Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Pelargonium Graveolens Extract, Origanum Vulgare Leaf Extract, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Extract, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Rehmannia Chinensis Root Extract, Pueraria Lobata Root Extract, Thymus Vulgaris (Thyme) Extract, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Extract, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Leaf Extract, Glycyrrhiza Uralensis (Licorice) Root Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Extract, Laminaria Japonica Extract, Salicornia Herbacea Extract, Brassica Napus Extract, Narcissus Pseudo-Narcissus (Daffodil) Flower Extract, Pinus Palustris Leaf Extract, Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract, Diospyros Kaki Fruit Extract, Camellia Japonica Leaf Extract, Ceratonia Siliqua (Carob) Fruit Extract, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Polyquaternium-10, Sodium Chloride, Betaine, Allantoin, Panthenol, Arginine, Sodium Gluconate, Citric Acid, Coconut Acid, Sodium Isethionate, Butylene Glycol, Dipropylene Glycol, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hydroxyacetophenone, Caprylyl Glycol, Fragrance, Citronellol, Coumarin, Geraniol

Highlights

#alcohol-free
Alcohol Free

Skim through

Ingredient name what-it-does irr., com. ID-Rating
Water solvent
Sodium Cocoyl Alaninate surfactant/​cleansing
Lauryl Hydroxysultaine surfactant/​cleansing, viscosity controlling
Lauryl Glucoside surfactant/​cleansing
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate surfactant/​cleansing
Erythritol moisturizer/​humectant
Glycerin skin-identical ingredient, moisturizer/​humectant 0, 0 superstar
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate surfactant/​cleansing
Honey Extract moisturizer/​humectant goodie
Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Extract emollient
Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Extract soothing
Oenothera Biennis (Evening Primrose) Flower Extract
Glycine Soja (Soybean) Seed Extract antioxidant, skin brightening, soothing, emollient goodie
Vaccinium Angustifolium (Blueberry) Fruit Extract soothing
Undaria Pinnatifida Extract
Fragaria Chiloensis
Strawberry) Fruit Extract
Morus Alba Root Extract skin brightening
Cornus Officinalis Fruit Extract
Taraxacum Officinale (Dandelion) Leaf Extract
Rubus Fruticosus (Blackberry) Fruit Extract
Oryza Sativa (Rice) Extract abrasive/​scrub
Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract
Angelica Gigas Root Extract
Rosa Centifolia Flower Extract
Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Extract
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract antioxidant, soothing goodie
Ulmus Davidiana Root Extract moisturizer/​humectant goodie
Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Flower Extract surfactant/​cleansing
Melissa Officinalis Leaf Extract
Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract soothing, antioxidant 0, 0 goodie
Centella Asiatica Extract soothing, antioxidant, moisturizer/​humectant goodie
Pelargonium Graveolens Extract
Origanum Vulgare Leaf Extract
Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Extract perfuming
Panax Ginseng Root Extract antioxidant, emollient goodie
Rehmannia Chinensis Root Extract
Pueraria Lobata Root Extract moisturizer/​humectant
Thymus Vulgaris (Thyme) Extract perfuming
Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Extract antimicrobial/​antibacterial, perfuming
Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Leaf Extract
Glycyrrhiza Uralensis (Licorice) Root Extract
Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract antioxidant, soothing, antimicrobial/​antibacterial goodie
Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract soothing, antioxidant, antimicrobial/​antibacterial, moisturizer/​humectant goodie
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Extract moisturizer/​humectant goodie
Laminaria Japonica Extract
Salicornia Herbacea Extract antioxidant, skin brightening, moisturizer/​humectant goodie
Brassica Napus Extract
Narcissus Pseudo-Narcissus (Daffodil) Flower Extract
Pinus Palustris Leaf Extract
Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract antioxidant
Diospyros Kaki Fruit Extract
Camellia Japonica Leaf Extract
Ceratonia Siliqua (Carob) Fruit Extract
Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil antioxidant, emollient goodie
Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil emollient 0, 0-2 goodie
Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil emollient, perfuming 0, 4 goodie
Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil antioxidant, emollient 0, 0-3 goodie
Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil emollient goodie
Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter emollient goodie
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride viscosity controlling
Polyquaternium-10 viscosity controlling
Sodium Chloride viscosity controlling
Betaine moisturizer/​humectant goodie
Allantoin soothing 0, 0 goodie
Panthenol soothing, moisturizer/​humectant 0, 0 goodie
Arginine skin-identical ingredient goodie
Sodium Gluconate chelating, moisturizer/​humectant
Citric Acid buffering
Coconut Acid surfactant/​cleansing, emollient, emulsifying
Sodium Isethionate surfactant/​cleansing
Butylene Glycol moisturizer/​humectant, solvent 0, 1
Dipropylene Glycol solvent
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate soothing, moisturizer/​humectant goodie
1,2-Hexanediol solvent
Ethylhexylglycerin preservative
Hydroxyacetophenone antioxidant
Caprylyl Glycol moisturizer/​humectant, emollient
Fragrance perfuming icky
Citronellol perfuming icky
Coumarin perfuming icky
Geraniol perfuming icky

Kundal Honey & Macadamia Nature Shampoo [#baby Powder]
Ingredients explained

Also-called: Aqua | What-it-does: solvent

Good old water, aka H2O. The most common skincare ingredient of all. You can usually find it right in the very first spot of the ingredient list, meaning it’s the biggest thing out of all the stuff that makes up the product. 

It’s mainly a solvent for ingredients that do not like to dissolve in oils but rather in water. 

What-it-does: surfactant/cleansing

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

What-it-does: surfactant/cleansing

A 100% vegetable origin, biodegradable, mild cleansing agent that gives moderate to high amount of foam. It's happy to work together with other surfactants (in general, that helps to create milder formulas). 

What-it-does: surfactant/cleansing

A cleansing agent that's claimed to be so gentle on the skin that it hardly impacts the skin barrier. It also gives a rich, creamy foam, it's based on vegetable fatty acids and is readily biodegradable.

It's an especially important and popular ingredient in "syndet bars" (or soapless soaps). Dr. Leslie Baumann says in her great Cosmetic Dermatology book that thanks to the unique molecular characteristic of Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, it "has defined a new dimension in the mildness of cleansing bars".

What-it-does: moisturizer/humectant

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Glycerin - superstar
Also-called: Glycerol | What-it-does: skin-identical ingredient, moisturizer/humectant | Irritancy: 0 | Comedogenicity: 0
  • A natural moisturizer that’s also in our skin
  • A super common, safe, effective and cheap molecule used for more than 50 years
  • Not only a simple moisturizer but knows much more: keeps the skin lipids between our skin cells in a healthy (liquid crystal) state, protects against irritation, helps to restore barrier
  • Effective from as low as 3% with even more benefits for dry skin at higher concentrations up to 20-40%
  • High-glycerin moisturizers are awesome for treating severely dry skin
Read all the geeky details about Glycerin here >>

What-it-does: surfactant/cleansing

A mild and non-drying cleanser that gives skin a nice and soft after-feel. It also has great foaming properties, comes from coconuts and it's biodegradable. 

Honey Extract - goodie
What-it-does: moisturizer/humectant

Usually, a glycerin or glycol based extract of honey that has similar properties to pure honey, i.e. moisturizing, soothing and antibacterial magic properties.

If you wanna know more about honey in cosmetics, we have a shiny explanation here >>

What-it-does: emollient

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

What-it-does: soothing

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Evening Primrose Flower Extract | What-it-does: astringent

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Soybean Extract | What-it-does: antioxidant, skin brightening, soothing, emollient

When you hear the word Soy, you probably associate it with soy sauce or tofu, not skincare. But as it turns out, the soybean has a bunch of useful active components and soybean extract is an interesting cosmetic ingredient with a wide range of possible effects. 

Its main active components are antioxidant phenolic acids and flavonoids as well as small and large soy proteins. The large proteins give soybean extract nice skin smoothing and softening properties, while the small proteins (soybean trypsin inhibitor (STI) and Bowman-Birk inhibitor (BBI)) are thought to inhibit skin pigmentation and delay hair regrowth.   

Also-called: Blueberry Extract | What-it-does: soothing

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

This ingredient name is not according to the INCI-standard. :( What, why?!

Also-called: Strawberry Fruit Extract;Fragaria Vesca Fruit Extract | What-it-does: astringent

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

What-it-does: skin brightening

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Dandelion Leaf Extract

The extract coming from the leaves of dandelion. It's a folkloric medicine for the treatment of liver and kidney disorders and we could find several studies confirming its liver-protecting, "detoxifying" effect.

What we could not find is information on what dandelion is doing in cosmetic products. Our best info is that it "enhances the clarity of skin" by helping the detoxification of the liver (though we have to admit we are a bit sceptical about this).  

Also-called: Blackberry Extract | What-it-does: astringent

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

What-it-does: astringent

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Hibiscus Extract

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Green Tea | What-it-does: antioxidant, soothing
  • Green tea is one of the most researched natural ingredients
  • The active parts are called polyphenols, or more precisely catechins (EGCG being the most abundant and most active catechin)
  • There can be huge quality differences between green tea extracts. The good ones contain 50-90% catechins (and often make the product brown and give it a distinctive smell)
  • Green tea is proven to be a great antioxidant, UV protectant, anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic and antimicrobial
  • Because of these awesome properties green tea is a great choice for anti-aging and also for skin diseases including rosacea, acne and atopic dermatitis
Read all the geeky details about Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract here >>

Also-called: Ulmus Extract | What-it-does: moisturizer/humectant

A nice plant extract that's used as a traditional oriental medicine in China and Korea. A 2006 study examined the cosmetic properties of the  polysaccharide extract and found a couple of promising things:

The main components of the extract are water-binding sugars, namely  rhamnose, galactose, and glucose. After this, it's not very surprising that the extract itself is also a great skin moisturizer almost as good as superstar NMF, hyaluronic acid. But that's not all: the researchers also found that Ulmus extract has promising anti-inflammatory and photoprotective properties. Seems like a goodie plant extract. 

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: German Chamomile Flower Extract | What-it-does: soothing, antioxidant | Irritancy: 0 | Comedogenicity: 0

Chamomile probably needs no introduction as it's one of the most widely used medicinal herbs. You probably drink it regularly as a nice, calming cup of tea and it's also a regular on skincare ingredient lists.

Cosmetic companies use it mainly for its anti-inflammatory properties. It contains the terpenoids chamazulene and bisabolol both of which show great anti-inflammatory action in animal studies. On top of that chamomile also has some antioxidant activity (thanks to some other active ingredients called matricine, apigenin and luteolin).  

Also-called: Gotu Kola, Tiger Grass | What-it-does: soothing, antioxidant, moisturizer/humectant

Centella Asiatica - or sometimes also called Gotu Kola or Cica - has been used in folk medicine for hundreds of years. It’s traditionally used to improve small wounds, burns and scratches and it’s also a well known anti-inflammatory agent for eczema.

Recently science has taken an interest in Gotu Kola as well and it turns out it really has many active compounds with several benefits. Just for hard-core geeks, the main biologically active compounds are pentacyclic triterpenoid saponins called asiaticoside, madecassoside, asiatic and madecassic acid (also called centellosides).

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

What-it-does: perfuming

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: True Ginseng, Ginseng, Korean Ginseng | What-it-does: antioxidant, emollient

A  traditional Korean medicine used for more than 2000 years. Regarding skin care, its main thing seems to be enhancing skin nutrition and metabolism as a result of improving blood circulation.

It also contains biologically active components referred to as ginseng saponins (ginsenosides) that have potent antioxidant properties

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

What-it-does: moisturizer/humectant

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Thyme | What-it-does: perfuming

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Tea Tree Leaf Extract;Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Extract | What-it-does: antimicrobial/antibacterial, perfuming

When it comes to Tea Tree, the essential oil is the one that steals the show with its well-documented antimicrobial and anti-acne effects. The extract is not very well defined, and it probably contains the active components of the oil in much-reduced concentrations. Manufacturers still mention soothing, antimicrobial, purifying and antiseptic properties for the tea tree extract. 

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Rosemary Leaf Extract | What-it-does: antioxidant, soothing, antimicrobial/antibacterial

The extract coming from the lovely herb, rosemary. It contains lots of chemicals, including flavonoids, phenolic acids, and diterpenes. Its main active is rosmarinic acid, a potent antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory. It has also anti-bacterial, astringent and toning properties. 

The leaves contain a small amount of essential oil (1-2%) with fragrant components, so if you are allergic to fragrance, it might be better to avoid it. 

Also-called: Skullcap Root Extract | What-it-does: soothing, antioxidant, antimicrobial/antibacterial, astringent, moisturizer/humectant

A traditional Chinese herbal medicine loaded with potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory flavonoids such as baicalin, baicalein, and wogonin.

If that would not be enough, Skullcap Root is also claimed to have antimicrobial and antifungal properties (also against P.acnes and Malassezia furfur) as well as some skin-brightening activity. A multi-functional skin-goodie.

Also-called: Baker's Yeast | What-it-does: moisturizer/humectant

Saccharomyces cerevisiae (SC)  is the fancy name for common baker’s yeast. 

Usually different kind of yeast extracts are used in skincare for their great hydrating, and general skin conditioning properties. We could find one research paper to back this up: It has found that SC indeed increases skin moisture and had improved skin microrelief (the small wrinkles and surface irregularities of skin). 

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Guardiant, Glasswort Extract | What-it-does: antioxidant, skin brightening, moisturizer/humectant

A plant extract coming from glasswort, a type of succulent that grows in the salt marshes along the coastline of South Korea. According to its Korean manufacturer, it contains good-for-the-skin things like betaine, amino acids and minerals and the extract can strengthen the skin barrier, increase skin recovery and provide deep moisturization effect

There is also an in-vitro (not done on real people but in the lab) study from 2009 that shows promising antioxidant and skin whiting properties about the Salicornia Herbacea Extract and concludes that "it would be a good candidate for skin rejuvenating agent".

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

What-it-does: antioxidant

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Argan Oil | What-it-does: antioxidant, emollient

When it comes to cosmetic oils and hype, argan oil is for sure leading the way. Dubbed as the "liquid gold of Morocco", we have to admit we have some trouble determining why this oil enjoys such a special miracle status. Not that it's not good, it is good, even great but reading the research about argan and a bunch of other plant oils we just do not see the big, unique differentiating factor (though that might be our fault not reading enough, obvs.)

So, argan oil comes from the kernel of the argan fruit that comes from the argan tree that grows only in Morocco. The tree is slow growing and getting the oil is a hard job. The traditional process is that the ripe argan fruits fall from the tree, then goats eat them up and poop out the seeds. The seeds are collected and smashed with a stone to get the kernels inside. This part is the hard one as the seeds have extremely hard shells. Once the kernels are obtained, the oil is pressed out from them (the kernels contain about 50% oil).

Also-called: Jojoba Oil | What-it-does: emollient | Irritancy: 0 | Comedogenicity: 0-2

Jojoba is a drought resistant evergreen shrub native to South-western North America. It's known and grown for jojoba oil, the golden yellow liquid coming from the seeds (about 50% of the weight of the seeds will be oil).  

At first glance, it seems like your average emollient plant oil: it looks like an oil and it's nourishing and moisturizing to the skin but if we dig a bit deeper, it turns out that jojoba oil is really special and unique: technically - or rather chemically - it's not an oil but a wax ester (and calling it an oil is kind of sloppy). 

Also-called: Coconut Oil | What-it-does: emollient, perfuming | Irritancy: 0 | Comedogenicity: 4

There is definitely some craze going on for coconut oil both in the healthy eating space (often claimed to be the healthiest oil to cook with but this is a topic for another site) and in the skin and hair care space. 

We will talk here about the latter two and see why we might want to smear it all over ourselves. Chemically speaking, coconut oil has a unique fatty acid profile. Unlike many plant oils that mostly contain unsaturated fatty acids (fatty acids with double bonds and kinky structure such as linoleic or oleic), coconut oil is mostly saturated (fatty acids with single bonds only) and its most important fatty acid is Lauric Acid (about 50%).  Saturated fatty acids have a linear structure that can stack nice and tight and hence they are normally solid at room temperature. Coconut oil melts around 25 °C so it is solid in the tub but melts on contact with the skin. 

Also-called: Avocado Oil, Persea Americana Oil | What-it-does: antioxidant, emollient | Irritancy: 0 | Comedogenicity: 0-3

The oil coming from the pulp of one of the most nutritious fruits in the world, the avocado. It's loaded with the nourishing and moisturizing fatty acid, oleic (70%) and contains some others including palmitic (10%) and linoleic acid (8%). It also contains a bunch of minerals and vitamins A, E and D

Avocado oil has extraordinary skin penetration abilities and can nourish different skin layers. It's a very rich, highly moisturizing emollient oil that makes the skin smooth and nourished. Thanks to its vitamin E content it also has some antioxidant properties. As a high-oleic plant oil, it is recommended for dry skin

Also-called: Macadamia Oil | What-it-does: emollient

The golden yellow oil coming from the Macadamia nut, a native Australian nut. Similar to other plant oils, it's loaded with emollient and nourishing fatty acids. It's a high oleic acid oil (50-67% oleic acid and only 0-5% linoleic acid) that makes it very emollient and ideal for dry skin types (and less ideal for acne-prone skin).

Its unique property is that it contains high amounts of a rare fatty acid called palmitoleic acid (12-25%) that give Macadamia oil a "cushiony" feel. It's also easily absorbed and makes the skin soft and supple. 

Also-called: Shea Butter | What-it-does: emollient

Unless you live under a rock you must have heard about shea butter. It's probably the most hyped up natural butter in skincare today. It comes from the seeds of African Shea or Karite Trees and used as a magic moisturizer and emollient.

But it's not only a simple emollient, it regenerates and soothes the skin, protects it from external factors (such as UV rays or wind) and is also rich in antioxidants (among others vitamin A, E, F, quercetin and epigallocatechin gallate). If you are looking for rich emollient benefits + more, shea is hard to beat. 

What-it-does: viscosity controlling

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

What-it-does: viscosity controlling

A cellulose derived polymer (a big molecule that consists of many parts) that can help to thicken up products, form a nice film on the skin or hair and is considered to be an excellent hair conditioner.

Also-called: Salt | What-it-does: viscosity controlling

Sodium chloride is the fancy name of salt. Normal, everyday table salt

If (similar to us) you are in the weird habit of reading the label on your shower gel while taking a shower, you might have noticed that sodium chloride is almost always on the ingredient list. The reason for this is that salt acts as a fantastic thickener in cleansing formulas created with ionic cleansing agents (aka surfactants) such as Sodium Laureth Sulfate. A couple of percents (typically 1-3%) turns a runny surfactant solution into a nice gel texture.

Betaine - goodie
What-it-does: moisturizer/humectant

A sugar beet-derived amino acid derivative with nice skin protection and moisturization properties. Betaine's special thing is being an osmolyte, a molecule that helps to control cell-water balance.  It is also a natural osmoprotectant, meaning that it attracts water away from the protein surface and thus protects them from denaturation and increases their thermodynamic stability. 

It also gives sensorial benefits to the formula and when used in cleansers, it helps to make them milder and gentler. 

Allantoin - goodie
What-it-does: soothing | Irritancy: 0 | Comedogenicity: 0

Super common soothing ingredient. It can be found naturally in the roots & leaves of the comfrey plant, but more often than not what's in the cosmetic products is produced synthetically. 

It's not only soothing but it' also skin-softening and protecting and can promote wound healing.

Panthenol - goodie
Also-called: Pro-Vitamin B5 | What-it-does: soothing, moisturizer/humectant | Irritancy: 0 | Comedogenicity: 0

An easy-to-formulate, commonly used, nice to have ingredient that’s also called pro-vitamin B5. As you might guess from the “pro” part, it’s a precursor to vitamin B5 (whose fancy name is pantothenic acid). 

Its main job in skincare products is to moisturise the skin. It’s a humectant meaning that it can help the skin to attract water and then hold onto it. There is also research showing that panthenol can help our skin to produce more lovely lipids that are important for a strong and healthy skin barrier. 

Arginine - goodie

A semi-essential (infants cannot synthesize it, but adults can) amino acid that is one of the primary building blocks of hair keratin and skin collagen. It's a natural moisturizing factor, a skin hydrator and might also help to speed up wound healing

Arginine usually has a positive charge (cationic) that makes it substantive to skin and hair (those are more negatively charged surfaces) and an excellent film former.  Thanks to the positive charge, it also creates a complex with AHAs (AHAs like to lose a hydrogen ion and be negatively charged, so the positive and the negative ions attract each other) that causes a "time-release AHA effect" and reduces the irritation associated with AHAs

The neutralized form of gluconic acid. It's a great ingredient to neutralize metal (especially iron and copper) ions in a cosmetic product. This helps to prevent discoloration of the formula over time or rancidity of cosmetic oils. It can also be a pH regulator and a humectant (helps skin to cling onto water).

It's also used in oral care products where it reduces the bitterness of other ingredients. And it's natural, both Ecocert and Cosmos approved. (source: manufacturer info)

What-it-does: buffering

Citric acid comes from citrus fruits and is an AHA. If these magic three letters don’t tell you anything, click here and read our detailed description on glycolic acid, the most famous AHA. 

So citric acid is an exfoliant, that can - just like other AHAs - gently lift off the dead skin cells of your skin and make it more smooth and fresh. 

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

What-it-does: surfactant/cleansing

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

What-it-does: moisturizer/humectant, solvent | Irritancy: 0 | Comedogenicity: 1

Butylene glycol, or let’s just call it BG, is a multi-tasking colorless, syrupy liquid. It’s a great pick for creating a nice feeling product.  

BG’s main job is usually to be a solvent for the other ingredients. Other tasks include helping the product to absorb faster and deeper into the skin (penetration enhancer), making the product spread nicely over the skin (slip agent), and attracting water (humectant) into the skin.

What-it-does: solvent

A clear, colorless liquid that works as a solvent and viscosity decreasing ingredient. It also has great skin-moisturizing abilities. 

Also-called: Licorice | What-it-does: soothing, moisturizer/humectant

The salt form of one of the main anti-inflammatory ingredients in the licorice plant, monoammonium glycyrrhizinate. It’s a yellowish powder with a nice sweet smell. 

It’s used mainly for its soothing and anti-inflammatory properties, but according to manufacturer info, it’s also sebum regulating so it's a perfect ingredient for problem skin products. 

What-it-does: solvent

A really multi-functional helper ingredient that can do several things in a skincare product: it can bring a soft and pleasant feel to the formula, it can act as a humectant and emollient, it can be a solvent for some other ingredients (for example it can help to stabilize perfumes in watery products) and it can also help to disperse pigments more evenly in makeup products. And that is still not all: it can also boost the antimicrobial activity of preservatives

What-it-does: preservative, deodorant

If you have spotted ethylhexylglycerin on the ingredient list, most probably you will see there also the current IT-preservative, phenoxyethanol. They are good friends because ethylhexylglycerin can boost the effectiveness of phenoxyethanol (and other preservatives) and as an added bonus it feels nice on the skin too.

Also, it's an effective deodorant and a medium spreading emollient

What-it-does: antioxidant

A handy multifunctional ingredient that works as a preservative booster, as well as an antioxidant and soothing agent

It’s a handy multi-tasking ingredient that gives the skin a nice, soft feel. At the same time, it also boosts the effectiveness of other preservatives, such as the nowadays super commonly used phenoxyethanol

The blend of these two (caprylyl glycol + phenoxyethanol) is called Optiphen, which not only helps to keep your cosmetics free from nasty things for a long time but also gives a good feel to the finished product. It's a popular duo.

Fragrance - icky
Also-called: Fragrance, Parfum;Parfum/Fragrance | What-it-does: perfuming

Exactly what it sounds: nice smelling stuff put into cosmetic products so that the end product also smells nice. Fragrance in the US and parfum in the EU is a generic term on the ingredient list that is made up of 30 to 50 chemicals on average (but it can have as much as 200 components!). 

If you are someone who likes to know what you put on your face then fragrance is not your best friend - there's no way to know what’s really in it.  

What-it-does: perfuming

Citronellol is a very common fragrance ingredient with a nice rose-like odor. In the UK, it’s actually the third most often listed perfume on the ingredient lists. 

It can be naturally found in geranium oil (about 30%) or rose oil (about 25%). 

Coumarin - icky
What-it-does: perfuming

A common fragrance ingredient that has a sweet, vanilla, nutty scent. When diluted it smells like freshly-mown hay.

It’s one of the “EU 26 fragrances” that has to be labelled separately (and cannot be simply included in the term “fragrance/perfume” on the label) because of allergen potential. Best to avoid if your skin is sensitive.

Geraniol - icky
What-it-does: perfuming

Geraniol is a common fragrance ingredient. It smells like rose and can be found in rose oil or in small quantities in geranium, lemon and many other essential oils. 

Just like other similar fragrance ingredients (like linalool and limonene) geraniol also oxidises on air exposure and becomes allergenic. Best to avoid if you have sensitive skin.

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