Essential Micellar Water
Highlights
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| Ingredient name | what-it-does | irr., com. | ID-Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aqua/Water/Eau | solvent | ||
| Betaine | moisturizer/humectant | goodie | |
| Xylitol | moisturizer/humectant | goodie | |
| Polyglyceryl-4 Caprylate/Caprate | surfactant/cleansing | ||
| Polyglyceryl-4 Laurate/Sebacate | solvent, surfactant/cleansing | ||
| Disodium EDTA | chelating | ||
| Cetrimonium Bromide | antimicrobial/antibacterial, emulsifying, preservative, surfactant/cleansing | ||
| Citric Acid | buffering |
Comfort Zone Essential Micellar WaterIngredients explained
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.
Once inside the skin, it hydrates, but not from the outside - putting pure water on the skin (hello long baths!) is drying.
One more thing: the water used in cosmetics is purified and deionized (it means that almost all of the mineral ions inside it is removed). Like this, the products can stay more stable over time.
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.
A type of sugar that's part of a moisturizing trio called Aquaxyl. You can read more about its magic properties at xylitylglucoside.
We don't have description for this ingredient yet.
We don't have description for this ingredient yet.
Super common little helper ingredient that helps products to remain nice and stable for a longer time. It does so by neutralizing the metal ions in the formula (that usually get into there from water) that would otherwise cause some not so nice changes.
It is typically used in tiny amounts, around 0.1% or less.
We don't have description for this ingredient yet.
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.
There is also some research showing that citric acid with regular use (think three months and 20% concentration) can help sun-damaged skin, increase skin thickness and some nice hydrating things called glycosaminoglycans in the skin.
But according to a comparative study done in 1995, citric acid has less skin improving magic properties than glycolic or lactic acid. Probably that’s why citric acid is usually not used as an exfoliant but more as a helper ingredient in small amounts to adjust the pH of a formulation.
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| what‑it‑does | solvent |
| what‑it‑does | moisturizer/humectant |
| what‑it‑does | moisturizer/humectant |
| what‑it‑does | surfactant/cleansing |
| what‑it‑does | solvent | surfactant/cleansing |
| what‑it‑does | chelating |
| what‑it‑does | antimicrobial/antibacterial | emulsifying | preservative | surfactant/cleansing |
| what‑it‑does | buffering |