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Eminence Monoi Age Corrective Exfoliating Cleanser

Monoi Age Corrective Exfoliating Cleanser

This refining cleanser rejuvenates skin for a smooth and lifted appearance.
Uploaded by: ab2859 on

Ingredients overview

Organic Phytonutrient Blend™, [Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe) Leaf Juice*, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil*, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Fruit Extract*, Terminalia Ferdinandiana (Kakadu Plum) Fruit Extract*, Prunus Cerasus (Sour Cherry) Juice*, Myrciaria Dubia (Camu Camu) Fruit Extract*, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Juice*, Pyrus Malus (Apple) Juice*, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract*, Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Root Extract*, Trifolium Pratense (Red Clover) Flower Extract*, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Extract*, Dioscorea Villosa (Wild Yam) Root Extract*, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract*, Zea Mays (Corn) Silk Extract*, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Germ Extract*, Plant-Derived Maltodextrin*, Acacia Senegal (Acacia) Gum*], Zea Mays (Corn) Germ Oil*, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil*, Vegetable Glycerin*, Stearic Acid, Cetearyl Alcohol, Olea Europaea (Olive) Seed Powder, Glyceryl Stearate, Cichorium Intybus (Chicory) Root Oligosaccharides, Caesalpinia Spinosa (Tara Tree) Gum, Aqua (Water), Lactic Acid, Bambusa Arundinacea (Bamboo) Leaf Extract, Benzyl Alcohol, Corn-Derived Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Fruit Extract, Passiflora Edulis (Passion Fruit) Extract, Ananas Sativus (Pineapple) Fruit Extract, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Extract, Gardenia Taitensis (Monoi) Flower Extract, Behenyl Alcohol, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Stearyl Alcohol, Protease, Subtilisin, Malus Domestica (Swiss Green Apple) Fruit Cell Culture Extract, Dehydroacetic Acid, Ascorbyl Palmitate (Vitamin C Ester), Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Isomalt, Vegetable Glycerin, Alcohol Denat, Plant-Derived Lecithin, Vegetable Heptyl Glucoside, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Tropolone, Corn- Derived Propanediol, Natural Fragrance, Biocomplex2™ (Euterpe Oleracea (Acai), Citrus Limon (Lemon), Malpighia Glabra (Barbados Cherry), Emblica Officinalis (Indian Gooseberry), Adansonia Digitata (Baobab), Myrciaria Dubia (Camu Camu), Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot), Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Water, Lycium Barbarum (Goji) Berry, Tapioca Starch (From Cassava Root), Thioctic Acid (Alpha Lipoic Acid), Ubiquinone (Coenzyme Q10)), [Euterpe Oleracea (Acai) Fruit Extract*, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Juice*, Malpighia Glabra (Barbados Cherry) Fruit Extract*, Emblica Officinalis (Indian Gooseberry) Fruit Extract*, Adansonia Digitata (Baobab) Fruit Extract*, Myrciaria Dubia (Camu Camu) Fruit Extract*, Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Root Extract*, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Water*, Lycium Barbarum (Goji) Fruit Extract*, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil*, Plant-Derived Maltodextrin*, Vegetable Glycerin*, Thioctic Acid (Alpha Lipoic Acid), Ubiquinone (Coenzyme Q10)]

Highlights

Skim through

Ingredient name what-it-does irr., com. ID-Rating
Organic Phytonutrient Blend™
[Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe) Leaf Juice* soothing, moisturizer/​humectant goodie
Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil* emollient 0, 0 goodie
Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Fruit Extract* emollient
Terminalia Ferdinandiana (Kakadu Plum) Fruit Extract* antioxidant, skin brightening
Prunus Cerasus (Sour Cherry) Juice*
Myrciaria Dubia (Camu Camu) Fruit Extract*
Citrus Limon (Lemon) Juice*
Pyrus Malus (Apple) Juice*
Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract* soothing, antioxidant, perfuming goodie
Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Root Extract* antioxidant, emollient goodie
Trifolium Pratense (Red Clover) Flower Extract*
Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Extract* antioxidant, antimicrobial/​antibacterial goodie
Dioscorea Villosa (Wild Yam) Root Extract*
Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract* antioxidant, soothing, antimicrobial/​antibacterial goodie
Zea Mays (Corn) Silk Extract*
Glycine Soja (Soybean) Germ Extract* emollient
Plant-Derived Maltodextrin*
Acacia Senegal (Acacia) Gum*]
Zea Mays (Corn) Germ Oil* emollient
Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil* emollient 0, 0 goodie
Vegetable Glycerin* skin-identical ingredient, moisturizer/​humectant 0, 0 superstar
Stearic Acid emollient, viscosity controlling 0, 2-3
Cetearyl Alcohol emollient, viscosity controlling, emulsifying, surfactant/​cleansing 1, 2
Olea Europaea (Olive) Seed Powder abrasive/​scrub
Glyceryl Stearate emollient, emulsifying 0, 1-2
Cichorium Intybus (Chicory) Root Oligosaccharides
Caesalpinia Spinosa (Tara Tree) Gum viscosity controlling
Aqua (Water) solvent
Lactic Acid exfoliant, moisturizer/​humectant, buffering superstar
Bambusa Arundinacea (Bamboo) Leaf Extract
Benzyl Alcohol preservative, perfuming, solvent, viscosity controlling
Corn-Derived Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate emollient, emulsifying
Xanthan Gum viscosity controlling
Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate surfactant/​cleansing
Citrus Limon (Lemon) Fruit Extract
Passiflora Edulis (Passion Fruit) Extract
Ananas Sativus (Pineapple) Fruit Extract soothing, moisturizer/​humectant goodie
Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Extract antioxidant goodie
Gardenia Taitensis (Monoi) Flower Extract
Behenyl Alcohol emollient, viscosity controlling
Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter emollient goodie
Hydrogenated Castor Oil emollient, viscosity controlling, emulsifying, surfactant/​cleansing 0, 1
Stearyl Alcohol emollient, viscosity controlling, emulsifying, surfactant/​cleansing 2, 2
Protease
Subtilisin
Malus Domestica (Swiss Green Apple) Fruit Cell Culture Extract goodie
Dehydroacetic Acid preservative
Ascorbyl Palmitate (Vitamin C Ester) antioxidant 0, 2 icky
Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E) antioxidant 0, 0
Isomalt moisturizer/​humectant
Vegetable Glycerin skin-identical ingredient, moisturizer/​humectant 0, 0 superstar
Alcohol Denat antimicrobial/​antibacterial, solvent, viscosity controlling icky
Plant-Derived Lecithin emollient, emulsifying goodie
Vegetable Heptyl Glucoside surfactant/​cleansing
1,2-Hexanediol solvent
Caprylyl Glycol moisturizer/​humectant, emollient
Tropolone preservative
Corn- Derived Propanediol solvent, moisturizer/​humectant
Natural Fragrance perfuming icky
Euterpe Oleracea (Acai)
Citrus Limon (Lemon)
Malpighia Glabra (Barbados Cherry)
Emblica Officinalis (Indian Gooseberry)
Adansonia Digitata (Baobab)
Myrciaria Dubia (Camu Camu)
Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) perfuming
Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Water moisturizer/​humectant goodie
Lycium Barbarum (Goji) Berry
Tapioca Starch (From Cassava Root) viscosity controlling
Thioctic Acid (Alpha Lipoic Acid) antioxidant goodie
Ubiquinone (Coenzyme Q10) antioxidant goodie
[Euterpe Oleracea (Acai) Fruit Extract*
Citrus Limon (Lemon) Juice*
Malpighia Glabra (Barbados Cherry) Fruit Extract*
Emblica Officinalis (Indian Gooseberry) Fruit Extract*
Adansonia Digitata (Baobab) Fruit Extract* emollient
Myrciaria Dubia (Camu Camu) Fruit Extract*
Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Root Extract* antioxidant, emollient goodie
Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Water* moisturizer/​humectant goodie
Lycium Barbarum (Goji) Fruit Extract*
Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil* emollient 0, 0 goodie
Plant-Derived Maltodextrin*
Vegetable Glycerin* skin-identical ingredient, moisturizer/​humectant 0, 0 superstar
Thioctic Acid (Alpha Lipoic Acid) antioxidant goodie
Ubiquinone (Coenzyme Q10)] antioxidant goodie

Eminence Monoi Age Corrective Exfoliating Cleanser
Ingredients explained

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

Also-called: Aloe Vera;Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice | What-it-does: soothing, moisturizer/humectant

Aloe Vera is one of today’s magic plants. It does have some very nice properties indeed, though famous dermatologist Leslie Baumann warns us in her book that most of the evidence is anecdotal and the plant might be a bit overhyped.

What research does confirm about Aloe is that it’s a great moisturizer and has several anti-inflammatory (among others contains salicylates, polysaccharides, magnesium lactate and C-glucosyl chromone) as well as some antibacterial components. It also helps wound healing and skin regeneration in general. All in all definitely a goodie. 

Also-called: Sunflower Oil;Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil | What-it-does: emollient | Irritancy: 0 | Comedogenicity: 0

Sunflower does not need a big intro as you probably use it in the kitchen as cooking oil, or you munch on the seeds as a healthy snack or you adore its big, beautiful yellow flower during the summer - or you do all of these and probably even more. And by even more  we mean putting it all over your face as sunflower oil is one of the most commonly used plant oils in skincare.

It’s a real oldie: expressed directly from the seeds, the oil is used not for hundreds but thousands of years. According to The National Sunflower Association, there is evidence that both the plant and its oil were used by American Indians in the area of Arizona and New Mexico about 3000 BC. Do the math: it's more than 5000 years – definitely an oldie.

Also-called: Coconut Fruit Extract;Cocos Nucifera Fruit Extract | What-it-does: emollient

The extract coming from the coconut fruit. It is a similar thing to coconut water and fruit juice and is loaded with sugars, minerals, amino acids. It is also claimed to have vitalizing and energizing effects, and some smoothing, emollient and hydrating props.

If you are into coconut, we have more details at coconut water and coconut oil

What-it-does: antioxidant, skin brightening

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Camu Camu Fruit Extract;Myrciaria Dubia Fruit Extract

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: Calendula Extract, Marigold Extract;Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract | What-it-does: soothing, antioxidant, perfuming

The extract coming from the popular garden plant Calendula or Marigold. According to manufacturer info, it's used  for many centuries for its exceptional healing powers and is particularly remarkable in the treatment of wounds. It contains flavonoids that give the plant anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. 

Also-called: Carrot Root Oil;Daucus Carota Sativa Root Extract | What-it-does: antioxidant, emollient

The oil-soluble extract coming from the edible, orange part of the carrot. It is created by macerating the carrot root in a carrier oil such as sunflower or olive oil, and the resulting thing (base oil + carrot root extract) is often called carrot oil or carrot root oil. (Not to be confused with carrot seed oil, that can be fixed or essential and comes from the seeds.)

The root extract is known for containing the orange pigment beta-carotene, aka provitamin A. It is a famous molecule for being a potent antioxidant, suntan accelerator and having skin-regenerative abilities. Carrot oil also contains vitamin E and some fatty acids that give the oil further antioxidant and barrier repairing properties. 

Also-called: Red Clover Extract;Trifolium Pratense Flower Extract | What-it-does: astringent

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Grape Seed Extract;Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract | What-it-does: antioxidant, antimicrobial/antibacterial

We wholeheartedly support the rise of seedless grapes as fruit snacks, but when it comes to skincare, we are big fans of the seeds.

They contain the majority of the skin goodies that -  similar to green tea - are mostly polyphenols (but not the same ones as in tea). The most abundant ones in grape are called proanthocyanidins, and 60-70% of them are found in the seeds (it's also often abbreviated as GSP - grape seed proanthocyanidins). In general, the darker the fruit, the more GSPs and other flavonoids it contains.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Rosemary Leaf Extract;Rosmarinus Officinalis 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. 

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

What-it-does: emollient

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

It's a little helper ingredient coming from corn, rice or potato starch that can help to keep skin mat (absorbent), to stabilise emulsions, and to keep the product together (binding). 

Also-called: Gum Arabic;Acacia Senegal Gum

A natural polymer (big molecules from repeated subunits) that is harvested from the Acacia tree in the sub-Saharan region in Africa. It's a great thickening and binding agent. Often coupled with xanthan gum, as it helps to reduce its unpleasant stickiness.

What-it-does: emollient

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Sunflower Oil;Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil | What-it-does: emollient | Irritancy: 0 | Comedogenicity: 0

Sunflower does not need a big intro as you probably use it in the kitchen as cooking oil, or you munch on the seeds as a healthy snack or you adore its big, beautiful yellow flower during the summer - or you do all of these and probably even more. And by even more  we mean putting it all over your face as sunflower oil is one of the most commonly used plant oils in skincare.

It’s a real oldie: expressed directly from the seeds, the oil is used not for hundreds but thousands of years. According to The National Sunflower Association, there is evidence that both the plant and its oil were used by American Indians in the area of Arizona and New Mexico about 3000 BC. Do the math: it's more than 5000 years – definitely an oldie.

Also-called: Glycerol;Glycerin | 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: emollient, viscosity controlling | Irritancy: 0 | Comedogenicity: 2-3

A common multi-tasker fatty acid. It makes your skin feel nice and smooth (emollient), gives body to cream type products and helps to stabilize water and oil mixes (aka emulsions).

What-it-does: emollient, viscosity controlling, emulsifying, emulsion stabilising, surfactant/cleansing | Irritancy: 1 | Comedogenicity: 2

An extremely common multitasker ingredient that gives your skin a nice soft feel (emollient) and gives body to creams and lotions. It also helps to stabilize oil-water mixes (emulsions), though it does not function as an emulsifier in itself. Its typical use level in most cream type formulas is 2-3%.  

It’s a so-called fatty alcohol, a mix of cetyl and stearyl alcohol, other two emollient fatty alcohols.  Though chemically speaking, it is alcohol (as in, it has an -OH group in its molecule), its properties are totally different from the properties of low molecular weight or drying alcohols such as denat. alcohol. Fatty alcohols have a long oil-soluble (and thus emollient) tail part that makes them absolutely non-drying and non-irritating and are totally ok for the skin.

What-it-does: abrasive/scrub

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

What-it-does: emollient, emulsifying | Irritancy: 0 | Comedogenicity: 1-2

A super common, waxy, white, solid stuff that helps water and oil to mix together, gives body to creams and leaves the skin feeling soft and smooth.

Chemically speaking, it is the attachment of a glycerin molecule to the fatty acid called stearic acid. It can be produced from most vegetable oils (in oils three fatty acid molecules are attached to glycerin instead of just one like here) in a pretty simple, "green" process that is similar to soap making. It's readily biodegradable.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

What-it-does: viscosity controlling

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Water | 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. 

Lactic Acid - superstar
  • It’s the second most researched AHA after glycolic acid
  • It gently lifts off dead skin cells to reveal newer, fresher, smoother skin
  • It also has amazing skin hydrating properties
  • In higher concentration (10% and up) it improves skin firmness, thickness and wrinkles
  • Choose a product where you know the concentration and pH value because these two greatly influence effectiveness
  • Don’t forget to use your sunscreen (in any case but especially so next to an AHA product)
Read all the geeky details about Lactic Acid here >>

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

It's one of those things that help your cosmetics not to go wrong too soon, aka a preservative. It can be naturally found in fruits and teas but can also be made synthetically.

No matter the origin, in small amounts (up to 1%) it’s a nice, gentle preservative. Has to be combined with some other nice preservatives, like potassium sorbate to be broad spectrum enough.  

What-it-does: emollient, emulsifying

A mild, corn-sugar derived, oil-loving emulsifier that helps oil and water to mix nicely together. It is safe for sensitive skin or eye-care formulations and gives a light, satiny after-feel. It is often used together with its water-loving buddy Peg-20 Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate.

It's one of the most commonly used thickeners and emulsion stabilizers. If the product is too runny, a little xanthan gum will make it more gel-like. Used alone, it can make the formula sticky and it is a good team player so it is usually combined with other thickeners and so-called rheology modifiers (helper ingredients that adjust the flow and thus the feel of the formula). The typical use level of Xantha Gum is below 1%, it is usually in the 0.1-0.5% range. 

Btw, Xanthan gum is all natural, a chain of sugar molecules (polysaccharide) produced from individual sugar molecules (glucose and sucrose) via fermentation. It’s approved by Ecocert and also used in the food industry (E415). 

What-it-does: surfactant/cleansing

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Lemon Fruit Extract

If life gives the cosmetic industry lemon, it makes lemon fruit extract.  As to why, we can write here extremely similar things to our shiny description of orange fruit extract.  Being both of them citruses, they contain very similar active compounds with very similar (potential) effects on the skin. 

Just like orange fruit, lemon fruit also contains citric acid so it is commonly used as a natural, mild exfoliating agent. If this is the case, it is usually combined with other AHA containing fruit extracts such as bilberrysugar cane, orange, and sugar maple in a super popular ingredient mix trade named ACB Fruit Mix.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Pineapple Fruit Extract | What-it-does: soothing, moisturizer/humectant

A goodie fruit extract coming from the lovely pineapple. It contains a bunch of good-for-the-skin stuff:  bromelain and fruit acids  have mild exfoliant properties, and fruit sugars and amino acids give the pineapple fruit nice moisturizing and soothing properties. 

There is also a pineapple extract called pineapple ceramide on the market that's claimed to be loaded with a glucose linked ceramide derivative called glucoceramide. According to the manufacturer, glucoceramide is not only a skin moisturizer but it also helps to lighten the skin and make it more smooth.

Also-called: Grape Extract | What-it-does: antioxidant

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

It's not a standard INCI name, but rather a sloppy one. Several kinds of grape extracts are used in cosmetic products, the most well-known is the seed extract, but fruit extract or juice extract also exists.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

A fatty alcohol (the non-drying type with a long oil loving chain of 22 carbon atoms) that is used to increase the viscosity of the formula and it also helps the oily and the watery parts to stay nicely mixed together (called emulsion stabilizing). 

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: emollient, viscosity controlling, emulsifying, surfactant/cleansing | Irritancy: 0 | Comedogenicity: 1

A chemically modified version of castor oil that results in a solid, waxy material that serves as an emollient and consistency building material.

It also has some unique moisturizing properties as it is both occlusive and humectant.  The former one is common for oils and waxes and it means that it sits on top of the skin hindering water to evaporate out of the top layers. The latter one, the humectant property, is surprising and comes from the unique property of ricinoleic acid (the dominant fatty acid in castor oil)  having an extra water-loving -OH group on its otherwise oil-loving fatty chain. We have some more info about this at castor oil, so if you are interested, read on here.  

What-it-does: emollient, viscosity controlling, emulsion stabilising, emulsifying, surfactant/cleansing | Irritancy: 2 | Comedogenicity: 2

A handy multi-tasker, white to light yellowish oil-loving wax that works very well in oil-in-water emulsions.  It makes your skin feel nice and smooth (emollient),  stabilizes oil-water mixes and gives body to them.

Oh, and one more thing: it's a so-called fatty alcohol - the good, emollient type of alcohol that is non-drying and non-irritating. It is often mixed with fellow fatty alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, and the mixture is called Cetearyl Alcohol in the ingredient list. 

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: PhytoCellTec

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Geogard 111A | What-it-does: preservative

A helper ingredient that helps to make the products stay nice longer, aka preservative. It works mainly against fungi and has only milder effect against bacteria. 

It is Ecocert and Cosmos approved, works quite well at low concentrations (0.1-0.6%) and is popular in natural products.

Also-called: Form of Vitamin C | What-it-does: antioxidant | Irritancy: 0 | Comedogenicity: 2

A form of skincare superstar, vitamin C. Even though we are massive vitamin C fans,  Ascorbyl Palmitate  (AP) is our least favorite. (Btw, if you do not know what the big deal with vitamin C is then you are missing out. You must go and read our geeky details about it.) 

So, AP is one of the attempts by the cosmetics industry to solve the stability issues with vitamin C while preserving its benefits,  but it seems to fall short on several things.

Also-called: Vitamin E Acetate | What-it-does: antioxidant | Irritancy: 0 | Comedogenicity: 0

It’s the most commonly used version of pure vitamin E in cosmetics. You can read all about the pure form here. This one is the so-called esterified version. 

According to famous dermatologist, Leslie Baumann while tocopheryl acetate is more stable and has a longer shelf life, it’s also more poorly absorbed by the skin and may not have the same awesome photoprotective effects as pure Vit E. 

What-it-does: moisturizer/humectant

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Vegetable Glycerin - superstar
Also-called: Glycerol;Glycerin | 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 >>

  • It's a super common and super debated skincare ingredient
  • It has several benefits: great solvent, penetration enhancer, creates cosmetically elegant, light formulas, great astringent and antimicrobial
  • It can be very drying if it's in the first few ingredients on an ingredient list
  • Some experts even think that regular exposure to alcohol damages skin barrier and causes inflammation though it's a debated opinion (read more in geeky details tab)
Read all the geeky details about Alcohol Denat. here >>

What-it-does: emollient, emulsifying

A very common ingredient that can be found in all cell membranes. In cosmetics it's quite the multi-tasker: it's an emollient and water-binding ingredient but it's also an emulsifier and can be used for stabilization purposes. It's also often used to create liposomes

What-it-does: surfactant/cleansing

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

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

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.

What-it-does: preservative

A pale yellow solid material that helps cosmetic products not to go wrong too soon aka preservative.

It has antioxidant and antibacterial activity and can be used synergistically with IT-preservative phenoxyethanol or 1,2-Hexanediol and Caprylyl Glycol to form a broad spectrum preservative system for cosmetic formulas. 

Also-called: Zemea;Propanediol | What-it-does: solvent, moisturizer/humectant

Propanediol is a natural alternative for the often used and often bad-mouthed propylene glycol. It's produced sustainably from corn sugar and it's Ecocert approved. 

It's quite a multi-tasker: can be used to improve skin moisturization, as a solvent, to boost preservative efficacy or to influence the sensory properties of the end formula. 

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.  

Also-called: Acai Extract;Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

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

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Baobab Tree Extract;Adansonia Digitata Extract

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Camu Camu Fruit Extract;Myrciaria Dubia Fruit Extract

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

What-it-does: perfuming

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Coconut Water, Coconut Liquid Endosperm | What-it-does: moisturizer/humectant

Coconut Water is the liquid inside the coconut and/or the juice pressed from the coconut fruit. It is a really nice and refreshing beverage loaded with good for the body and the skin things. It is about 95% of water and the other 5% are things such as skin-moisturizing sugars, skin nourishing amino acids, minerals, vitamins and phytohormones (kinetin)

This adds up to coconut water being a nice moisturizing and nourishing ingredient on the skin and it is also claimed to have some antioxidant and anti-glycation properties

Also-called: Goji Berry Extract;Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract | What-it-does: astringent

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

What-it-does: viscosity controlling

A soft, white powder that can be used as a talc replacement in body powders or in pressed powders. It also has some oil absorbing properties and gives increased cushion and richness to emulsion-type formulas.  

Also-called: Alpha-Lipoic Acid | What-it-does: antioxidant

Alpha-Lipoic Acid (ALA) is a great antioxidant that's also part of the body's natural antioxidant system. It's soluble both in water-rich and lipid-rich environments so it's versatile and can interact with many types of evil oxidants as well as other nice antioxidants. 

ALA seems to be a great choice for topical use as studies show it can penetrate the skin rapidly where it's converted to DHLA (dihydrolipoic acid), an even more potent antioxidant molecule.  A nicely designed (we mean double-blind, placebo-controlled) 12-week study from 2003 confirmed that 5% ALA cream can decrease skin roughness and improve general signs of photoaging statistically significantly.  A slight catch, though, is that burning and warmth in the skin was quite a common side effect, especially in the first 4 weeks. 

Also-called: Coenzyme Q10 | What-it-does: antioxidant

Thanks to Nivea, Q10 is a pretty well-known ingredient and the fame and Beiersdorf's (the parent company of Nivea) obsession with it are not for no reason. It's an antioxidant found naturally in human cells where it plays a big role in energy production.

In fact, it's so important for energy production that if taken as an oral supplement it has a caffeine-like effect and if taken at night you will probably not sleep very well (so you should take it in the morning). Q10 supplementation is not a bad idea: it not only gives you energy but research also shows that oral Q10 increases the Q10 level of the skin (of course, it decreases with age like pretty much every good thing in the skin) and may help to reduce wrinkles. If you are not for supplements, dietary sources include fish, spinach, and nuts.

Also-called: Acai Extract;Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract

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: Baobab Fruit Extract;Adansonia Digitata Fruit Extract | What-it-does: emollient

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Camu Camu Fruit Extract;Myrciaria Dubia Fruit Extract

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Carrot Root Oil;Daucus Carota Sativa Root Extract | What-it-does: antioxidant, emollient

The oil-soluble extract coming from the edible, orange part of the carrot. It is created by macerating the carrot root in a carrier oil such as sunflower or olive oil, and the resulting thing (base oil + carrot root extract) is often called carrot oil or carrot root oil. (Not to be confused with carrot seed oil, that can be fixed or essential and comes from the seeds.)

The root extract is known for containing the orange pigment beta-carotene, aka provitamin A. It is a famous molecule for being a potent antioxidant, suntan accelerator and having skin-regenerative abilities. Carrot oil also contains vitamin E and some fatty acids that give the oil further antioxidant and barrier repairing properties. 

Also-called: Coconut Water, Coconut Liquid Endosperm;Cocos Nucifera Water | What-it-does: moisturizer/humectant

Coconut Water is the liquid inside the coconut and/or the juice pressed from the coconut fruit. It is a really nice and refreshing beverage loaded with good for the body and the skin things. It is about 95% of water and the other 5% are things such as skin-moisturizing sugars, skin nourishing amino acids, minerals, vitamins and phytohormones (kinetin)

This adds up to coconut water being a nice moisturizing and nourishing ingredient on the skin and it is also claimed to have some antioxidant and anti-glycation properties

Also-called: Goji Berry Extract;Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract | What-it-does: astringent

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Sunflower Oil;Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil | What-it-does: emollient | Irritancy: 0 | Comedogenicity: 0

Sunflower does not need a big intro as you probably use it in the kitchen as cooking oil, or you munch on the seeds as a healthy snack or you adore its big, beautiful yellow flower during the summer - or you do all of these and probably even more. And by even more  we mean putting it all over your face as sunflower oil is one of the most commonly used plant oils in skincare.

It’s a real oldie: expressed directly from the seeds, the oil is used not for hundreds but thousands of years. According to The National Sunflower Association, there is evidence that both the plant and its oil were used by American Indians in the area of Arizona and New Mexico about 3000 BC. Do the math: it's more than 5000 years – definitely an oldie.

It's a little helper ingredient coming from corn, rice or potato starch that can help to keep skin mat (absorbent), to stabilise emulsions, and to keep the product together (binding). 

Also-called: Glycerol;Glycerin | 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 >>

Also-called: Alpha-Lipoic Acid | What-it-does: antioxidant

Alpha-Lipoic Acid (ALA) is a great antioxidant that's also part of the body's natural antioxidant system. It's soluble both in water-rich and lipid-rich environments so it's versatile and can interact with many types of evil oxidants as well as other nice antioxidants. 

ALA seems to be a great choice for topical use as studies show it can penetrate the skin rapidly where it's converted to DHLA (dihydrolipoic acid), an even more potent antioxidant molecule.  A nicely designed (we mean double-blind, placebo-controlled) 12-week study from 2003 confirmed that 5% ALA cream can decrease skin roughness and improve general signs of photoaging statistically significantly.  A slight catch, though, is that burning and warmth in the skin was quite a common side effect, especially in the first 4 weeks. 

Also-called: Coenzyme Q10;Ubiquinone | What-it-does: antioxidant

Thanks to Nivea, Q10 is a pretty well-known ingredient and the fame and Beiersdorf's (the parent company of Nivea) obsession with it are not for no reason. It's an antioxidant found naturally in human cells where it plays a big role in energy production.

In fact, it's so important for energy production that if taken as an oral supplement it has a caffeine-like effect and if taken at night you will probably not sleep very well (so you should take it in the morning). Q10 supplementation is not a bad idea: it not only gives you energy but research also shows that oral Q10 increases the Q10 level of the skin (of course, it decreases with age like pretty much every good thing in the skin) and may help to reduce wrinkles. If you are not for supplements, dietary sources include fish, spinach, and nuts.

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Coconut Water is the liquid inside the coconut and/or the juice pressed from the coconut fruit. It is a really nice and refreshing beverage loaded with good for the body and the skin things. [more]
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what‑it‑does antioxidant
Alpha-Lipoic Acid (ALA) is a great antioxidant that's also part of the body's natural antioxidant system. It's soluble both in water-rich and lipid-rich environments so it's versatile and can interact with many types of evil oxidants as well as other nice antioxidants. ALA seems to be a great choice for topical use as studies show it can penetrate the skin rapidl [more]
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