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Juice Beauty Green Apple Brightening Emulsion

Green Apple Brightening Emulsion

A lightweight emulsion that helps achieve a brighter, more luminous complexion and smoother looking skin texture.
Uploaded by: cinq on

Ingredients overview

Aloe Barbadensis (Organic Aloe Juice/​Jus D’Aloès Bio)*, Pyrus Malus (Organic Apple Juice/​Jus De Pomme Bio) *, Citrus Medica Limonum (Organic Lemon Juice/​Jus De Citron Bio)*, Vitis Vinifera (Organic White Grape Juice/​Jus De Raisin Blanc Bio) *, Glycerin (Organic/​Bio)*, Simmondsia Chinensis (Organic Jojoba Seed Oil/​Huile De Graines De Jojoba Bio)*, Cetearyl Alcohol†, Coconut Alkanes, Carthamus Tinctorius (Organic Safflower Seed Oil/​Huile De Carthame Bio)*, Glyceryl Stearate†, Squalane†, Persea Gratissima (Organic Avocado Oil/​Huile D’Avocat Bio) *, Oenothera Biennis (Organic Evening Primrose Oil/​Huile D’Onagre Bio) *, Borago Officinalis (Organic Borage Seed Oil/​Huile De Graines De Bourrache Bio)*, Linum Usitatissimum (Organic Linseed Seed Oil/​Huile De Lin Bio)*, Butyrospermum Parkii (Organic Shea Butter/​Beurre De Karaté Bio) *, Helianthus Annus (Sunflower Seed Oil/​Huile De Graines De Tournesol), Ubiquinone (Coq10), Thioctic Acid (Alpha Lipoic Acid/​Acide Alpha-Lipoïque), Dimethylaminoethanol Tartrate (Dmae Bitartrate), Gluconolactone†, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate†, Sodium Benzoate, Calcium Gluconate, Ethylhexylglycerin†, Citrus Limon Fruit Extract (Organic Lemon Fruit Extract/​Extrait De Fruit De Citron Bio)*, Citrus Sinensis (Organic Orange Fruit Extract/​Extrait De Fruit D’Orange Bio)*, Macrocystis Pyrifera (Organic Kelp Extract/​Extrait De Varech Bio)*, Saccharum Officinarum (Organic Sugar Cane Extract/​Extrait De Canne À Sucre Bio)*, Microcitrus Australasica (Lime Pearl Extract/​Extrait De Citron Vert Australien), Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea Leaf Extract/​Extrait De Feuilles De Thé Vert), Salix Nigra (Organic Willow Bark Extract/​Extrait D’Écorce De Saule Bio)*, Carya Ovata Bark Extract, Pyrus Malus (Apple Fruit Extract/​Extrait De Pomme), Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate (Vitamin C/​Vitamine C), Tocopherol (Vitamin E/​Vitamine E), Sodium Hyaluronate†, Stearic Acid†, Palmitic Acid†, Capryloyl Glycerin/​Sebacic Acid Copolymer†, Diheptyl Succinate†, Cetearyl Glucoside†, Caprylyl Glycol†, Coco-Caprylate/​Caprate†, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Hydroxide, Triethyl Citrate†, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Oil, Litsea Cubeba Fruit Oil, Cinnamomum Camphora (Ho Wood Oil/​Huile De Camphre)
*Certified Organic. †Plant Derived.

Highlights

#alcohol-free
Alcohol Free

Skim through

Ingredient name what-it-does irr., com. ID-Rating
Aloe Barbadensis (Organic Aloe Juice/Jus D’Aloès Bio)* soothing, moisturizer/​humectant goodie
Pyrus Malus (Organic Apple Juice/Jus De Pomme Bio) * moisturizer/​humectant goodie
Citrus Medica Limonum (Organic Lemon Juice/Jus De Citron Bio)*
Vitis Vinifera (Organic White Grape Juice/Jus De Raisin Blanc Bio) * antioxidant
Glycerin (Organic/Bio)* skin-identical ingredient, moisturizer/​humectant 0, 0 superstar
Simmondsia Chinensis (Organic Jojoba Seed Oil/Huile De Graines De Jojoba Bio)* emollient 0, 0-2 goodie
Cetearyl Alcohol† emollient, viscosity controlling, emulsifying, surfactant/​cleansing 1, 2
Coconut Alkanes emollient, solvent
Carthamus Tinctorius (Organic Safflower Seed Oil/Huile De Carthame Bio)* antioxidant, emollient 0, 0-2 goodie
Glyceryl Stearate† emollient, emulsifying 0, 1-2
Squalane† skin-identical ingredient, emollient 0, 1 goodie
Persea Gratissima (Organic Avocado Oil/Huile D’Avocat Bio) * antioxidant, emollient 0, 0-3 goodie
Oenothera Biennis (Organic Evening Primrose Oil/Huile D’Onagre Bio) * soothing, emollient 2, 3 goodie
Borago Officinalis (Organic Borage Seed Oil/Huile De Graines De Bourrache Bio)* soothing, emollient goodie
Linum Usitatissimum (Organic Linseed Seed Oil/Huile De Lin Bio)* emollient, perfuming goodie
Butyrospermum Parkii (Organic Shea Butter/Beurre De Karaté Bio) * emollient goodie
Helianthus Annus (Sunflower Seed Oil/Huile De Graines De Tournesol) emollient 0, 0 goodie
Ubiquinone (Coq10) antioxidant goodie
Thioctic Acid (Alpha Lipoic Acid/Acide Alpha-Lipoïque) antioxidant goodie
Dimethylaminoethanol Tartrate (Dmae Bitartrate) emollient
Gluconolactone† exfoliant, chelating superstar
Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate† chelating
Sodium Benzoate preservative
Calcium Gluconate moisturizer/​humectant
Ethylhexylglycerin† preservative
Citrus Limon Fruit Extract (Organic Lemon Fruit Extract/Extrait De Fruit De Citron Bio)*
Citrus Sinensis (Organic Orange Fruit Extract/Extrait De Fruit D’Orange Bio)* antioxidant
Macrocystis Pyrifera (Organic Kelp Extract/Extrait De Varech Bio)* viscosity controlling
Saccharum Officinarum (Organic Sugar Cane Extract/Extrait De Canne À Sucre Bio)* moisturizer/​humectant goodie
Microcitrus Australasica (Lime Pearl Extract/Extrait De Citron Vert Australien) exfoliant
Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea Leaf Extract/Extrait De Feuilles De Thé Vert) antioxidant, soothing goodie
Salix Nigra (Organic Willow Bark Extract/Extrait D’Écorce De Saule Bio)*
Carya Ovata Bark Extract
Pyrus Malus (Apple Fruit Extract/Extrait De Pomme) moisturizer/​humectant goodie
Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate (Vitamin C/Vitamine C) skin brightening, antioxidant goodie
Tocopherol (Vitamin E/Vitamine E) antioxidant 0-3, 0-3 goodie
Sodium Hyaluronate† skin-identical ingredient, moisturizer/​humectant 0, 0 goodie
Stearic Acid† emollient, viscosity controlling 0, 2-3
Palmitic Acid† skin-identical ingredient, emollient, emulsifying 0, 2
Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer†
Diheptyl Succinate† emollient
Cetearyl Glucoside† emulsifying, surfactant/​cleansing
Caprylyl Glycol† moisturizer/​humectant, emollient
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate† emollient
Xanthan Gum viscosity controlling
Sodium Hydroxide buffering
Triethyl Citrate† perfuming
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Oil perfuming icky
Litsea Cubeba Fruit Oil perfuming
Cinnamomum Camphora (Ho Wood Oil/Huile De Camphre)

Juice Beauty Green Apple Brightening Emulsion
Ingredients explained

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: Apple Fruit Extract;Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract | What-it-does: moisturizer/humectant

Apple needs no introduction as one of the most common fruits on planet Earth. It's not only a healthy fruit snack, it's also a goodie if you put in all over your face. 

It's loaded with proteins, starch, sugars, acids, vitamins and salts. The sugars (mainly fructose, glucose, sucrose) give apple fruit extract nice moisturizing and smoothing properties, while the acids (mainly malic  and gallic acid) give it mild exfoliant, skin brightening and antibacterial properties. 

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Grape Juice;Vitis Vinifera Juice | What-it-does: antioxidant

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

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: Jojoba Oil;Simmondsia Chinensis Seed 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). 

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: emollient, solvent

Coconut Alkanes is a volatile (something that does not absorb into the skin but evaporates from it), naturally derived vegetable alkane coming from renewable sources. It is a light, oily liquid that works as an emollient and gives a smooth skin feel.

It's often combined with another emollient called Coco-Caprylate/Caprate and the two together can serve as a great replacement for some volatile silicones, like Cyclopentasiloxane

Also-called: Safflower Seed Oil;Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil | What-it-does: antioxidant, emollient | Irritancy: 0 | Comedogenicity: 0-2

The oil coming from the seeds of the yellow flowered safflower plant. Similar to other plant oils, it's loaded with nourishing and moisturizing fatty acids: it's a high linoleic acid oil (70%) and has only smaller amounts of oleic acid (11%) (this might be great for acne-prone skin). It also contains antioxidant vitamin E (44mg/100g alpha-tocopherol).

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.

Squalane† - goodie
What-it-does: skin-identical ingredient, emollient | Irritancy: 0 | Comedogenicity: 1

It seems to us that squalane is in fashion and there is a reason for it. Chemically speaking, it is a saturated  (no double bonds) hydrocarbon (a molecule consisting only of carbon and hydrogen), meaning that it's a nice and stable oily liquid with a long shelf life. 

It occurs naturally in certain fish and plant oils (e.g. olive), and in the sebum (the oily stuff our skin produces) of the human skin. As f.c. puts it in his awesome blog post, squalane's main things are "emolliency, surface occlusion, and TEWL prevention all with extreme cosmetic elegance". In other words, it's a superb moisturizer that makes your skin nice and smooth, without being heavy or greasy.

Also-called: Avocado Oil, Persea Americana Oil;Persea Gratissima 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: Evening Primrose Oil, EPO;Oenothera Biennis Oil | What-it-does: soothing, emollient | Irritancy: 2 | Comedogenicity: 3

The oil coming from the seeds of the nice, little, yellow-flowered plant called Evening Primrose. Similar to other plant oils, it's loaded with nourishing and moisturizing fatty acids. It's a very rich source of linoleic acid (66-76%), and also contains the soothing and healing superstar fatty acid, gamma-linolenic acid (aka GLA, 7-12%) (Btw, the richest known source of GLA is the borage oil, but evening primrose still counts as a very good source of it). It also contains oleic acid, but not too much around 6-15%.

Since the 1980's, EPO is a well-known food supplement and there are quite a lot of studies examining what happens if you take it orally. It seems to be helpful with a bunch of  things: atopic dermatitis, dry eyes, brittle nails, sunburn and even acne.

Also-called: Borage Seed Oil, Starflower Seed Oil;Borago Officinalis Seed Oil | What-it-does: soothing, emollient

We feel that this one is a bit under the radar probably because the Borage plant is not very well known. Maybe because its name isn't as cool as some others, it's hard to compete with kukui or baobab, not to mention murumuru. But let us tell you when it comes to skin care, borage seed oil is one of the best oils that can happen to your skin. Especially, if it's dry, sensitive, easily irritated, often itchy or eczema prone. 

So what is so special about it? It is the richest known plant source of the super important essential fatty acid, gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). GLA is soothing and nourishing, and can repair even severely dry and irritated skin, but it's pretty rare and borage contains by far the most of it (17-28%). Next to GLA, it also contains more common fatty acids, like linoleic (36%), oleic (18%) or palmitic acid (10%). 

Also-called: Linseed Oil, Flaxseed Oil;Linum Usitatissimum Seed Oil | What-it-does: emollient, perfuming

The oil coming from the plant Linum Usitatissimum or commonly called Flax. If you are into healthy eating, you probably know flaxseeds as a rich source of hard-to-eat-enough omega-3 fatty acids, or if you are into fashion, you probably have some light summer cloth made from linen.

As for skincare, flaxseed oil is one of the few natural plant oils that is a rich source (35-65%) of moisturizing and probably anti-inflammatory  ω-3 fatty acid, aka linolenic acid. It also contains skin-nourishing oleic acid (11-35%) and barrier repairing linoleic acid (11-24%). 

Also-called: Shea Butter;Butyrospermum Parkii 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. 

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: 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: 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: DMAE neutralized with tartaric acid, DMAE Bitartrate | What-it-does: emollient

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Gluconolactone† - superstar
What-it-does: exfoliant, chelating
  • It’s a polyhydroxy acid (PHA), that is often referred to as next generation AHA
  • It gently lifts off dead skin cells form the skin surface making skin smooth and even
  • In the long term it provides anti-aging benefits, like increased skin thickness and decreased wrinkles (though a tad less than even more proven superstar AHAs)
  • It’s a great moisturizer and even helps to repair impaired skin barrier
  • It’s antioxidant, and does not make your skin more sensitive to the sun
  • It can be used even if your skin is very sensitive, rosacea prone or if you are post cosmetic procedure
Read all the geeky details about Gluconolactone here >>

What-it-does: chelating

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

What-it-does: preservative

A helper ingredient that helps to make the products stay nice longer, aka preservative. It works mainly against fungi. 

It’s pH dependent and works best at acidic pH levels (3-5). It’s not strong enough to be used in itself so it’s always combined with something else, often with potassium sorbate.

What-it-does: moisturizer/humectant

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

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

Also-called: Lemon Fruit Extract;Citrus Limon 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.

What-it-does: antioxidant

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Kelp;Macrocystis Pyrifera | What-it-does: viscosity controlling

The extract coming from the giant blown kelp. It contains alginates that give Macrocystis Pyrifera viscosity controlling and thickening properties

Other than that, there is also a manufacturer claim saying that Macrocystis Pyrifera "increases the vitality of epidermal growth, improves collagen synthesis, and maintains skin elasticity".

Also-called: Sugar Cane Extract;Saccharum Officinarum Extract | What-it-does: moisturizer/humectant

Also known as Sugarcane, Saccharum Officinarum is a handy moisturizing ingredient mostly used as a humectant. This means that it can help the skin to attract water and then to hold onto it. 
 
It bears a close relationship to AHA superstar, Glycolic Acid that can be derived from it, so it's often claimed that Sugarcane Extract itself also exfoliates and brightens the skin. We could not find any research studies to back this up, but Saccharum Officinarum very often comes to the formula combined with other acid containing plant extracts trade named ACB Fruit Mix. According to manufacturer data, 5% of the fruit mix increases cellular renewal by 24%, while 4% pure Glycolic did the same by 33%. So maybe, a tiny bit of exfoliation, but if you want proven efficacy, stick to pure acids. 

Also-called: Caviar Lime Fruit Extract;Microcitrus Australasica Fruit Extract | What-it-does: exfoliant

This is a cool looking fruit coming from the Australian sub-tropical rainforests. Caviar lime really is the perfect name for it. You have to click here and look at it

As for skincare, we could not find too much info about it, but this manufacturer claims that it's a source of AHAs and can gently exfoliate the skin for a smoother, brighter and even skin complexion.

Also-called: Green Tea;Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract | 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: Black Willow;Salix Nigra Bark Extract

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Apple Fruit Extract;Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract | What-it-does: moisturizer/humectant

Apple needs no introduction as one of the most common fruits on planet Earth. It's not only a healthy fruit snack, it's also a goodie if you put in all over your face. 

It's loaded with proteins, starch, sugars, acids, vitamins and salts. The sugars (mainly fructose, glucose, sucrose) give apple fruit extract nice moisturizing and smoothing properties, while the acids (mainly malic  and gallic acid) give it mild exfoliant, skin brightening and antibacterial properties. 

Also-called: Form of Vitamin C, MAP | What-it-does: skin brightening, antioxidant

A form of skincare superstar, Vitamin C. If you do not know, what the big deal about Vitamin C is, click here and read all about it, we will wait here for you. 

So now you know that pure vitamin C (aka ascorbic acid, AA) is really unstable and hard to formulate so the cosmetics industry is coming up with a bunch of derivatives to solve the problem and Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate (or MAP) is one of them.  

Also-called: Vitamin E | What-it-does: antioxidant | Irritancy: 0-3 | Comedogenicity: 0-3
  • Primary fat-soluble antioxidant in our skin
  • Significant photoprotection against UVB rays
  • Vit C + Vit E work in synergy and provide great photoprotection
  • Has emollient properties
  • Easy to formulate, stable and relatively inexpensive
Read all the geeky details about Tocopherol here >>

What-it-does: skin-identical ingredient, moisturizer/humectant | Irritancy: 0 | Comedogenicity: 0

It’s the - sodium form - cousin of the famous NMFhyaluronic acid (HA). If HA does not tell you anything we have a super detailed, geeky explanation about it here.  The TL; DR version of HA is that it's a huge polymer (big molecule from repeated subunits) found in the skin that acts as a sponge helping the skin to hold onto water, being plump and elastic. HA is famous for its crazy water holding capacity as it can bind up to 1000 times its own weight in water.

As far as skincare goes, sodium hyaluronate and hyaluronic acid are pretty much the same and the two names are used interchangeably. As cosmetic chemist kindofstephen writes on reddit  "sodium hyaluronate disassociates into hyaluronic acid molecule and a sodium atom in solution". 

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: skin-identical ingredient, emollient, emulsifying | Irritancy: 0 | Comedogenicity: 2

A fatty acid that can be found naturally in the skin. In fact, it's the most common saturated fatty acid found in animals and plants.

As for skincare, it can make the skin feel nice and smooth in moisturizers (emollient) or it can act as a foam building cleansing agent in cleansers. It's also a very popular ingredient in shaving foams. 

The friend of Diheptyl Succinate as the duo is usually used together and is touted as a natural silicone alternative. Read more there >> 

What-it-does: emollient

Diheptyl Succinate is a natural, "silicone-alternative" emollient that usually comes to the formula with Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer. The two together is trade-named LexFeel N and depending on their ratio, the duo can mimic both super light, Cyclomethicone-type skin feel as well as more viscous Dimethicone like skin feel. 

The duo also plays well with pure natural oils, and it can reduce their greasiness and tackiness and make them feel nicer on the skin. LexFeel N is also very eco-friendly, 100% natural (Ecocert approved), sustainable and biodegradable. 

A sugar based emulsifier that's especially great for low viscosity lotions or even sprays. It's effective in small amounts, only 1-1.5% is needed to form an emulsion. The resulting cream or lotion has great cosmetic properties with good spreadability and an enhanced soft skin feel. 

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: emollient

A light emollient ester (C8-10 fatty acids connected to C12-18 fatty alcohols) that absorbs quickly and leaves a dry but silky finish on the skin. In terms of skin feel, it is similar to Dicaprylyl Carbonate, another commonly used light emollient. 

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). 

Also-called: lye | What-it-does: buffering

The unfancy name for it is lye. It’s a solid white stuff that’s very alkaline and used in small amounts to adjust the pH of the product and make it just right. 

For example, in case of AHA or BHA exfoliants, the right pH is super-duper important, and pH adjusters like sodium hydroxide are needed.  

What-it-does: perfuming

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

Also-called: Orange Oil | What-it-does: perfuming

The essential oil coming from the sweet orange. In the case of orange (and citruses in general), the essential oil is mainly in the peel of the fruit, so it's pretty much the same as the orange peel oil (also has the same CAS number - a unique ID assigned to chemicals).

Its main component is limonene (up to 97%), a super common fragrant ingredient that makes everything smell nice (but counts as a frequent skin sensitizer). 

What-it-does: perfuming

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

We don't have description for this ingredient yet.

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