The Lowdown on Ingredients

Here's a handy guide to some of the basic ingredients you'll find in cleansers, toners, moisturizers, and masks. Remember when reading a cosmetic ingredient label that the ingredients are listed from most to least, just like a packaged food label.

• Sodium lauryl (or laureth) sulfate - detergent cleanser that is effective but can be drying and irritating to your skin. The "laureth" version is gentler but can still dry the skin. Other similar cleansing agents are:
  
  • TEA-lauryl sulfate
  • Cocamide DEA
  • Ammonium lauryl (or laureth) sulfate
  • Magnesium laureth sulfate
  • Sodium C14-16 olefin sulfate
  • Triethanolamine

• Polyethylene glycol (PEG) - gives an emollient feel, or "slip", to a product like a cleanser or lotion. Similar slip agents include:
  
  • Polysorbates
  • Propylene glycol
  • Polypropylene glycol
  • Butylene glycol
  • Hexylene glycol
  • Isopropyl myristate (may clog pores in some people)

• Methylparaben - a common preservative found in most cosmetics to guard against bacteria, fungus, yeast, and mold. Some people with especially sensitive skin may have reaction to these preservatives. Other parabens include:
  
  • Propylparaben
  • Butylparaben
  • Ethylparaben
  Other preservatives that can be irritating to the skin are Imidazolidinyl urea, Quaternium-15, and 2-bromo-2-nitropane-1,3-diol

• Glycerin - an extremely common ingredient that attracts and binds water to the skin. Check your labels for these other water-binders:
  
  • Propylene glycol
  • Polypropylene glycol
  • Butylene glycol
  • Hexylene glycol
  • Caprylic/capric/lauric triglycerides
  • Cyclomethicone/Dimethicone
  • Fatty acids like Stearic acid and Linoleic acid
  • Hyaluronic acid (a protein)
  • Sodium PCA (found in all living cells, helps to maintain water balance)
  • Collagen (a protein that makes up the support structure of your skin)
  • Ceramide
  • Elastin (a protein that helps skin stay elastic)
  • Lecithin (found naturally in eggs, milk, sunflower seeds, soybeans, and some vegetables)

• Kaolin- a white Chinese clay that helps to absorb oil on the surface of the skin. It is common in clay-based facial masks and cleansers, but be aware that it may over-dry your skin if it high on the product's ingredient list. Another common clay which comes from volcanic ash, and might also be in clay-based masks or cleansers, is Bentonite.

• Squalane - a nutrient-rich oil present in human sebum that is also a natural anti-bacterial and healer. It spreads evenly and can penetrate deeper and more readily than most other oils. Other moisturizing ingredients include:
  
  • Isopropyl palmitate
  • Glyceryl stearate
  • PEG-100 stearate
  • Petrolatum
  • Plant oils like avocado, apricot, peach kernel, and sweet almond

Thanks to "What's in your Cosmetics?" by Aubrey Hampton (Odonian Press, 1995), and product labels from Kiehl's, Garden Botanika, Lancome, BeneFit, and Alpha Hydrox for the research information.