Skin terminal

Ingredient glossary

294 ingredients by the names on the label, grouped by the job each does in a formula. Every entry says what the thing is and where the public record on it is (Wikidata, PubMed); none says what it will do for your skin, because that depends on the product and on you. The label lists ingredients in descending order by weight, so the first five are most of what you are buying.

All Active Humectant Emollient Occlusive Cleansing agent Emulsifier Preservative Antioxidant Exfoliant UV filter Fragrance Colorant Texture and thickener Solvent Conditioning agent Skin protectant pH adjuster Chelating agent

Surfactants lift oil and dirt so water can carry them off; the cleaning part of any wash, and what makes it foam.

A

Apple amino acid surfactantSodium Cocoyl Apple Amino Acids · Cleansing agentA mild surfactant made from coconut fatty acids and amino acids from apple juice.

C

Cocamide DEACleansing agentA foam booster the EU restricts and California lists under Proposition 65; most makers have moved to MEA or MIPA versions.Cocamide MEACleansing agentA coconut-derived foam booster and thickener in shampoos.Cocamidopropyl betaineCleansing agentA mild coconut-derived surfactant used to soften harsher ones and boost foam; a contact allergen for a small share of people, usually from…Coco-glucosideCleansing agentA mild sugar-based surfactant related to decyl glucoside; foams moderately.

D

Decyl glucosideCleansing agentA mild, sugar-based surfactant from corn glucose and coconut fatty alcohol; common in baby and sensitive-skin washes.Disodium cocoamphodiacetateCleansing agentA very mild amphoteric surfactant used in baby shampoos and eye-area cleansers.Disodium laureth sulfosuccinateCleansing agentA mild secondary surfactant used to soften sulfate-based washes.

G

GlycolipidsCleansing agentSugar-fat molecules from fermentation (sophorolipids, rhamnolipids), used as mild biosurfactants in newer cleansers.

L

Lauramine oxideCleansing agentA mild foam booster and thickener used in body wash and dish soap alike.Lauryl glucosideCleansing agentAnother of the glucoside family of mild sugar surfactants.

Q

Quillaja (soap bark) extractQuillaja Saponaria Bark Extract · Cleansing agentA South American tree bark rich in saponins, used as a natural foaming agent.

S

Saponified coconut oilSodium Cocoate · Cleansing agentCoconut oil turned to soap; gives a bar its hard lather and bubbles.Saponified olive oilSodium Olivate · Cleansing agentOlive oil turned to soap with sodium hydroxide; what a castile bar is made of. On a label it may also read 'saponified olive oil'.Saponified palm oilSodium Palmate · Cleansing agentPalm oil turned to soap; makes a hard, long-lasting bar.Saponified tallowSodium Tallowate · Cleansing agentBeef fat turned to soap; the traditional base of many mass-market bars. Not vegan.Soapnut extractSapindus Mukurossi Fruit Extract · Cleansing agentExtract of the soapnut berry; the saponins give a mild, low-foam wash.Soapwort extractSaponaria Officinalis Leaf Extract · Cleansing agentA plant whose saponins foam gently; used in very mild washes.Sodium coco-sulfateCleansing agentA sulfate made from whole coconut oil rather than one fatty acid; chemically close to SLS, often used in 'natural' shampoo bars.Sodium cocoyl glutamateCleansing agentAn amino-acid surfactant from coconut and glutamic acid; mild, low-foam, common in Korean and Japanese cleansers.Sodium cocoyl isethionateCleansing agentA gentle surfactant from coconut fatty acids; the cleansing agent in many syndet (non-soap) bars and creamy face washes.Sodium laureth sulfate (SLES)Cleansing agentSLS with added ethylene oxide, which makes it milder; the commonest foaming agent in shampoo and body wash.Sodium lauroyl methyl isethionateCleansing agentA newer, milder relative of sodium cocoyl isethionate with better foam.Sodium lauroyl sarcosinateCleansing agentA mild foaming surfactant derived from an amino acid; used in toothpaste and gentle cleansers.Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS)Cleansing agentA strong, high-foaming cleansing agent. Effective and cheap; a known skin irritant at high concentration or long contact, which is why many…Sodium methyl cocoyl taurateCleansing agentA mild, creamy-foaming surfactant from coconut and taurine; common in gentle face washes.

How to read a label

US labels use INCI names (Latin for plant parts, chemical names for the rest) in descending order by weight down to 1 percent; below that, in any order. "Fragrance" or "parfum" can stand for dozens of undisclosed compounds. A plus sign or asterisk usually marks an organic ingredient; a jar symbol with a number of months is the period after opening. Colorants are listed last by their CI number.

Where the words come from

The function groups are the ones the EU's CosIng database and the Personal Care Products Council use. The one-line descriptions are ours, written from the public record; a Wikidata description and the three most recent PubMed papers that mention the ingredient with skin are fetched for each entry. Products that regulators treat as drugs in the US (sunscreens, acne treatments, antiperspirants, dandruff shampoos) are marked as such. FDA and CPSC recalls →