Rating: Good
Categories: Emollient, Texture-Enhancer
Non-irritating waxy substance used as a thickening agent and emollient in cosmetics. May also be used as part of an emulsifying blend to help create a cohesive texture.

Rating: Good
Categories: Emollient, Emulsifier, Texture-Enhancer
Emollient, emulsifier, cleansing and texture-enhancing ingredient. Protects skin's surface against water loss and helps shore up skin's protective barrier.

Rating: Best
Categories: Humectant, Texture-Enhancer, Prebiotic-Probiotic-Postbiotic
Derived from chicory root or sugarcane, this complex carbohydrate is also a resistant starch (fiber) that has prebiotic, hydrating and soothing benefits on skin.

Rating: Good
Categories: Texture-Enhancer, Ph-Adjuster-Stabilizer
This fatty, non-drying alcohol enhances a product’s texture and helps its moisturizing capabilities. It’s been deemed safe as used in skin care.

Rating: Good
Categories: Texture-Enhancer, Emollient, Emulsifier
This moisturizing ingredient can be either naturally or synthetically derived. It’s one of the longest-known fatty alcohols.

Rating: Good
Categories: Humectant, Texture-Enhancer
Humectant (hydration booster), texture/penetration enhancer, and formulary solvent. May also help decrease rough surface skin and stabilize the formula.

Rating: Best
Categories: Emollient, Emulsifier, Suspending-Dispersing-Agent
Plays many different roles including dispersing agent, skin-conditioning emollient, and emulsifying agent. Enhances the penetration of other ingredients for greater efficacy.

Rating: Good
Categories: Texture-Enhancer, Emollient, Occlusive-Opacifying-Agent
This highly versatile ingredient is used as a texture enhancer and emollient in cosmetics formulations.

Rating: Good
Categories: Cleansing-Agent, Emulsifier
Emulsifying agent that can be used to enhance formulary texture.

Rating: Good
Categories: Texture-Enhancer, Ph-Adjuster-Stabilizer, Polymer
This synthetic ingredient is used to enhance the texture of skin care and hair care products and has been ruled safe as used in cosmetics.

Rating: Good
Categories: Preservative, Plant-Extracts
Conditions skin and hair and is a moisturizing ingredient in many skin care products. Because of its antibacterial action, it also is an effective cosmetics preservative.

Rating: Best
Categories: Plant-Extracts
An ingredient that can be naturally derived or made synthetically. It has skin-soothing and moisturizing properties, making it an excellent inclusion in products designed for sensitive skin.

Rating: Best
Categories: Antioxidant
One of four forms of vitamin E. It can be naturally or synthetically derived. Regardless of its origin, tocopherol has potent oil-soluble antioxidant properties and can help defend skin from pollution and environmental stressors.

Rating: Good
Categories: Preservative, Humectant
Skin-softening agent with hydration boosting properties. Also plays an important preservative role to help keep cosmetic formulas stable.

Rating: Good
Categories: Solvent, Texture-Enhancer
Solvent that is well-known for producing smooth spreadability and more pleasing textures in skin care formulas. Also used to enhance the efficacy of cosmetic preservative phenoxyethanol so it works better in lower amounts.

Rating: Good
Categories: Texture-Enhancer, Cleansing-Agent, Emulsifier
This naturally derived ingredient is produced from the fermentation of simple sugars, and acts as a thickening agent, texture enhancer, and emulsion stabilizer in cosmetics.

Rating: Best
Categories: Emollient, Plant-Extracts, Antioxidant
This natural prebiotic helps reinforce and support a healthy microbiome while helping skin become less likely to show signs of irritation.

Rating: Good
Categories: Chelating-Agent
Synthetic salt form of the antioxidant phytic acid. Acts as a stabilizer and chelating agent to keep metals such as iron and copper from binding to water in the formula.

Rating: Good
Categories: Humectant
Glycogen is a complex sugar that aids in the replenishment of skin’s ceramides, in turn helping skin maintain a strong barrier. Its humectant qualities hydrate skin.

Rating: Best
Categories: Plant-Extracts, Antioxidant
Extract from a type of algae that offers antioxidant and soothing benefits for skin.

Rating: Best
Categories: Antioxidant, Plant-Extracts
A type of cactus also known as prickly pear whose stem is a bountiful source of antioxidant compounds known as polyphenols.

Rating: Good
Categories: Plant-Extracts, Antioxidant
A complex, plant-derived sugar whose film-forming properties help skin retain moisture and its soothing properties calm signs of redness.

Rating: Best
Categories: Polymer, Plant-Extracts, Antioxidant, Humectant
Plant-derived skin soother obtained via fermentation that helps calm signs of irritation, hydrates, and visibly improves firmness.

Rating: Good
Categories: Ph-Adjuster-Stabilizer, Chelating-Agent
Ingredient used in skin care products to adjust a formula's pH. In the right concentration/formula, it can also exfoliate skin.

Rating: Good
Categories: Absorbent, Film-Forming-Agent, Humectant
This versatile plant-based sugar is used as an absorbent, stabilizer, film-forming agent, and skin softener in cosmetics

Rating: Best
Categories: Peptides, Humectant
One of several peptides used in skin care products, this ingredient has skin-restoring and water-binding properties, helping it improve both the look and feel of skin.

Rating: Good
Categories: Preservative
Safe preservative known to be well-tolerated by skin; offers wide spectrum protection against unwanted microbials in a formula.

Rating: Good
Categories: Preservative
This preservative, which can be naturally derived, is often used in conjunction with others because of its weak activity. It also is used to help preserve foods like dried meats and cheeses.