Rating: Best
Categories: Antioxidant, Plant-Extracts
Extract from the minimally processed buds and leaves of green tea.

Rating: Best
Categories: Plant-Extracts, Antioxidant
A type of green tea plant, this ingredient has antioxidant and soothing properties that make it an impressive addition to skin care products.

Rating: Best
Categories: Antioxidant, Plant-Extracts
Also known as black elderberry, this shrub-growing berry has potent antioxidant and skin-soothing properties.

Rating: Best
Categories: Antioxidant, Plant-Extracts
The extract of the fruit commonly known as goji, goji berry, or wolfberry.

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: Best
Categories: Uv-Filters, Coloring-Agent-Pigment, Occlusive-Opacifying-Agent
A versatile ingredient that serves several functions in cosmetics, this earth mineral is perhaps best known as a sunscreen active that's gentle enough even for skin prone to redness and sensitivity.

Rating: Good
Categories: Silicone, Texture-Enhancer, Polymer
Silicone powder that’s used to give cosmetics a silky feel and has mild absorption properties. It has been ruled safe as used in cosmetics.

Rating: Good
Categories: Antioxidant
This ester functions as an antioxidant and photostabilizer in skin care, meaning it can protect against deterioration caused by light. It also stabilizes UV filters, most notably avobenzone.

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.

Rating: Good
Categories: Preservative
This preservative is used to prevent the growth of bacteria and fungi in cosmetics and food products. It’s derived from benzoic acid.

Rating: Good
Categories: Suspending-Dispersing-Agent, Texture-Enhancer, Polymer
A synthetic polymer whose versatility gives it many aesthetically pleasing uses in cosmetics while helping create and maintain stable, effective formulas.

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: Good
Categories: Film-Forming-Agent, Ph-Adjuster-Stabilizer
This blend of sodium (salt) and the gelling agent carbomer serves as a film-forming agent and stabilizer in cosmetics formulations. Carbomers have been ruled safe as used in skin care products.

Rating: Average
Categories: Preservative, Solvent, Texture-Enhancer
Derived from natural sources, this non-drying alcohol serves as a preservative in cosmetics products, and is considered one of the least-sensitizing preservatives in use.

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