Rating: Good
Categories: Occlusive-Opacifying-Agent, Texture-Enhancer
Plays various roles depending on the formula, including opacifying agent, skin-conditioning occlusive, and viscosity-increasing agent (texture enhancer).

Rating: Good
Categories: Texture-Enhancer, Film-Forming-Agent, Emollient
Synthetic polymer commonly used as a film-forming agent and/or thickener. Can improve water-resistance, depending on the formula. Contributes to soft after feel.

Rating: Good
Categories: Texture-Enhancer, Emollient
Beneficial skin softening ingredient for skin (completely different from damaging/drying forms of alcohol). Also influences the foaming effects of a cleanser.

Rating: Best
Categories: Humectant, Antioxidant, Plant-Extracts
Extract derived from the aloe vera plant. Offers skin-soothing/hydration benefits + antioxidant properties.

Rating: Average
Categories: Texture-Enhancer
Better known as salt, this ingredient is primarily used to thicken skin and hair care formulations. It also functions as a binding agent and sometimes a scrub particle in physical exfoliants.

Rating: Average
Categories: Ph-Adjuster-Stabilizer
Also known as lye, this ingredient is highly alkaline, meaning it is on the basic side of the pH range (its pH is naturally 13). It is used in small amounts in cosmetics (such as cleansers and exfoliants) adjust their pH.

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: 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: 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: Chelating-Agent
One of the salt forms of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, it improves the stability of other cosmetics ingredients, helping them last longer. It’s been deemed safe as used in cosmetics and is even used as an additive in some foods.

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