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: Texture-Enhancer, Emollient
Functions as a non-aqueous skin-softening agent (emollient) and formulary thickening agent. Derived from a mixture of neopentyl glycol and heptanoic acid.

Rating: Good
Categories: Silicone, Emollient, Solvent
Lightweight, conditioning silicone that creates silky-smooth spreadabilty and an enhanced sensorial feel. Also promotes even distribution of other ingredients in a formula.

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: Good
Categories: Emollient, Emulsifier, Cleansing-Agent
This moisturizing ingredient is found naturally in the human body but is usually plant- or synthetically derived in cosmetics. It has been deemed safe as used in cosmetics and is also used as a food additive.

Rating: Good
Categories: Cleansing-Agent, Emulsifier, Ph-Adjuster-Stabilizer
Versatile, commonly used ingredient that can be used as an emulsifier, cleansing agent, and emollient. In general, it helps enhance the texture of the formula and contributes to a soft after feel on skin.

Rating: Best
Categories: Humectant, Texture-Enhancer, Solvent
A naturally occurring substance in skin that helps retain moisture. It is used in skin care products to help defend against dryness.

Rating: Good
Categories: Silicone, Emollient, Solvent
Enhances skin’s hydration while also contributing to the formula’s silky texture and smooth spreadability. Helps distribute ingredients evenly and effectively to skin.

Rating: Best
Categories: Silicone, Emollient
An skin-softening silicone known for its permeable (think breathable) barrier that helps skin retain hydration. It has a uniquely silky, non-greasy feel.

Rating: Best
Categories: Humectant, Solvent
Also known as pro-vitamin B5. Humectant that increases hydration substantially by attracting/retaining moisture. Can also play a role in visibly reducing facial redness triggered by sensitivity.

Rating: Best
Categories: Peptides
Synthetic peptide proven to strengthen skin’s underlying supportive elements and visibly reduce signs of sun damage such as wrinkles and rough texture.

Rating: Best
Categories: Peptides
This peptide blends four amino acids with a fatty acid to enhance penetration, where it goes to work quieting factors in skin that trigger irritation and damage to skin’s supportive elements.

Rating: Best
Categories: Humectant, Antioxidant
The more bio-available, salt form of hyaluronic acid. I’s considered an excellent moisturizer, helping skin retain water so it looks and feels smoother.

Rating: Best
Categories: Antioxidant
A form of vitamin E frequently used in cosmetics for its antioxidant benefit.

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: Best
Categories: Antioxidant, Humectant
Stable, hydrating form of vitamin C known to brighten dullness and improve skin's firm look and feel.

Rating: Best
Categories: Antioxidant
Stable, oil-soluble form of vitamin C that works as an antioxidant and helps stabilize skin care formulas.

Rating: Best
Categories: Plant-Extracts, Antioxidant
This licorice derivative has strong antioxidant and skin soothing properties.

Rating: Best
Categories: Humectant
This excellent hydrating ingredient is part of skin’s natural moisturizing factor (NMF). As such, it is a cornerstone of many moisturizers thanks to its ability to help skin both attract and retain moisture, resulting a more supple, youthful appearance.

Rating: Best
Categories: Plant-Extracts, Antioxidant
This extract from a plant known as Roman chamomile has antioxidant and soothing properties.

Rating: Best
Categories: Humectant, Plant-Extracts, Antioxidant
Juice expressed from the leaves of the aloe plant. Commonly used in skin care formulations for its soothing and hydration benefits.

Rating: Best
Categories: Antioxidant
Stable, effective form of vitamin C that visibly firms, brightens dullness and evens skin tone.

Rating: Best
Categories: Emollient
Omega-6 fatty acid that’s the most abundant fatty acid found in skin’s upper layers. In skin care, it serves as an antioxidant, emollient, and thickening ingredient.

Rating: Best
Categories: Emollient, Cleansing-Agent
An omega-3 fatty acid that helps condition, support, and restore skin. Research also shows it has soothing and potentially spot-fading properties.

Rating: Good
Categories: Antioxidant
Lab-engineered antioxidant used in a variety of skin care and personal care products to improve formula and color stability while ensuring consistent efficacy of more fragile antioxidants.

Rating: Best
Categories: Humectant
Water-binding agent and emollient, particularly helpful for dry skin. Research indicates it has an affinity for soothing and strengthening skin's barrier, while delivering long-lasting hydration.

Rating: Good
Categories: Film-Forming-Agent, Texture-Enhancer, Plant-Extracts
Legume-derived polysaccharide that serves as a thickening agent in skin care, makeup, and hair care formulations.

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, Emollient, Plant-Extracts
Non-fragrant, emollient plant oil (commonly known as rose hip) that offers antioxidant properties and is a rich source of skin-beneficial fatty acids.

Rating: Good
Categories: Cleansing-Agent, Emulsifier
Used in cosmetics primarily as a mild cleansing agent, this coconut-derived ingredient is considered extremely stable and safe.

Rating: Good
Categories: Texture-Enhancer, Emollient
A derivative of fatty alcohol cetearyl alcohol and a thicker oil known as 2-ethylhexanoic acid. Works as a rich emollient and is excellent for dry skin.

Rating: Good
Categories: Texture-Enhancer, Polymer, Ph-Adjuster-Stabilizer
Often used to create gel-textured formulas or to influence the product’s thickness. Research also shows carbomers can enhance the penetration effectiveness of key actives.

Rating: Good
Categories: Ph-Adjuster-Stabilizer, Chelating-Agent, Antioxidant, Preservative
This workhorse ingredient helps control the pH of skin care products, making it valuable in exfoliants, cleansers, and toners. It also has antioxidant, chelating and preservative properties, and is used in both food and medical applications.

Rating: Good
Categories: Chelating-Agent
Used as a water-softening and chelating agent (a compound that binds and separates metals, keeping them from bonding to other ingredients).

Rating: Good
Categories: Emollient
A non-drying fatty alcohol used as a stabilizing and skin-conditioning ingredient in skin care products. It is derived from glycerin.

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

Rating: Good
Categories: Preservative
Effective skin care preservative that inhibits contamination and helps stabilize the formula’s shelf life.

Rating: Good
Categories: Preservative, Ph-Adjuster-Stabilizer
Safe, well-tolerated preservative that can also be used to achieve an ideal pH.

Rating: Good
Categories: Preservative
A preservative that can be naturally derived or made synthetically. It prevents the growth of bacteria, mold, and fungi and is considered safe as used in cosmetics.