C5 Super Boost Moisturizer

Rating: Good
Categories: Emollient, Emulsifier, Cleansing-Agent
Versatile animal-derived or synthetic ingredient that adds emolliency, helps keep unlike ingredients together and also aids the cleansing process.

Rating: Best
Categories: Antioxidant
Stable, water-soluble form of vitamin C that brightens dull skin and fades discolorations.

Rating: Best
Categories: Emollient, Antioxidant
Prevents moisture loss and restores suppleness to skin. Also strengthens skin’s barrier and provides antioxidant support.

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: Best
Categories: Peptides
Often called simply "hexapeptide-5", this peptide is derived from the versatile protein versican, which plays a role in skin’s extracellular matrix. Topical use promotes a firmer look and feel.

Rating: Best
Categories: Antioxidant, Plant-Extracts
This non-fragrant plant oil from watermelon seeds is a rich source of fatty acids that soothe and hydrate skin. It’s also antioxidant-rich and the oil tends to be more stable than others.

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: Emollient, Plant-Extracts, Antioxidant
Emollient lipid extracted from cocoa beans, rich in beneficial fatty acids and antioxidants. Renowned for moisturizing and soothing dry, sensitive skin.

Rating: Good
Categories: Emollient, Emulsifier
The hydrogenated form of the active ingredient in lecithin. Works as an emulsifier, emollient, and skin-hydrating agent. May also help enhance the penetration of other ingredients.

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, 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: Humectant, Antioxidant, Chelating-Agent
The brown part of the rice kernel, this ingredient helps soften and condition skin and is a source of more than 100 antioxidant compounds.

Rating: Good
Categories: Solvent, Texture-Enhancer
Improves ingredient absorption while adding moisturizing properties for skin. Can also be used to support the stability of a formula.

Rating: Best
Categories: Emollient, Plant-Extracts, Texture-Enhancer
Jojoba esters are a mixture of esters from jojoba oil and hydrogenated jojoba oil that are used as emollients, occlusives, or as scrub particles in cosmetics.

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, Plant-Extracts
This ginger-derived antioxidant offers a long list of benefits to skin, mostly around offsetting the visible impact of environmental exposure and helping to visibly repair past damage.

Rating: Good
Categories: Texture-Enhancer, Emollient
This ester of non-irritating cetyl alcohol and palmitic acid serves as a thickener and moisturizing ingredient that helps condition dry skin. In its raw form it is a white, waxy solid.

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: 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: Cleansing-Agent, Emulsifier
A mix of beeswax, glycerin polymer, and fatty acids that works in cosmetics as a surfactant and emollient.

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: Cleansing-Agent, Emulsifier
Sorbitan olivate is a mixture of the fatty acids from olive oil plus a sugar known as sorbitol.

Rating: Good
Categories: Emulsifier, Cleansing-Agent
The primary role of this sugar- and palm-derived ingredient is emulsifier, helping to keep the oil and water phases of cosmetics from separating.

Rating: Best
Categories: Antioxidant, Plant-Extracts
Sunflower seeds are potent sources of antioxidant compounds known as polyphenols. These help defends skin (and hair) from oxidative and other types of environmental damage.

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: 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: Cleansing-Agent, Emulsifier
Emulsifier and mild cleansing agents that also improves penetration of key ingredients without irritating skin.

Rating: Good
Categories: Cleansing-Agent, Emulsifier
A very mild cleansing agent that also helps stabilize skin care formulas and keep oil- and water-based ingredients from separating.

Rating: Best
Categories: Emollient, Emulsifier, Cleansing-Agent
Beneficial properties include emolliency (think skin softening), water-binding (to boost hydration), and emulsifying (to help water + oil ingredients mesh in a formula). Can also be used to encapsulate ingredients for improved dermal delivery.

Rating: Good
Categories: Plant-Extracts, Antioxidant
Extract that can have antioxidant benefit for skin, but its aromatic components can cause sensitivity. However, in most skin care products the amount of this extract is unlikely to be a risk.

Rating: Best
Categories: Antioxidant, Plant-Extracts, Emollient
Glycine soja (soybean) oil is a non-fragrant plant oil with multiple uses for skin.

Rating: Good
Categories: Cleansing-Agent, Emulsifier
This fatty acid is obtained by various types of hydrolysis of the fatty acid lecithin. It has emulsifying and cleansing benefits and also plays a role in skin care delivery systems

Rating: Best
Categories: Humectant, Peptides, Prebiotic-Probiotic-Postbiotic
A fermented peptide that offers various benefits for skin and hair, depending on the strain used to create the resulting ingredient. In general, it soothes and supports skin’s microbiome.

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: Best
Categories: Humectant, Polymer
Established humectant available in a range of molecular sizes, including those capable of penetrating skin’s surface for long-lasting moisture retention.

Rating: Best
Categories: Plant-Extracts, Emollient
Beta-sitosterol is a fatty acid-type ingredient derived from plants, and is similar to cholesterol.

Rating: Good
Categories: Humectant, Chelating-Agent, Exfoliant
This plant-based antioxidant can help calm sensitivity in skin. It also has mild exfoliant properties and is often used in conjunction with salicylic and glycolic acids in facial peels.

Rating: Best
Categories: Emollient, Antioxidant
Oil derived from shark liver or from plants (usually olives). Its derivative squalane is a natural component of skin and a good emollient that has antioxidant properties.

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 is used to prevent the growth of bacteria and fungi in cosmetics and food products. It’s derived from benzoic acid.

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.