Preservatives | Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary

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Rating	Ingredient
Good	1, 2-Hexanediol A preservative belonging to a class of agents known as higher molecular glycols. Categories: Preservatives
Poor	borate Group of compounds used in cosmetics in small quantities primarily as pH adjusters (they have a pH... Categories: Preservatives
Poor	borax Also known as sodium borate decahydrate, borax is a mineral composed of sodium, boron, oxygen, and... Categories: Preservatives
Good	boric acid May have skin soothing and restoring benefits… Categories: Preservatives
Poor	bronopol Technical name 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol, a formaldehyde-releasing preservative (Source:... Categories: Preservatives
Good	butylparaben Parabens are a group of controversial preservatives that include butylparaben... Categories: Preservatives
Good	benzoic acid Preservative used in skincare products; it is considered less sensitizing than some other forms of... Categories: Preservatives
Good	benzothonium chloride Compound used as a preservative in cosmetics. It is generally considered less sensitizing… Categories: Preservatives
Good	benzyl alcohol An organic alcohol that occurs naturally in some fruits (apricots, cranberries) and teas. Categories: Preservatives
Good	caprylyl glycol Skin and hair conditioning agent that may be plant-derived or synthetic. Often used as part of a... Categories: Plant Extracts, Preservatives
Average	DMDM hydantoin Formaldehyde-releasing preservative... Categories: Preservatives
Good	ethylhexylglycerin A synthetic skin-conditioning agent used as a preservative or as a carrier or suspending agent for... Categories: Miscellaneous, Preservatives
Good	ethylparaben Parabens are a group of controversial preservatives that include butylparaben... Categories: Preservatives
Good	chlorophene Used as a preservative in cosmetics. Categories: Preservatives
Good	chloroxylenol Chemical compound used as a preservative and cleansing agent due to its action... Categories: Preservatives
Good	chlorphenesin Type of alcohol used as a preservative in cosmetics... Categories: Preservatives
Good	dehydroacetic acid A synthetic preservative uses in amounts of 0.6% or less. Sometimes its salt form (known as sodium... Categories: Preservatives
Average	diazolidinyl urea Water-soluble preservative. Categories: Preservatives
Average	formaldehyde-releasing preservative Common type of preservative found in cosmetics... Categories: Preservatives
Good	Germaben II Trade name for diazolidinyl urea. Categories: Preservatives
Good	isobutylparaben Parabens are a group of controversial preservatives that include butylparaben... Categories: Preservatives
Poor	Kathon CG Categories: Preservatives, Sensitizing
Best	hoelen A mushroom that grows underground on the roots of pines and other trees around the world. It has... Categories: Plant Extracts, Preservatives
Average	imidazolidinyl urea Considered a weaker preservative than its "cousin" diazolidinyl urea because it is beneficial against... Categories: Preservatives
Good	iodopropynyl butylcarbamate A synthetic preservative that is typically used in concentrations of 0.1% or less. It is very... Categories: Preservatives
good	phenoxyethanol Common cosmetic preservative that is considered one of the less sensitising ones to use in... Categories: Preservatives
Good	phenoxyisopropanol Alcohol used as a solvent and preservative. Categories: Preservatives
Best	phytosphingosine Long-chain, complex fatty alcohol that functions as a water-binding agent and also has preservative... Categories: Preservatives, Skin-Replenishing, Skin-Restoring
Poor	methylchloroisothiazolinone In combination with methylisothiazolinone, it goes by the trade name Kathon CG (among others).... Categories: Preservatives, Sensitizing
Poor	methyldibromo glutaronitrile Formaldehyde-releasing preservative... Categories: Preservatives
Poor	methylisothiazolinone Preservative that’s generally recommended for use only in rinse-off products such as cleansers or... Categories: Preservatives, Sensitizing
Good	methylparaben Parabens are a group of controversial preservatives that include butylparaben... Categories: Preservatives
Good	o-cymen-5-ol Preservative used in cosmetics. Categories: Preservatives
Good	parabens Group of preservatives, including butylparaben, propylparaben, methylparaben, and ethylparaben,... Categories: Preservatives
Good	polyaminopropyl biguanide Synthetic polymer that functions as a preservative. Categories: Preservatives
Good	potassium sorbate Used as a preservative, almost always used in conjunction with other preservatives. Categories: Preservatives
Good	preservatives Substances used in cosmetics to help defend against contamination of products... Categories: Preservatives
Good	propylparaben Parabens are a group of controversial preservatives that include butylparaben... Categories: Preservatives
Average	quaternium-15 Formaldehyde-releasing preservative used in cosmetics. It can be a skin sensitizer, as can all... Categories: Preservatives
Good	sodium dehydroacetate Organic salt used as a preservative. Categories: Preservatives
Good	sodium hexametaphosphate Salt with multiple functions in cosmetics. It can act as a detergent, an emulsifier, a texturizer,... Categories: Thickeners/Emulsifiers, Preservatives, Cleansing Agents
Good	sodium hydroxymethylglycinate Derived from amino acids and used as a skin- and hair-softening agent, and to a lesser extent as... Categories: Preservatives, Hydration
Average	sodium lactobionate White, crystalline powder used to synthesize other chemicals. May function as a preservative in... Categories: Preservatives
Average	sodium metabisulfite Reducing agent that alters the structure of hair. It can also be used as a preservative in... Categories: Antioxidants, Preservatives, Sensitizing
Average	sodium sulfite Reducing agent that alters the structure of hair. It can also be used as a preservative in cosmetic... Categories: Preservatives, Sensitizing
Good	sorbic acid Preservative derived from mountain ash berries or manufactured synthetically. Sorbic acid is used... Categories: Preservatives
Poor	styrax benzoin Categories: Preservatives
Good	sodium benzoate Salt of benzoic acid used as a preservative. Categories: Preservatives
Good	sodium citrate Used primarily to control the pH level of a product, this ingredient also has antioxidant and... Categories: Antioxidants, Preservatives
Poor	zinc sulfate Chemical compound resulting from the interaction of zinc with sulfuric acid. There is little... Categories: Preservatives, Sensitizing
Good	zinc gluconate Zinc gluconate is the zinc salt of gluconic acid produced from glucose that functions as a preservative. Categories: Preservatives, Hydration
Good	leuconostoc/radish root ferment filtrate Leuconostoc/radish root ferment filtrate is a preservative created by fermenting Raphanus sativus (radish) roots. Categories: Plant Extracts, Preservatives

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