Rating: Good
Categories: Texture-Enhancer, Absorbent, Occlusive-Opacifying-Agent
This mineral ingredient functions as an absorbent and thickening agent in cosmetics and can help enhance the absorption of other ingredients as well.

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: Best
Categories: Uv-Filters
UVA-only sunscreen filter that must be combined with other sunscreen ingredients to achieve broad-spectrum protection. Avobenzone must be stabilized in a formula to keep it from breaking down prematurely on skin.

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: 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: Good
Categories: Humectant, Texture-Enhancer
Humectant (hydration booster), texture/penetration enhancer, and formulary solvent. May also help decrease rough surface skin and stabilize the formula.

Rating: Good
Categories: Humectant, Solvent, Preservative
This water-binding ingredient works well in cosmetics as a hydrating ingredient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It has been deemed safe for use in skin care products.

Rating: Good
Categories: Cleansing-Agent, Emulsifier
This detergent cleansing agent and emulsifier is used in concentrations up to 8.3% in cosmetics.

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: Best
Categories: Antioxidant, Plant-Extracts, Humectant
This fruit extract is a rich source of free radical-scavenging antioxidants and has hydrating properties.

Rating: Good
Categories: Film-Forming-Agent, Polymer
Viscosity-increasing agent and film former, often used to help sunscreen formulations adhere better to skin.

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, Humectant
Helps visibly minimize pore size, improve dull/uneven tone, and reduce wrinkle depth. Also known to fortify skin's barrier strength and boost hydration.

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
Extract with soothing properties and anti-aging benefits, inlcuding the ability to fade dark spots.

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
Herbal ingredient that offers antioxidant benefits and skin-soothing properties.

Rating: Best
Categories: Plant-Extracts, Antioxidant
This extract from oats has antioxidant benefits for skin and is well-known for its potent soothing properties.

Rating: Best
Categories: Plant-Extracts, Antioxidant
Coffee seed extract with anti-aging skin tone evening benefits

Rating: Best
Categories: Antioxidant, Plant-Extracts
Potent antioxidant with skin-soothing, anti-wrinkle benefits. Also delivers beneficial minerals for skin. Has the potential to help skin that has become lax/crepey.

Rating: Good
Categories: Antioxidant, Plant-Extracts
Powerful skin-calming antioxidant that helps offset the effects of sun damage.

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: Best
Categories: Humectant
Synthetic amino acid used in cosmetics to condition/soften skin. May also help enhance the penetration of other key ingredients and can lessen the impact UV exposure has on skin’s surface.

Rating: Good
Categories: Cleansing-Agent, Preservative
Amino acid derivative that works as a skin-softening agent and helps protect skin’s surface from water loss. In certain formulations, it can also be used as a cleansing agent.

Rating: Good
Categories: Humectant, Film-Forming-Agent, Ph-Adjuster-Stabilizer
Versatile ingredient that can be used as a binding agent, emulsifier, hydrator, texture enhancer, and film former.

Rating: Good
Categories: Emulsifier, Cleansing-Agent, Texture-Enhancer
Emulsifier and texture-enhancing ingredient that delivers softening properties to skin.

Rating: Good
Categories: Silicone, Emollient
Skin-conditioning emollient that helps preserve hydration while enhancing formulary texture for more elegant aesthetics.

Rating: Good
Categories: Texture-Enhancer, Ph-Adjuster-Stabilizer, Polymer
This synthetic ingredient is used to enhance the texture of skin care and hair care products and has been ruled safe as used in cosmetics.

Rating: Good
Categories: Humectant, Film-Forming-Agent
Humectant (hydrator) and film-forming agent that helps protect skin’s barrier.

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: Emollient
Fatty alcohol (the non-irritating kind) that functions as an emollient and skin-soothing agent.

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: 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: 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.

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: Preservative, Humectant
Skin-softening agent with hydration boosting properties. Also plays an important preservative role to help keep cosmetic formulas stable.

Rating: Best
Categories: Antioxidant, Plant-Extracts, Emollient
Shea butter is a plant lipid extracted from the karite tree that is used as an emollient in cosmetics.