Ever wonder what someone means when they say something is a humectant or an emollient? We've broken down the most important types of ingredients, explaining what they actually do.
Terminology
Antioxidant — helps prevent deterioration and rancidity in products, also slows the activity of damaging "free radicals"
Antiseptic — inhibits the growth and reproduction of disease-causing organisms
Antibacterial — inhibits the growth of bacteria
Antimicrobial — inhibits the growth of bacteria and viruses
Emollient — softens and soothes skin
Emulsifier — helps oil and water ingredients blend together without separating
Humectant — helps retain moisture, and helps draw moisture from the environment
Hydrating — helps restore or add water
Keratolytic — helps break down the outer layer of the skin and help it to bind moisture. Exfoliates dry, flaky skin
Solvent — helps distribute other ingredients evenly
Surfactant — helps clean by reducing the surface tension of liquids, and is attracted to both oil and water
How Ingredients Work
When you read an ingredient list it can be kind of confusing. So to help out, we've listed all of our ingredients, both in plain English and in INCI (International Nomenclature for Cosmetic Ingredients) which is required for products that sell in Canada and the EU.
Only naturally derived ingredients use INCI, but many other ingredients have common names you may be more familiar with. We've listed INCI ingredients and ones with common names along with the plain English information.
The plain English name tells what the ingredient is used for, and Certified Organic ingredients are also noted.
Our Ingredients
Aloe Vera (Certified Organic) — Known for its effectiveness in speeding healing on sunburned and irritated skin, Aloe Vera is also a wonderful for hydrating and soothing dry skin and hair.
Aqua (Water)
Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C)
Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate) — works with Citric Acid to create fizzing
Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) (Certified Organic)
Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B5)
Carbomer — helps create a gel consistency.
Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil (Safflower Oil) (Certified Organic)
Cetyl Alcohol — a plant-derived emollient and emulsifier
Citric Acid — is a weak, natural acid often derived from citrus, that works with Baking Soda to create fizzing
Citrus Medica Limonum Peel Oil (Lemon Oil) (Certified Organic)
Comfrey Extract (Certified Organic) — plant-derived and traditionally known to help soothe skin and heal skin irritations
DL Panthenol — long lasting plant-derived moisturizer, that leaves hair and skin feeling silkier
EDTA (Disodium EDTA) — a crystal salt that binds to minerals in water, helping prevent other ingredients from going bad
Epsom Salts (Magnesium Sulfate) — relieves pain and pulls toxins from the body. Traditionally used to release muscle soreness
Essential Oils — "soul of the plant," the plant’s life force, a gift from Mother Nature, extracted and bottled for our help in healing
Fragrance Oils — a synthetic fragrance that mimics the scent found in nature
Glycerin — a plant-derived humectant that promotes moisture retention and softens skin
Gum Arabic — a plant-derived ingredient primarily used as an emulsifier, stabilizer, or thickener
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil (Sunflower Oil) (Certified Organic)
Hyaluronic Acid — a superior skin replenishing agent, it helps boost skin's moisture content, and works as an antioxidant
Isomalt — is a plant-derived white crystalline polysaccharide that helps hold onto water in a formulation. It is often also used in cooking
Isopropyl Palmitate — a plant-derived lubricant
Jojoba Oil (Certified Organic) — cold pressed oil derived from seeds of the jojoba desert shrub, it is a humectant, and actually creates a protective film over the skin that helps seal in moisture
Lemon Oil (Certified Organic) — used for its fragrance, and antioxidant and antibacterial properties
Magnesium Sulfate (Epsom Salts)
Magnesium Stearate — used as an anti-adherent, it prevents sticking
Maris Sal (Sea Salt)
Phenoxyethanol — a mild, yet effective preservative that keeps product safe to use. Most natural personal care products have stopped using Parabens, with many now using Phenoxyethanol instead.
Propylene Glycol — a safe ingredient that helps other ingredients penetrate more deeply into skin, it's also a humectant. Earlier stories about this ingredient being anti-freeze and being harmful have been thoroughly debunked.
Rosemary Extract (Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract) (Certified Organic) — a plant-derived ingredient that helps revive and invigorate skin. It is also being used as a natural preservative.
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract (Rosemary Extract) (Certified Organic)
Safflower Oil (Certified Organic) — natural emollient, penetrates skin very easily
Salicylic Acid — a keratolytic which penetrates deeply into skin to help loosen and exfoliate dry, dead skin
Sea Salt — contains beneficial natural trace minerals
Sesame Seed Oil (Certified Organic) — rich emollient, high in linoleic and oleic fatty acids
Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil (Sesame Oil) (Certified Organic)
Shea Butter (Certified Organic) — an extraordinary skin moisturizer made from the nuts of the Mangifolia tree in Central Africa, a superb emollient, high in fatty acids
Silica — a powder made of Silicon and Oxygen that prevents clumping, widely used in personal care and food
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil (Jojoba Oil) (Certified Organic)
Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda)
Sodium Hydroxide — an alkaline ingredient used in very small quantities to help balance and hold the PH of a product
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate — a surfactant that helps shower steamers bubble and fizz
Sorbitan Oleate — a plant-derived material that helps emulsify formulas, so that oil and water can mix evenly
Sorbitol — a plant-derived humectant that makes skin feel velvety
Stearic Acid — a plant-derived emollient emulsifier
Stearyl Alcohol — emollient and emulsifies, derived from Stearic Acid
Sunflower Oil (Certified Organic) — a rich emollient
Symphytum Officinale Extract (Comfrey Extract) (Certified Organic)
Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E)
Triethanolamine (TEA Stearate) — an ingredient which works as a pH balancer and emulsion stabilizer. Used in small quantities, this ingredient is also sometimes added to food
Urea — a synthetically derived ingredient that works as a powerful exfoliant, helping to break down thick skin and nails. Also known to help other ingredients penetrate more deeply into skin
Vitamin B5 — used sometimes in vitamin supplements, this vitamin also may have healing and anti-inflammatory properties that help with scarring, wound healing, and skin conditions
Vitamin C — a natural anti-oxidant that helps skin build collagen, and a natural preservative that helps keep products fresh
Vitamin E — natural preservative and powerful antioxidant it’s also very soothing to skin
Water (Purified) — a solvent used in creams, lotions and gels
Xanthan Gum — helps thickens liquids, is naturally derived and is commonly used in cooking to replace gluten
