Purified Water (Aqua)
Purified water or deionized water is water that lacks ions, such as cations from sodium, calcium, iron, copper and anions such as chloride and bromide. This means it has been purified from all other ions except H3O+ and OH-. Deionized water is similar to distilled water, in that it is useful for skin care where the presence of impurities may be undesirable.
Dimethicone
Dimethicones stay on or near the surface of the skin. Not only are the molecules too big to physically enter past the upper living cells — they associate with the upper layer of drying skin — but they also cannot penetrate cell membranes due to their large size. They evaporate quickly after helping to carry oils into the top layer of epidermis. From there, they may be absorbed by the skin. Dimethicones form a barrier layer on the skin which must be renewed as the skin sloughs off. Dimethicones form a protective layer which helps prevent transdermal water loss — a very useful characteristic for many products. Dimethicones act to help seal moisture into the outer layer of skin, which helps prevent many kinds of damage.
Stearic Acid
Stearic acid is one of the useful types of saturated fatty acids that comes from many vegetable fats and oils. It is a waxy solid. The term stearate is applied to the salts and esters of stearic acid. Stearic acid is a saturated fat that’s in some plant foods like. It’s very stable in storage. A relatively large percentage of stearic acid consumed is converted to oleic acid (a monounsaturated fat). Stearic acid is used to form shortenings, spreads and as a cream base for baked products. Even though stearic acid is a saturated fat, studies have suggested that it has little effect on blood cholesterol levels, because such a high proportion is converted to oleic acid.
Glycerin
Glycerin is a humectant, meaning it attracts moisture to your skin. Glycerin is a neutral, sweet-tasting, colorless, thick liquid which freezes to a gummy paste and which has a high boiling point. Glycerin can be dissolved into water or alcohol, but not oils. On the other hand, many things will dissolve into glycerin easier than they do into water or alcohol. Glycerin is also highly “hygroscopic” which means that it absorbs water from the air. Example: if you left a bottle of pure glycerin exposed to air in your kitchen, it would take moisture from the air and eventually, it would become 80 per glycerin and 20 percent water. (Note: While people say this softening is the result of the glycerin attracting moisture to your skin, there is heated debate as to whether or not the glycerin has some other properties all its own which are helpful to the skin. Summed up, the current thinking is “We know glycerin softens the skin. Some people think its because it attracts moisture, but there could be other reasons.”)
Cetyl Alcohol
An emollient and secondary emulsifier, cetyl alcohol is derived from naturally occurring fatty acids from coconut oil. It is a secondary emulsifier that thickens or adds body to lotions. Not to be confused with drying, ethyl alcohols. Cetyl and stearyl alcohols together create a cetearyl alcohol that forms an occlusive film to keep skin moisture from evaporating and gives skin a velvety feeling.
Isopropyl Myristate
Isopropyl myristate is used as an emollient and lubricant in preshaves, aftershaves, shampoos, bath oils, antiperspirants, deodorants, and various creams and lotions. It is an emollient and lubricant that reduces the greasy feel of products by replacing other, oilier ingredients. The ester of isopropyl alcohol and myristic acid. It spreads very easily and promotes a dry feeling, which is often used to reduce a greasy feel caused by the high oil content of other ingredients.
Stearyl Alcohol
Stearyl alcohol is found naturally in various mammalian tissues and is readily converted to stearic acid. Stearyl alcohol is an 18 carbon straight chain aliphatic alcohol often used as an emollient to prevent drying and chapping of skin. It is often used in creams and lotions as an emulsifier, thickener and pearlizing agent. The Stearyl alcohol found in Gloves In A Bottle is only derived from unsaturated vegetable oils.
Arginine
Arginine, also known as L-arginine, is involved in a number of different functions in the body including skin regeneration and wound healing, dilates and relaxes the arteries and maintain immune and hormone function. It can be used both orally and topically.
Xanthan Gum
Xanthan gum is the stabilization and binding of cosmetic products. One advantage of xanthan gum is that a little goes an incredibly long way. Cosmetic manufacturers add a very small amount of xanthan gum to their cream-based products in order to keep the individual ingredients from separating. Xanthan gum is also used as a substitute for wheat gluten in gluten-free breads, pastas and other flour-based food products. Those who suffer from gluten allergies should look for xanthan gum as an ingredient on the label
Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose
Hypromellose solutions were patented as a semisynthetic substitute for tear-film. Its molecular structure is predicated upon a base celluloid compound that is highly water soluble. Post-application, celluloid attributes of good water solubility reportedly aids in visual clarity. When applied, a hypromellose solution acts to swell and absorb water, thereby expanding the thickness of the tear-film. Hypromellose augmentation therefore results in extended lubricant time presence on the cornea, which theoretically results in decreased eye irritation, especially in dry climates, home, or work environments. On a molecular level, this polymer contains beta-linked D-glucose units that remain metabolically intact for days to weeks. On a manufacturing note, since hypromellose is a vegetarian substitute for gelatin, it is more expensive to produce due to semisynthetic manufacturing processes. Aside from its widespread commercial and retail availability over the counter in a variety of products, Hypromellose 2% solution has been documented to be used during surgery to aid in corneal protection and during orbital surgery.
VP/Eicosene Copolymer
VP/Eicosene Copolymer is a polymer of vinylpyrrolidone and eicosene monomers. It has reported used in the following product types: sunscreen spf 15 and above (106); mascara (24); facial moisturizer/treatment (14); anti-aging (12); lip gloss (12); other products with spf (8); brow liner (6); baby sunscreen (5); moisturizer (5); sunscreen below spf 15 (5)
Glucoside
Glucoside has a number of benefits including protecting against free radical damage, repair the effects of UV exposure, brighten skin by reducing melanin production and increasing collagen levels to improve skin elasticity.
Caprylhydroxamic acid
Caprylhydroxamic acid is a chelating agent that helps protect cosmetic formulas from destabilizing metal ions. It also works as a preservative, having the ability to prevent mold growth in water-based formulas.