The Mysterious Cleanser

A friend of mine sent me the ingredient list in her cleanser.  She didn't want to reveal the product to me until after I researched the ingredients.  The first ingredient is water, which is a good base for any skin care product.  The next six ingredients were pretty good, but they contained emollient ingredients which are best for dry skin, used on normal, combination or acne-prone skin it can cause excessive oiliness and break outs.  The next nine ingredients were fragrant oils or extracts.  Fragrances are considered skin irritants and if any skin care products contain them they should be at the bottom of the ingredient list, not in the top or middle.  The good ingredients were listed in the bottom with the preservatives, this was a little disappointing since the top ten ingredients are the most effective when it comes to skin care.

Here are the ingredients listed in the mysterious cleanser (they are not listed in order on the product).  They have been added to the Ingredient Dictionary page for your future reference.

Amyris Balsamifera Bark Oil - Fragrance. (throw your hands up in the air an run away from this ingredient screaming if it is not listed towards the bottom!)

Aniba Rosaedora (Rosewood) Wood Oil - Fragrance.  Skin Irritant.  (throw your hands up in the air an run away from this ingredient screaming if it is not listed towards the bottom!)

Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil - Chamomile.  Antioxidant.  Antibacterial.  (Good stuff!!)

Carbomer - Reacts with fat particles to form thick, stable emulsions of oil in water.  (Good stuff!!)

 

Coco-Glucoside - Derived from coconut oil.  Mild cleansing agent.  (good stuff!!)

Coconut Alcohol - Emollient, emulsifier, stabilizer, or surfactant depending on product formulation.  (Good stuff!!) 

Cymbopogon Martini Oil - Geranium oil.  Fragrance.  Skin irritant.  (throw your hands up in the air an run away from this ingredient screaming if it is not listed towards the bottom!)

Daucus Carota Sativa Seed Oil - Wild carrot oil.  Non-fragrant emollient oil.  Can cause dermatitis.  (throw your hands up in the air an run away from this ingredient screaming!)

Geranium Maculatum Oil - Fragrance.   (throw your hands up in the air an run away from this ingredient screaming if it is not listed towards the bottom!)

Glycerin – Humectant.  Retains moisture.  Found naturally in the skin.  (Good stuff!!)

Guaiac Extract - Fragrance.  Skin irritant.  (throw your hands up in the air an run away from this ingredient screaming if it is not listed towards the bottom!)

Imidazolidinyl Urea - Antibacterial preservative.  Can cause contact dermatitis. 

Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil - Rich emollient.  Skin conditioner  (Good stuff!!) 

Methylparaben - One of the oldest used preservatives in use to combat bacteria and molds.  May penetrate skin.  Can cause allergic reactions. (a controversial ingredient)

PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate - Cleansing agent.  Surfactant.  Emulsifier.  Not to be used on damaged skin.  (Good stuff!!)

 

Piper Niagrum Seed Extract - Black pepper extract.  Skin irritant. (throw your hands up in the air and run away from this ingredient screaming)

Polysorbate 20 – Derived from Lauric Acid.  Emulsifier.  Stabilizer of essential oils in water.  (Good stuff!!)

Propylparaben - Widely used preservative.  May penetrate skin.  Can cause contact dermatitis. (a controversial ingredient)

Rosa Damascena Extract - Damask rose. Fragrance.   (throw your hands up in the air an run away from this ingredient screaming if it is not listed towards the bottom!)

Sodium Lauroamphoacetate – Surfactant, conditioning/cleaning agent, film booster.

Sodium Trideceth Sulfate – Surfactant, cleansing agent, used as an emulsifier.

Triethanolamine - Used in surfactants and a dispersing agent and detergent.  Emulsifier.  pH adjuster.  (Good stuff!!) 

Yellow 5 – Most widely used color agent.  Safe to use in skin care products.

If you don’t see your ingredients listed here or in the Skin Care Ingredients page, they might be compiled in another future article, so keep checking back.  Feel free to send me an email listing the ingredients in your skin care products!  Also, look for the Ingredients page above for all of the ingredients I have posted so far.