Humectants are substances that promote retention of moisture to the surface of the skin. They are hygroscopic substances that readily absorb water from the lower epidermis or the moisturizing product when applied to the skin and hold the moisture at the horny layer, thus maintaining the moisture balance of the skin. Humectants are usually derived from vegetable oils, but they can be man-made as well. They have an overall effect of softening and soothing dry skin.The most common humectant, Glycerin, is found in all the three products. Besides having the ability to retain moisture content on the surface of the skin, Glycerin can dissolve most materials which may not dissolve in water or alcohol. Hence, it is a good solvent too. It generally serves as an emollient, humectant, solvent and lubricant in most personal care products.
Butylene glycol is an organic molecule with two alcohol groups derived from petroleum. Because alcohols are attracted to water, larger organic alcohols like Butylene glycol will hold water to the surface of the skin as it does not evaporate so easily as compared to smaller alcohols. Hence, it can be used as a humectant. Other functions include being a solvent, surfactant and a wetting agent.
2. Emollients
Emollients are substances which prevent the skin from dryness by reducing water loss from the skin. They may be naturally occurring, such as oils and waxes, or they can be man-made. Examples of man-made emollients include silicone oils and isopropyl myristate. Emollients generally serve three functions:
Reduce water loss by providing a layer of oil on the surface of the skin and hence increase the moisture content of the horny layer
Almost like humectants, emollients can increase the water-holding capacity of the horny layer
Lubricate the skin by adding glide across the skin
Caprylic/capric triglyceride, which is also known as Fractionated Coconut Oil, is a mixed triester of caprylic and capric acid. It can quickly penetrate the skin and has no color, odour or taste. It can act as a barrier agent to bind the water molecules in the skin. Besides being a great emollient, it can also be used as a dispersing agent and a solvent for vitamins and actives and it can improve the spreading of skincare formulas when added.
Cetearyl alcohol, on the other hand, is a mixture of fatty alcohols which are mainly cetyl and stearyl alcohols. It is widely used as an emollient, as well as an emulsion stabilizer, surfactant and aqueous or non-aqueous thickener. Cetearyl alcohol can be used in anhydrous formulations, oil-in-water emulsions and water-in-oil emulsions.
Cyclomethicone and Dimethicone are both synthetic silicon oils used as emollients. Cyclomethicone is commonly used in hair and skincare product to impart shine and silkiness while Dimethicone is the most widely used silicon-based organic polymer and can be added to a product to improve the spreadability of the product. These silicon compounds are not absorbed by the skin.
There are not much information is available for the ingredient, Diethylhexyl succinate. However, it can be used as an emollient or glossing agent in cosmetic preparations.
Glyceryl Stearate SE is a natural plant-derived compound which consists of glycerin and stearic acid, an essential fatty acid. It is a popular emollient, as well as an emulsifier, which is commonly used in cosmetic preparations such as in lotions and creams.
Octyldodecanol can be both used as an emollient or opacifying agent (having light scattering ability). It has lubricating properties and may be used as a thickener in moisturizers.
Octyl palmitate is an ester and a common ingredient found in lipsticks, lip and skin moisturizers and other beauty care products. Besides reducing the loss of moisture from the skin, it can also provide protection to the skin from harmful irritants and soften the epidermis.
3. Surfactants
Surfactants, otherwise known as “surface active agents”, are usually organic compounds which are amphiphilic. This means that a molecule of surfactant will contain both the water-loving or hydrophilic heads and the hydrophobic tail. Because of this special characteristic of surfactants, they can be used as wetting agents which reduce the surface tension of liquids by adsorbing at the gas-liquid interface or lower the interfacial tension between two liquids by adsorbing at the liquid-liquid interface. They are classified into 4 different types according to the presence of formally charged groups in their heads; non-ionic, anionic, cationic and zwitterionic.
All of the three ingredients, Ceteareth-20, Peg-40 stearate and Sorbitan laurate, has good wetting and water-soluble properties. They are mainly used in cosmetic preparations as surfactants or emulsifying agents.
4. Fragrances
Fragrances generally refer to any odour that has appealing olfactory properties. They can be natural substances or made up of synthetic materials. Each of the fragrance material has their own unique characteristics due to difference in their chemical make-up. When used in cosmetic preparations, fragrances can improve the odour of the final products. Sometimes, the resultant odour of the mixture of the ingredients may be undesirable. Hence, fragrances are usually added to mask the undesirable odours.
In the three products, only Clinique Happy Body Cream contains several different fragrance materials to build a distinct odour identity. The other two products have added fragrances to cover up any undesirable odour of the mixture.
The main fragrance materials used in all three products are parfum and phenoxyethanol. Parfum is the last ingredient found on the ingredient lists of the products except for Clinique Happy Body Cream. Since parfum is the most concentrated (having approximately 15-30% fragrance concentration) in terms of strength of perfume, usually only a small amount is needed in cosmetic preparations. Hence, Clinique Happy Body Cream actually has a higher concentration of parfum in its formula than the rest. The other ingredient, Phenoxyethanol, is an aromatic glycol ether which comes from a class of organic chemical compounds. It can serve as a preservative for skincare preparations and a fixative for perfumes.
Another common ingredient used as fragrances is Benzyl alcohol. It is a natural constituent of a variety of essentials oils which include jasmine, hyacinth and ylang-ylang. Benzyl alcohol can act as a useful solvent as well.
Among other fragrance materials used only in Clinique Happy Body Cream, they can be classified as natural or synthetic fragrances. Natural ingredients include:
- Geraniol, which has a rose-like odour, imparting a floral scent to the final product.
- Linalool, which is a terpene alcohol chemical found in many flowers and spice plants. It adds a floral scent with a touch of spiciness to the final product.
- Citral is the major constituent of oil obtained from lemongrass, and is also present in the oils of verbena, lemon and orange. Therefore, Citral imparts a fresh citrus effect to the overall aroma of the product.
- Hydroxycitronellal is derived from Citronellal which is a monoterpenoid, the chemical compound that gives a distinct lemon scent.
- Limonene which has an extremely strong smell of orange.
- Hexyl cinnamal is a clear yellow liquid and has the fragrance characteristics of jasmine.
- Citronellol is naturally found in the oils of rose and geranium and hence imparts a floral characteristic to the final product.
There are several synthetic fragrances used in the body cream as well. Synthetic materials are blended in to complement the natural fragrance ingredients. They are usually cheaper and more available and that is why they are often used in skincare products. The synthetic ingredients used are butylphenyl methylpropional, hydroxyisohexyl 3-cyclohexene carboxaldehyde and alpha-isomethyl ionone.
All three products of ours contains preservatives, but of different forms; the most common preservative being Phenoxyethanol, which is present in all three of our body lotion. Phenoxyethanol is a colorless oily liquid functioning as a bactericide and being an aromatic ether alcohol, it also serves as a fragrance ingredient.
The next two common preservative ingredients are Methylparaben and Propylparaben. The former is a water soluble anti-microbial and anti-irritant agent, used in a variety of cosmetics and personal care products to preserve as well as to rejuvenate the skin. Propylparaben although not as water-soluble as Methylparaben, is a cosmetic food grade preservative both anti-microbial and anti-fungal.
Benzyl Alcohol was also present in two of our products. It is a colorless liquid with a mild pleasant aromatic odor, constituting a variety of essential oils including jasmine, hyacinth and ylang-ylang. Although mainly used as a solvent, it exhibits bateriostatic properties, inhibiting the growth and reproduction of bacteria.
Alcohol Denat. was only present in one of our product, Nivea Firming Body Lotion. It acts as a solvent, disinfectant, and freshening agent in skin care products. However, being an alcohol, it is very drying, stripping one’s skin of moisture and natural immune barrier, making one more vulnerable to bacteria, fungi and viruses.
Glycerin is also a widely used solvent and was also present in all three body creams. It is a neutral, colorless, thick liquid which can be dissolved into water or alcohol. Many things dissolve into glycerin easier than they do into water or alcohol, thus making it an ideal solvent, easy to work with. Having a high “hygroscopic” nature, it absorbs water from the air and when diluted with water, it will help soften skins.
The next most common solvent, present in two of our products is Benzyl Alcohol. As mentioned earlier, it acts as a preservative, as well as a solvent.
Other solvents include Alcohol Denat in the Nivea Body Firming lotion and Ceteareth-20, present only in the Bodyshop Vitamin E Lotion. Alcohol Denat also acts as a disinfectant and freshening agent and this solvent, being an alcohol strips one’s skin of moisture. Ceteareth-20 is used as a solubilizing agent as well as a surfactant cleaning agent. Its water-soluble properties make it easy to work with and it is widely used as an emulsifying agent.
Cetearyl Alcohol, consisting predominantly of cetyl and stearyl alcohols acts as an emulsion stabilizer, as well as a viscosity-increasing agent. It leaves skin emollient and is used in water-in-oil emulsions.
Caprylic/ Capric Triglyceride (CCT) possess excellent oxidation stability with an almost indefinite shelf life. It is a colorless, odorless substance and ideal as a dispersing agent. CCT is also great as a superfatting oil, improving the spreadability of skincare formulas.
Triethanolamine neutralizes carbomer solutions to form gels. It is used as a pH adjuster as well as an emulsifying surfactant.
Biotin assists in various metabolic chemical conversions to synthesize fatty acids as well as skin conditioning.
Ubuquinone is known for its ability to slow the detrimental biochemical, structural and other changes that occur with ageing. It is also said to reverse some age-related bioenergetic degradation that acutely affects the systems with the highest energy demand (cardiovascular and immune).
