Q3 Cosmetic Ingredients and Functions Rwr 3 ConChem

Cosmetic products in the market are required by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to have its INCI
labels.
INCI -“International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients,”
- system of names for ingredients, botanicals, and chemicals used to manufacture cosmetic products.

Cosmetic labels - product’s shelf life, testing procedure, manufacturer, distributor, and other properties

Cosmetics - to formulate cosmetic products, need to consider different ingredients and respective functions

4 Main Categories of Ingredient among Cosmetic products:

1. Functional Ingredients - main ingredients to perform primary function

2. Structural Ingredients - provide structure and form of product

3. Supportive Ingredients - imrpove stability and shelf life of product.

4. Added Extra - added in small amount to add consumer acceptance and make product more marketable

Cosmetic Ingredients
1. Abrasives - remove skin cells or plaque from teeth through friction.
- ex. Body exfoliants/scrubs - oat kernel meal, salt, sugar, walnut shell powder, hydrogenated jojoba wax
Toothpaste abrasives – silica, sodium bicarbonate

2. Antioxidants - reduce oxidation and rancidity from occurring over time.

− act as supportive ingredients to lengthen shelf life of product.
− marketed as skin nurturers.
- ex. Vitamins – tocopherol (Vitamin E)
Plant extracts – green tea leaf extract, chamomile flower extract, rosemary leaf extract, and
grape seed extract

3. Chelating Agents - sequestrants.

− improve product’s stability by binding metal ions present in other raw materials.
− essential in foaming products as they bind ions in hard water and prevent deterioration of
the foam.
- ex. Citric acid, Disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and Tetrasodium
ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA

4. Colorants - give color to product or skin

- most are synthetically made.
- ex. Acid Green, Basic Yellow, Iron oxide red, and Chromium oxide green

5. Cosmetic Astringents - induce tightening and toning effect on skin.

- commonly found in skin toner, astringents, and aftershave lotion
- ex. Alcohols and Witch hazel extract
6. Emulsion Stabilizer - stabilizes emulsion once formed and prevents separation of oil and water in emulsion.
- serves as a thickening agent.
- ex. Xanthan gum, Cellulose gum, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Acrylates, alkyl acrylate cross
polymer, and carbomer

7. Exfoliants - remove dead skin cell layers by dissolving intracellular “cement” holding surface skin cells together.
- found in skin whitening or skin peel products in presence of low pH.
- ex. Glycolic acid, Lactic acid, and Salicylic acid

8. Fragrance - enhance products’ smell or to mask undesirable odors/scents.

- ex. Essential oils

9. Hair Conditioning Agents - condition and improve hair’s appearance, gloss, and shine while facilitating styling
and reducing static of hair.
- improve texture of hair dried through styling, chemical exposure, or environmental drying.
- ex. Guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride, Behentrimonium methosulfate,
Amodimethicone, Cetrimonium chloride, Polyquaternium-7, and Quaternium-22

10. Hair Fixatives - hold hair styles in place.

- ex. Acrylic acid/VP cross polymer and VP/VA copolymer

11. Opacifying Agents - added to shampoos and shower gels to appear pearlescent.
- provide consumers with impression that product is rich and creamy.
- ex. Glycol Stearate, Propylene glycol stearate, and Stearamide Monoethanolamine (MEA)
stearate

12. pH Adjusters - adjust pH of product at desired range.

- considered as Acids (lower the pH) and bases (raise the pH).
- ex. Acids – citric acid, lactic acid
Bases – potassium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, and triethanolamine

13. Preservatives - prevent or retard microbial growth in cosmetics.

- ex. Diazolidinyl urea, Methylparaben, Phenoxyethanol, Propylparaben, and Sodium
hydroxymethylglycinate

14. Skin Conditioning Agents

- a. Emollients - impart softness to the skin by remaining on upper layer of the skin and reduce flaking
- ex. Cocoglycerides, caprylic/capric triglycerides, Isopropyl myristate, Dimethicone, and mineral oil

- b. Humectants - retard moisture loss by holding water within surface layers of skin and drawing in
moisture from air
- ex. Glycerin, Propylene glycol, and Sodium hyaluronate

- c. Occlusive - blocks evaporation of water from surface of skin, keeping it moist and increasing water content
- ex. Shea butter, Jojoba seed oil, Caprylic/capric triglycerides, and Propylene glycol dioleate

15. Solvents - liquids used to dissolve constituents or act as carriers in cosmetic products.
- ex. Water, Alcohol, Butylene glycol, Glycerine, and Propylene glycol
16. Sunscreen Agents - protect skin from UV radiation.
- ex. Benzophenone-3, Butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane, Ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate,
titanium dioxide, and zinc oxide

17. Surfactants - surface-active agents and have the ability to modify the surface of substance.

- cleansing agent - produce foam and clean the surface of skin or hair.
- ex. Cocoyl glucoside, Decyl glucoside, Cocamidopropyl betaine, Sodium lauryl
sulfate, Sodium methyl cocoyl taurate, and Sodium C14-16 olefin sulfonate

- Emulsifying Agents - mix oils and water in an emulsion

- ex. Cetearyl alcohol, stearic acid, Ceteareth-20, and PEG-100 stearate

- Solubilizers - dissolve substances that are insoluble in a continuous medium

- ex. Laureth-20, PEG-40 hydrogenated castor oil, and Polysorbate 80

18. Viscosity Increasing Agents - Aqueous - thicken the water-soluble components of product.
- ex. Agar, Xanthan gum, Guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride,
Hydroxyethylcellulose, Acrylates, alkyl acrylate cross polymer, and carbomer

19. Viscosity Increasing Agents – Non-Aqueous - thicken the oil-soluble components of product.
- ex. Beeswax, Candelilla wax, Stearalkonium bentonite,
Microcrystalline wax, and Silica dimethyl silylate

Example:
2 in 1 Shampoo and Conditioner
Functional Ingredients
a. Surfactants - specifically cleansing agent - to cleanse hair
b. Hair conditioning agents - perform its second function

Structural Ingredients
a. Viscosity Increasing Agent - increases thickness
b. Solvents - dissolve all ingredients

Supportive Ingredients
a. Chelating agent – binds active ingredients to hard water and makes the foam stable
b. pH Adjuster – to control the pH level
c. Preservatives – lengthen the shelf life of the product

Added Extra
a. Fragrance – adds desirable scent
b. Colorant – to obtain presentable color of product
c. Opacifying Agent – makes shampoo pearlescent