Ingredient Dictionary

FDA: "The regulatory requirements governing the sale of cosmetics are not as stringent as those that apply to other FDA-regulated products. Under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic (FD&C) Act, cosmetics and their ingredients are not required to undergo approval before they are sold to the public. Generally, FDA regulates these products after they have been released to the marketplace. This means that manufacturers may use any ingredient or raw material, except for color additives and a few prohibited substances, to market a product without a government review or approval."

Put simply, there are no US governing bodies responsible for ensuring skin care products are safe or won't cause skin irritation.

Furthermore, the skin care industry has successfully overhyped various coined and gained general acceptance of a bunch of terms such as "hypoallergenic", "dermatologist tested", "noncomedogenic" without the need to substantiate those claims.

In actual fact, almost any ingredient in skin care can cause a reaction, although some ingredients are more likely to have this affect than others. There simply isn't a way to create a product that will be non-irritating to 100% of users 100% of the time.

At the opposite end of the spectrum is a lot of hype about many ingredients that are apparently linked to breast (or other forms of) cancer or other horrendous diseases. Again, many of these claims are also unsubstantiated.

If we believed everything we heard, our place in the world of skin care would be incredibly confusing. Oh, that's right, it is!

What it all comes down to is educating ourselves using more than one source of information, taking care not to fall into the trap. It is up to each of us to check the ingredients lists of skin care products before we purchase them and, if after using it there is any sign of reaction or irritation, immediately stop using the product.

Allantoin
Powerful anti-irritant, anti-psoriatic skin-soothing agent derived from Comfrey and Sugar Beets.

Arachidyl Alcohol (and) Behenyl Alcohol (and) Arachidyl Glucoside
Emollients derived from natural vegetable oils. Found in Alchemilla Gentle Purifying Cleansing Milk. Not traditional alcohols.

Behentrimonium Methosulfate
Very mild cleansing agent derived from Rapeseed oil. Not a sulfate.

Capric/Caprylic Triglycerides
Emollient derived from coconut oil.

Capryloyl Glycin
Amino acid with antiseptic, anti-microbial properties. Derived from palm oil.

Cetearyl Alcohol
Emulsifier and emollient derived from coconut and palm oils.

Citric Acid
pH buffering agent derived from citrus fruits. Helps stabilize active ingredients. Enhances activity of antioxidants and preservatives.

Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Mild cleansing agent derived from coconut oil. Found in Alchemilla Bath and Shower Gels.

Cocamidopropyl PG-Dimonium Chloride
Mild cleansing agent derived from coconut oil. Found in Alchemilla Foaming Facial Cleansing Gel.

Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate
Extra mild cleansing agent derived from vegetable oils. Not a sulfate. Found in Foaming Facial Cleansing Gel.

Glycerin
Vegetable derived humectant. Attracts and holds water to the skin's intercellular spaces, plumping up the look of the skin and supporting its natural protective function.

Hydroxyethylcellulose
Natural gelling and thickening agent derived from plant material. A substitute for carbomers which are petrochemically derived.

Myristamine Oxide
Vegetable derived thickener and emulsifier. Found in Alchemilla Bath and Shower Gels.

Polyglucose
Mild cleansing agent derived from corn and coconuts.

Polysorbate 20
Emulsifier from plant derived fatty acids.

Potassium Sorbate
Very mild food grade preservative derived from natural fatty acid.

Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate
Mild, natural preservative derived from glycine, a natural amino acid.

Sodium Cocoyl Amino Acids (and) Sarcosine
Gentle cleansing agent derived from coconut oil. Found in Alchemilla Gentle Purifying Cleansing Milk.

Sucrose Cocoate
Gentle cleansing agent. A naturally derived sugar ester from coconut. Found in Alchemilla Gentle Purifying Cleansing Milk.

Tocopherol (Vitamin E)
Natural lipid-soluble vitamin. Protects skin from oxidative stress and damage. Preserves and facilitates absorption of vitamin C and antioxidants into the skin.

Xanthan Gum
A thickening agent derived from corn sugar.

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