Beauty ingredients explained in plain English

A gentle synthetic emulsifier that stabilizes formulas and improves texture without common irritation.

A gentle, water-friendly lanolin derivative that helps blend oil and water in formulas without the heavy feel of traditional lanolin.

A gentle, semi-synthetic emulsifier that helps blend oil and water in skincare products while providing mild skin conditioning from passionflower seed oil.

A gentle, water-loving emulsifier that helps create stable, non-greasy lotions and creams.

A gentle emulsifier that helps create stable, creamy formulas without common irritation.

A gentle, camellia-derived emulsifier that helps blend oil and water while leaving skin feeling soft and conditioned.

A synthetic emulsifier that helps mix water and oil in products, generally well-tolerated but with limited research on long-term skin effects.

A reliable synthetic emulsifier that helps keep your creams and lotions smooth and stable, with a low risk of irritation.

A gentle, coconut-derived emulsifier that helps blend oil and water in cleansers without stripping the skin.

A gentle emulsifier that helps mix oil and water in cleansers and creams, with a low risk of irritation.

A reliable, low-irritation emulsifier that helps rinse away oil-based impurities without stripping the skin.

A gentle, olive-derived emulsifier that helps rinse away oil and makeup without stripping the skin.

A mild, olive-derived emulsifier that helps cleanse and condition skin without stripping natural oils.

A mild, sunflower-derived emulsifier that helps blend oil and water in cleansers and creams, with low irritation potential.

PEG-70 Lanolin is a modified lanolin that adds water-loving properties, making it a gentle emulsifier and skin softener, but it may raise concerns about ethoxylation byproducts.

A gentle, water-soluble emulsifier derived from plant sterols that helps blend oil and water phases in skincare, with mild skin-conditioning benefits.

A safe, widely used synthetic emulsifier that helps blend oil and water in creams and lotions, but may be less ideal for very sensitive or acne-prone skin in high concentrations.

A versatile, water-friendly emollient derived from lanolin, but may be comedogenic for acne-prone skin.

A gentle, water-friendly emollient derived from lanolin that helps soften skin and blend oil and water in formulas.

A gentle, water-friendly emollient that helps soften skin and stabilize formulas, but may clog pores for some.

A gentle synthetic emulsifier that helps mix water and oil, but may not suit those avoiding ethoxylated ingredients.

A gentle, water-friendly version of shea butter that helps blend oil and water in formulas without leaving a greasy feel.

A gentle, water-soluble emulsifier derived from lanolin that helps blend oil and water in creams and cleansers, with a low risk of irritation.

A gentle synthetic emulsifier that helps mix water and oil, but may not suit those avoiding ethoxylated ingredients.

A gentle, water-friendly emulsifier that helps blend oil and water in cleansers and creams, with low irritation potential.

A reliable synthetic emulsifier that helps water and oil mix smoothly, but it offers no direct skin benefit beyond texture and stability.

A reliable synthetic emulsifier that helps create stable, creamy formulas but offers no direct skin benefit.

A gentle silicone emulsifier that improves product texture and spreadability without clogging pores.

A gentle, semi-synthetic ingredient that helps blend water and oil in formulas while offering mild skin conditioning from cranberry fatty acids.

A gentle emulsifier that helps mix oil and water in your products, with a low risk of irritation or clogged pores.

A reliable synthetic emulsifier that helps mix oil and water, but may not suit those avoiding ethoxylated ingredients.

PEG-8 Dilaurate is a safe, widely used emulsifier that helps products feel smooth and spread easily, but it may not suit those avoiding all PEG compounds.

PEG-8 Dioleate is a safe, widely used emulsifier that helps mix water and oil in creams and lotions, but it may not suit those avoiding synthetic PEG compounds.

PEG-8 Ditallate is a reliable emulsifier that helps mix oil and water, but its PEG component and tall oil source may raise concerns for some users.

A synthetic emulsifier that helps blend water and oil in your skincare products, generally considered safe and non-irritating at typical levels.

A reliable synthetic emulsifier that creates stable, creamy textures — generally safe and well-tolerated.

A gentle emulsifier that helps mix water and oil in your products, with a low risk of irritation.

A gentle synthetic emulsifier that helps mix oil and water in your products, but it's not a star active ingredient.

A well-tolerated emulsifier that helps mix oils and water, making it a staple in many cleansers and creams.

A safe, effective emulsifier that helps create stable, creamy textures, but may not suit those avoiding ethoxylated ingredients.

PEG-8 Laurate is a gentle synthetic emulsifier that helps mix oil and water, but may be contaminated with impurities in low-quality grades.

PEG-8 Linoleate is a gentle emulsifier that helps blend oil and water in skincare products, but its PEG component raises mild environmental and purity concerns.

A gentle silicone emulsifier that improves product texture and spreadability without clogging pores.

A reliable synthetic emulsifier that helps mix oil and water in creams and cleansers, but may not suit those avoiding ethoxylated ingredients.

A gentle synthetic emulsifier that helps blend oil and water in cleansers and lotions, with a low risk of irritation.

A gentle synthetic emulsifier that helps mix water and oil, generally safe for most skin types.

A workhorse emulsifier that helps oil and water mix, but its animal-derived origin and potential for ethoxylation impurities may give some users pause.

A gentle emulsifier derived from avocado oil that helps blend water and oil in formulas, with low irritation potential.

PEG-9 Borageate is a gentle emulsifier that helps blend water and oil in skincare, with mild skin-conditioning benefits from borage seed oil.

A reliable synthetic emulsifier that helps mix water and oil in creams and cleansers, generally well-tolerated by most skin types.

A gentle, coconut-derived emulsifier that helps mix water and oil in cleansers and creams, with low irritation potential.

A gentle silicone emulsifier that improves product texture and spreadability without clogging pores.

A reliable synthetic emulsifier that helps blend oil and water in creams and lotions, but may not suit those avoiding ethoxylated ingredients.

A reliable emulsifier that helps create stable, creamy textures, but may be too heavy for very oily or acne-prone skin in high concentrations.

A gentle emulsifier that helps mix water and oil, generally well-tolerated and safe for most skin types.

A reliable synthetic emulsifier that helps create stable, smooth creams and lotions, but may be too heavy for very oily or acne-prone skin.

A mild, olive-derived emulsifier that helps cleanse without stripping the skin, but may not suit everyone due to its PEG component.

A gentle silicone emulsifier that helps create smooth, lightweight textures and improves product spreadability without clogging pores.

A reliable synthetic emulsifier that helps blend oil and water, but may not suit those avoiding ethoxylated ingredients.

A reliable synthetic emulsifier that helps create smooth, stable formulas, but its PEG component raises mild environmental and purity concerns.