Beauty ingredients explained in plain English

Melissa oil offers a pleasant lemony scent and potential soothing benefits, but its high concentration of volatile compounds can be irritating for sensitive skin.

A refreshing essential oil that adds a minty scent to products, but may irritate sensitive skin if used at high concentrations.

Menthone provides a cooling, minty feel in skincare but can be irritating for sensitive skin at higher concentrations.

A synthetic fragrance ingredient with limited safety data; best for those who tolerate fragrance well.

A synthetic fragrance ingredient that adds a pleasant scent but may cause irritation in sensitive individuals.

A synthetic scent ingredient that adds a fresh note but may cause irritation in sensitive individuals.

A synthetic fragrance ingredient that provides a fresh scent but may cause irritation in sensitive individuals.

A synthetic scent ingredient that adds a fresh note but offers no skincare benefit; safe at low levels but may cause sensitivity in some people.

A synthetic fragrance ingredient with antioxidant properties, generally considered safe at low concentrations but may cause sensitivity in some individuals.

A synthetic fragrance compound that adds a nutty, earthy scent to products but offers no skincare benefits.

A synthetic fragrance ingredient that adds a pleasant floral-woody scent but offers no skincare benefits and may cause sensitivity in some individuals.

A synthetic fragrance ingredient with a strong odor; used in tiny amounts but may cause skin sensitivity in some people.

Methoxyacetophenone is a synthetic fragrance ingredient that adds a sweet, floral scent to products; it is generally considered safe at low levels but offers no direct skincare benefit.

Methoxycinnamal adds a cinnamon-like scent but can be a skin sensitizer, making it a potential concern for those with sensitive or allergy-prone skin.

A cinnamon-derived antioxidant with antimicrobial potential, but its fragrance component can be irritating for sensitive skin.

This synthetic compound is primarily used as a fragrance ingredient or fixative, but there is limited public research on its safety and efficacy in skincare.

A synthetic fragrance ingredient that adds a warm, woody scent; generally considered safe at low concentrations but may cause sensitivity in some individuals.

Methoxycitronellal is a synthetic fragrance ingredient that adds a fresh citrus scent but may cause skin irritation or allergic reactions in sensitive individuals.

A synthetic scent ingredient that gives a fresh, woody note but offers no skincare benefits.

Methoxyhexanethiol is a synthetic fragrance ingredient with limited safety data; it may cause skin irritation in sensitive individuals.

Methoxyindane is a synthetic fragrance ingredient that adds a pleasant scent but offers no skincare benefits; it may be best for those who enjoy scented products and have no fragrance sensitivities.

A common synthetic fragrance ingredient that provides a pleasant floral scent but may cause skin irritation in sensitive individuals.

A synthetic scent ingredient that adds a pleasant vanilla-like note but offers no skincare benefit and may trigger sensitivities in some people.

A synthetic scent ingredient that adds a warm, sweet note to products; generally considered safe at low concentrations but may cause sensitivity in some individuals.

A synthetic fragrance ingredient that adds a fresh scent but offers no skincare benefits and may cause sensitivity in some individuals.

A synthetic scent ingredient that adds a fresh, green note but offers no skincare benefits and may cause sensitivity in some individuals.

A synthetic scent ingredient that adds a pleasant floral note but offers no skincare benefit; safe at low levels but may cause sensitivity in some.

A synthetic fragrance compound that adds a violet scent but may cause irritation in sensitive individuals, especially at higher concentrations.

Methyl 2,6-dihydroxybenzoate is a synthetic fragrance and preservative helper that can be irritating for sensitive skin.

Methyl 3-Nonenoate is a synthetic fragrance ingredient that adds a fresh, fruity scent to products, but offers no skincare benefits beyond fragrance.

A synthetic fragrance ingredient with low irritation risk but limited skin benefit beyond scent.

A synthetic fragrance ingredient that adds a pleasant scent but offers no skincare benefits; generally safe at low levels but may cause sensitivity in some individuals.

A synthetic floral scent ingredient that is generally safe at low levels but may cause skin reactions in sensitive individuals.

Methyl amyl ketone is a synthetic fragrance ingredient that adds a fruity, banana-like scent, but it may cause skin irritation in sensitive individuals at higher concentrations.

Methyl anthranilate is a grape-like scent ingredient that is generally safe at low levels but may cause skin sensitivity in some people.

Methyl benzoate is a synthetic fragrance ingredient that adds a pleasant scent to products, but it offers no skincare benefits and may cause sensitivity in some individuals.

A synthetic fragrance ingredient that adds a pleasant scent but offers no skincare benefits; safe for most but may cause sensitivity in some.

Methyl Benzoylformate is a synthetic fragrance ingredient with limited research on skin benefits; it may cause irritation in sensitive individuals.

A synthetic fragrance ingredient that adds a sweet, floral scent; generally considered safe at low levels but may cause irritation in sensitive individuals.

A synthetic fragrance compound that provides a pleasant scent but may cause irritation in sensitive individuals, especially at higher concentrations.

Methyl butyrate is a synthetic fragrance ingredient that adds a fruity scent to products; it is generally safe at low levels but offers no skincare benefits.

Methyl Cinnamate is a gentle, plant-derived fragrance ingredient with some soothing potential, but it may cause sensitivity in very rare cases.

A synthetic fragrance ingredient that adds a sweet, fruity scent; generally considered safe at low concentrations but may cause irritation in sensitive individuals.

A synthetic fragrance ester with limited public data; generally considered safe at low concentrations used in cosmetics.

A synthetic fragrance ingredient that adds a pleasant scent but offers no skincare benefits and may trigger allergies in sensitive individuals.

Methyl Decenol is a synthetic fragrance ingredient that adds a fresh floral note, but it offers no skincare benefits and may cause sensitivity in some individuals.

A widely used synthetic fragrance that adds a pleasant jasmine-like scent to products, but offers no direct skin benefit and may cause sensitivity in those with fragrance allergies.

A synthetic scent ingredient that adds a fresh, minty note to products but offers no skincare benefits and may be unnecessary for sensitive skin.

A synthetic cooling fragrance ingredient that adds a fresh, minty feel but offers no skincare benefits and may irritate sensitive skin.

A synthetic scent ingredient that adds a fresh floral note but offers no skincare benefit and may trigger sensitivity in some.

A synthetic fragrance ingredient that adds a fresh, citrus-like scent to products; generally considered safe at low concentrations but offers no active skincare benefits.

A synthetic fragrance ingredient that adds a pleasant scent but offers no skincare benefits; generally safe at low concentrations.

A synthetic fragrance ester that adds a fruity or sweet scent; generally safe at low levels but offers no skincare benefit.

Methyl Furoate is a synthetic fragrance ingredient with limited safety data; it is generally considered safe at low concentrations but may cause sensitivity in some individuals.

A synthetic fragrance ingredient that adds a fresh scent but offers no skincare benefits and may cause sensitivity in some individuals.

A synthetic fragrance ingredient that adds scent but offers no skincare benefits; generally safe at low levels but may cause irritation in sensitive individuals.

Methyl Hydratropaldehyde is a synthetic fragrance ingredient that adds a pleasant scent but may cause skin irritation in sensitive individuals.

Methyl Ionones are common synthetic fragrances that add a pleasant floral scent but may cause allergic reactions in sensitive individuals.

Methyl isoeugenol is a synthetic fragrance compound that adds a warm, spicy scent but is a common allergen and may cause skin sensitivity in some people.

A synthetic fragrance compound that adds a fresh, woody scent but offers no skincare benefits and may cause irritation in sensitive individuals.