Beauty ingredients explained in plain English

A gentle pH adjuster that helps keep your skincare products stable and comfortable on the skin.

MIPA-Borate is a synthetic pH adjuster that helps keep products stable, but it has raised some safety concerns at higher concentrations.

Monosodium citrate is a gentle pH adjuster that helps keep your skincare products stable and kind to your skin's natural barrier.

A gentle pH buffer that helps keep your skincare products at the right acidity for your skin, without causing irritation.

Oxalic acid is a strong organic acid rarely used in consumer skincare due to its high irritation potential; it appears mainly in professional chemical peels or as a chelating agent at very low levels.

Phosphoric acid is a pH adjuster that helps keep products stable and effective, but it can be irritating at high concentrations.

Phosphorus pentoxide is a strong chemical used in tiny amounts to adjust pH, but it is not a direct skincare active and can be irritating if not properly diluted.

Potassium bicarbonate is a gentle pH adjuster that helps keep your skincare products stable and comfortable on skin, but it is not a star active ingredient.

A gentle, food-derived ingredient that helps balance pH and provide mild exfoliation without harshness.

Potassium carbonate is a safe pH adjuster in tiny amounts, but can be irritating if used too high in leave-on products.

Potassium citrate is a gentle pH adjuster that helps keep your skincare products stable and comfortable on skin.

Potassium oxide is a strong alkali rarely found in finished skincare; it is more relevant to soap chemistry than to leave-on products.

A safe, synthetic pH adjuster that helps keep your skincare products stable and gentle on your skin.

Potassium Tartrate is a gentle pH adjuster that helps keep your skincare products stable and at the right acidity, but it doesn't directly improve your skin.

Sebacic acid is a gentle, plant-derived ingredient that helps balance product pH and offers mild exfoliation without significant irritation.

A synthetic pH adjuster that helps keep your products stable and gentle, but it doesn't actively improve your skin.

Sodium aluminate is a synthetic pH adjuster that can be irritating at high concentrations, but is generally safe in trace amounts in rinse-off products.

This mineral salt helps control product pH but has very limited research on its long-term skin effects, so it's best used in small amounts.

Sodium bisulfate is a safe pH adjuster in small amounts, but can be irritating at high concentrations.

Sodium carbonate is a safe pH adjuster in small amounts, but can be drying or irritating at high concentrations.

Sodium citrate is a gentle pH adjuster that helps keep your skincare products stable and comfortable on your skin.

Sodium hydroxide is a safe pH adjuster in tiny amounts, but it can be irritating if not properly neutralized in the formula.

Sodium Malate is a gentle pH adjuster and mild AHA that helps keep products stable and skin slightly exfoliated without harshness.

A synthetic pH adjuster with limited safety data; best avoided in leave-on products due to potential irritation concerns.

Sodium Metasilicate is an effective pH adjuster but can be highly irritating, especially in leave-on products or for sensitive skin.

Sodium phosphate is a safe, widely used pH adjuster that helps keep your skincare products stable and gentle on your skin.

A gentle pH adjuster that helps maintain product stability and mildness, but can be drying in high concentrations.

Sodium silicate is a safe pH adjuster and mild film former in cosmetics, but can be drying or irritating at high concentrations.

Sodium Succinate is a gentle pH adjuster and mild humectant that helps maintain product stability and skin comfort.

Sodium trichloroacetate is a synthetic pH adjuster with limited cosmetic research; it is generally safe at low concentrations but may be irritating in high amounts.

Succinic anhydride is a synthetic pH adjuster that helps keep products stable, but it can be irritating in high concentrations.

Tea Hydrochloride is a gentle pH adjuster that helps keep your skincare products stable and comfortable on skin, but it offers no direct skin benefits.

Toluene sulfonic acid is a synthetic pH adjuster that helps products maintain the right acidity, but it can be irritating at high concentrations.

Triethanolamine is a common pH adjuster that helps formulas feel balanced, but it can be irritating for sensitive skin at higher concentrations.

Triethylamine is an effective pH adjuster but can be irritating at higher concentrations; it's rarely used in leave-on products.

A synthetic pH adjuster that helps stabilize salicylate ingredients, but may cause irritation in sensitive skin.

Triisopropanolamine is a workhorse pH adjuster that helps keep your products stable and gentle, but it can be irritating in high concentrations or for sensitive skin.

Trisodium phosphate is a synthetic pH adjuster that helps keep products stable, but it can be drying or irritating in high concentrations.

Tromethamine is a safe, effective pH adjuster that helps keep your skincare products gentle and stable.

Trona is a gentle mineral salt that helps keep product pH stable, but it offers no direct skin benefits beyond formulation support.