A short primer on ingredients in body care products

Personal hygiene ranks highly, socially as well as hygienically. Every consumer has the right to know what the cosmetic products involved in his or her daily personal hygiene routine contain, and even more so if a consumer takes a personal interest in the individual ingredients or if an allergic disorder makes this information a necessary requirement for him or her.

The most important step towards comprehensive and exact composition information is a complete declaration of the ingredients on the products themselves or on their packaging. The Burnus GmbH and other manufacturers have voluntarily fulfilled this requirement since 1989 by listing the ingredients in line with the system commonly used in the USA. In Europe, the information given on product ingredients would often be in one of the various European languages, at times even featuring different terms for one and the same ingredient.

To achieve greater transparency and comprehensibility for consumers handling products, the INCI system (International Nomenclature Cosmetic Ingredients) is now obligatory in all European countries for body care products.

What other security standards can cosmetic products offer the consumers in addition to the INCI declarations?

The latest EU directives also establish general safety requirements for cosmetic products. They prescribe that a product is not only required to be safe within the context of its ordinary usage, but also for any reasonably foreseeable application. This means, for example, that the accidental swallowing of tooth paste while brushing your teeth or of any applied lipstick is guaranteed to be harmless to health. No liability exists for any completely nonsensical application of cosmetics, however, for instance if someone were to use nail polish remover to remove eye makeup. As the general health and safety standards applied to cosmetic products are very stringent, they are essentially extremely safe to use and nontoxic. To guarantee the highest quality standards for cosmetic products, strict guidelines already apply to their production.

There follows a list of ingredients most commonly found in personal hygiene products along with explanations of what they actually are.
Please note that this list is by no means exhaustive, but merely intended to name some of the most frequently used ingredients:

AESCULUS HIPPOCASTANUM	horse chestnut
ALGAE	algae
AQUA	water
BETULA ALBA	birch
BISABOLOL*	additive
BUTANE	propellant
CETYL ALCOHOL**	emollient, emulsifier, opacifier, viscosity control agent
CHAMOMILLA RECUTITA	chamomile
CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE	emollients, solvents
CITRIC ACID	agent/buffer
CITRUS LIMONUM	lemon
COCAMIDOPROPYL BETAINE	surfactant/detergent
COCO GLUCOSIDE	surfactant/detergent
DIMETHICONE	foam inhibitor, emollient
DMDM HYDANTOIN	preservative
EDTA	chelating agent
EQUISETUM ARVENSE	herbal ingredient, horsetail, scouring rush
EUPHRASIA OFFICINALIS	eyebright
FARNESOL	additive
GLYCERIN	moisturiser
GLYCERYL OLEATE	emollient, emulsifier
IMIDAZOLIDINYL UREA	preservative
ISOPROPROPYL MYRISTATE	binding agent, emollient
ISOPROPYL PALMITATE	solvent, antistatic agent, binding agent
MAGNOLIA BIONDII	Chinese magnolia
MELISSA OFFICINALIS	balm
MENTHOL	denaturant
METHYLPARABEN	preservative
PALMITIC ACID	emollient, emulsifier
PANTHENOL	antistatic agent/detangler
PARFUM	scent
PEG-3 DISTEARATE	emulsifier
PEG-40 HYDROGENATED CASTOR OIL	emulsifier
PETROLATUM	vaseline
POLYQUATERNIUM 10	antistatic agent, film former
POTASSIUM SORBATE	preservative
PROPYLENE GLYCOL	moisturiser, solvent
PROPYLPARABEN	preservative
ROSMARINUS OFFICINALIS	rosemary
SALVA OFFICINALIS	broad-leaved sage, sage
SODIUM BENZOATE	preservative
SODIUM CARBOMER	viscosity control agent
SODIUM CHLORIDE	viscosity control agent
SODIUM HYDROXIDE	pH control agent/buffer
SODIUM LAURETH SULFATE	surfactant/detergent
SORBITOL	moisturiser
STEARIC ACID	emollient, emulsifier
STEARIC ALCOHOL	emollient, emulsifier, opacifier, viscosity control agent
TETRASODIUM EDTA	chelating agent
TUSSILAGO FARFARA	small coughwort

Abradants

are added to cosmetic agents in order to remove materials in different areas of the body, support the mechanical cleansing of the teeth or make them shinier.

Absorbents

are added to absorb water- and/or oil-soluble substances which are dissolved or finely dispersed in the product.

Additives

are often added in relatively small amounts and are intended to lend the product a desired feature, enhance a desired feature or suppress an undesirable product feature as much as possible.

Anti-caking agents/separating agents

are added to preparations containing powder or talc in order to stop the substance from clumping or agglomerating.

Anti-dandruff agents

in hair care products inhibit dandruff formation.

Antimicrobial substances

are added to cosmetic products in order to reduce the activity of micro organisms on the skin and in the mouth.

Antioxidants

are intended to prevent reactions caused by exposure to oxygen such as oxidation or rancidity, and to maintain the quality of the product.

Antiperspirants

reduce the excretion of sweat.

Antistatic agents/detanglers

in skin and hair care products reduce the electrostatic charge on the surface of the skin or hair, making the hair a lot easier to comb.

Binding agents

provide cohesion for powder and powder-based cosmetic products.

Bleaches

lighten the colour of the hair or skin.

Botanicals

are generally derived physically from plants. They are added to cosmetic products to supply them with certain properties depending on the effect of the ingredient.

Chelating agents

are added to cosmetic products so they react and form complexes with metal ions which can enhance the stability and/or appearance of the product.

Corrosion inhibitors

are intended to prevent the corrosion of the packaging of cosmetic products.

Cosmetic dyestuffs

are either added to colour the product or, in the case of decorative cosmetics, the skin. The cosmetics directive prescribes the dyestuffs permitted in each type of cosmetic product.

Denaturing agents

are usually added to cosmetics containing ethyl alcohol to make them unpalatable.

Deodorants/antiperspirants

inhibit or reduce the production of unpleasant body odours, while masking them and reducing sweat production.

Depilatories

remove unwanted body hair.

Emollients

have the task of making the skin supple and smooth.

Emulsifiers

are surfactants that stably disperse fluids in one another which cannot otherwise be mixed, such as oil and water.

Emulsion stabilisers

support the emulsification process and improve the stability and shelf-life of a product.

Film formers

in cosmetic products create a protective and stabilising film on the skin, hair, or nails following application.

Foam inhibitors

are added to cosmetic agents either to eliminate foaming during production or to reduce a tendency to foam in finished products.

Foam stabilisers/foam intensifiersFoam stabilisers/foam intensifiers

increase foaming and foam stability or delay the collapse of the foam.

Gelling agents/thickening agents

are additives which increase or stabilise the desired consistency (viscosity) of a cosmetic product.

Hair colorants

are added to cosmetic products in order to effect a permanent or temporary colouration of the hair, depending on the product.

Light filtering substances/UV absorbers

are used to filter certain UV rays and hence protect the skin against premature aging caused by sunlight as well as sunburns. The cosmetics directive lists the light filtering agents permitted for use in cosmetic products.

Moisturisers

help restore or preserve moisture in the skin. They counteract skin dehydration.

Mouth care substances

are added to personal hygiene products intended to care for the mouth.

Opacifiers

are added to clear or transparent cosmetic products in order to render them less light-permeable for visible light or light-related radiation.

Oxidants

are employed to change the chemical composition of substances by supplying them with oxygen.

pH control agents/buffers

are added to cosmetic products in order to provide them with the desired pH value or to stabilise it.

Preservatives

are added to cosmetics in order to protect them from spoilage by micro organisms (bacteria, fungi, yeasts) and hence preserve their quality. The cosmetics directive bindingly stipulates the preservatives permitted in cosmetic products.

Propellants

are gaseous substances which are added to cosmetic products in pressurised containers and expel the contents when the pressure is released.

Reducing agents

change the chemical composition of other substances by adding hydroxide or subtracting oxygen.

Skin care agents

protect and care for the skin, keeping it supple and smooth, whilst minimising moisture loss, and as such provide a pleasant skin feeling.

Solvents

are used as a base medium for cosmetic preparations and to dissolve certain substances.

Re-moisturising agents

are used in cosmetic preparatory products. They are absorbed by the skin during cleansing and help prevent or reduce the loss of moisture from and dehydration of the skin.

Surfactants/detergents

are surface-active compounds containing both lipophile and hydrophile groups and hence facilitate the through cleansing of skin and hair.

Viscosity control agents

serve to increase or decrease the viscosity of the finished product.