Raw materials in cosmetics

Raw materials are the basis for formulating perfect and effective cosmetics for our skin.
Whether they are vegetable oils, humectants, aromas or essential oils, it is necessary to know more closely the cosmetic raw materials you use or have used to take care of your face, body, hair.
Only by becoming familiar with the raw materials, possibly natural, it is possible to understand the quality of the composition of a cosmetic and its effectiveness.

In this article, we analyze the main raw materials that are used in the formulation of cosmetics, in order to make an informed choice of the right cosmetic for us.

Surfactants

They are fundamental ingredients for producing tensiolites, which include shampoo, shower gel, shower gel and other cleansing cosmetics. They are the main 'washing agents', the ones that produce the much-loved foam, and the best known and most used are the sodium lauryl sulfate (sls) and the sodium laureth sulfate (sles). These surfactants are not used in eco-bio cosmetics, as they are considered too aggressive and degreasing for the skin (if not buffered).

Emulsifiers and solubilizers 

They are found in emulsions, ie products formed by the mixture of an aqueous and an oily phase, such as creams, milk, balms. Without the emulsifier, in fact, water and oil repel each other and therefore tend to separate. Most cosmetics, at least in Italy, are formulated as an "oil in water" emulsion and the best known emulsifier is certainly Glyceryl Stearate.

Lipids 

They are fundamental ingredients for emulsions and are also included in the composition of lipsticks, lip sticks and other fat-based products. In eco-bio cosmetics, of course, vegetable oils and butters from organic farming are used. Shea butter is certainly one of the best known and used lipid ingredients in the formulation of cosmetics.

Humectants 

They are substances that are added to cosmetics to prevent evaporation. They are used for the same purpose on the skin, to prevent dehydration. Glycerin is the most famous and used, as well as completely natural. Among other humectants usually used in the world of cosmetics, especially the organic one, we can also find aloe gel.

Antioxidants 

They are useful both for preventing the deterioration of a product and for skin care. The most popular antioxidants in biocosmetics are vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and vitamin E (tocopherol).

A key ingredient that has not been listed, but is also a raw material, is water. Most of the cosmetics on the market consists mainly of water, even up to 90% of the composition, and it is important that it possesses precise chemical-physical and microbiological purity requirements.

Speaking of cosmetic ingredients, however, we must pay attention to companies that use a slogan that mentions the important use of natural and organic raw materials to promote a product.
With the fervor that has been activated in recent years around the world of biocosmetics, in fact, many companies rely on some well-known natural raw materials, without there being any actual relevance within the formulation of the product itself.

This is why, in addition to knowing the different types of raw materials that may be present in the products we use on our skin, it is important to know how to read the Inci Name, or the International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredient, which describes all the ingredients used. in the formulation, with the relative percentage of presence.