Ingredients of cosmetic products are listed following International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients (INCI). These INCI names often differ greatly from systematic chemical nomenclature or from more common trivial names.
The below tables are sorted as follows:
| INCI name | chemical meaning - structure, name or description | purpose - role(s) in a cosmetic formulation |
A
| denatured alcohol | ethanol made unsuitable for drinking, often via addition of denatonium. | solvent, carrier, astringent |
| alkyl benzoate C12 - C15 |
benzoic acid ester, C 6H 5COO(CH 2)11-14CH3 |
(commonly found in products that are fade resistant and water/sweat resistant) |
| allantoin |
 N-(2,5-dioxo-4-imidazolidinyl)urea
|
stops bleeding of cuts from shaving |
| alpha-isomethyl ionone | 3-methyl-4-(2,6,6-trimethylcyclohex-2-enyl)but-3-en-2-one | fragrance ingredient |
| aluminium chlorohydrate | basic aluminium chloride Al2(OH)5Cl or Al2(OH)xCl6−x (0<x<6) | antitranspirant |
| aluminium hydroxide | Al(OH)3 | opacifying agent; skin protectant |
| aqua | water | solvent |
| ascorbyl glucoside | C12H18O11 | carrier of vitamin C (water-soluble) |
| ascorbyl palmitate | C22H38O7 | carrier of vitamin C (fat-soluble) |
B
| butane | butane C4H10 | propellant (pressurized dispenser) |
| 1,3-Butanediol | moisturizer | |
| Butyrospermum parkii | shea butter, vegetable fat made from nuts of African shea tree | solvent |
| boron nitride | BN, hexagonal form | solid lubricant |
C
| citric acid |
C 6H 8O 7 |
acidulant; skin peeler |
| cocamide dea | CH3(CH2)nC(=O)N(CH2CH2OH)2, where n is from 8 to 18 | foaming and/or emulsifying agent |
| cyclohexasiloxane | Dodecamethylcyclohexasiloxane (D6) | solvent |
| cyclopentasiloxane (a type of silicone) | Decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5) | solvent |
| cetyl alcohol | CH3(CH2)15OH | various |
| calcium sodium borosilicate | glass (flakes) | makeup, nail polish |
D
| dodecanol |
C 12H 26O |
emollient |
| disodium EDTA |
C 10H 14N 2Na 2O 8 |
sequestering agent |
E
| egg oil | triglycerides extracted from egg yolk; contains polyunsaturated fatty acids (docosahexaenoic acid and arachidonic acid), cholesterol and traces of lecithin | emollient |
| ethyl macadamiate | ethyl esters of fatty acids | skinfeel modifier |
G
| glutamate | glutamic acid, C 5H 9NO 4 |
component of hydrolyzed protein; skin/hair conditioner |
| (propylene)glycol |
C 3H 8O 2 |
carrier for makeup |
H
| hydroxyethyl cellulose | cellulose fiber from wood pulp with –OCH2CH2OH groups added | gives body |
| hydroxypropyl cellulose | cellulose fibre from wood pulp with –OCH2CH(OH)CH3 groups added | gives body |
I
| isobutane | Isobutane (CH3)2CHCH3 | propellant (pressurized dispenser) |
| isododecane | ||
| isopentane | Isopentane (CH3)2CHCH2CH3 | propellant (pressurized dispenser) |
| isopropyl palmitate | ||
| isostearyl neopentanoate |
L
| lauryl glucoside | surfactant |
M
| mica | ||
| magnesium sulfate |
N
| niacinamide | ||
| nylon-12 | (C12H23NO)n |
P
| polysorbate 20 | surfactant used as a detergent and emulsifier | |
| propane | propane CH3CH2CH3 | propellant (pressurized dispenser) |
| paraben | preservative | |
| peg-20 | a variety of Polyethylene glycol | often used as an ointment base |
| polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) | (C5O2H8)n | |
| palmitic acid | CH3(CH2)14COOH | |
| paraffinum liquidum | ||
| petrolatum | C15H15N | |
| polymethyl methacrylate |
S
| sodium hydroxide | sodium hydroxide NaOH | base |
| sodium benzoate | C6H5COONa | preservative |
| silica | SiO2 | preservative |
| synthetic fluorphlogopite |
T
| talc | Mg3Si4O10(OH)2 | |
| triethanolamine | N(CH2CH2OH)3 | base, chicken liver |
| titanium dioxide |
TiO 2 |
|
| tin oxide |
Categories