Water / Eau/ Aqua
WHAT-IT-DOES: solventGood old water, aka H2O. The most common skincare ingredient of all. You can usually find it right in the very first spot of the ingredient list, meaning it’s the biggest thing out of all the stuff that makes up the product.
Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
WHAT-IT-DOES: surfactant/cleansing
A versatile and biodegradable cleansing agent with high cleaning power and mild foaming properties.
Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine
WHAT-IT-DOES: surfactant/cleansing, viscosity controlling
A thickening and foam-boasting co-surfactant with amphoteric structure meaning that its head contains both a positively and a negatively charged part (surfactants are most commonly anionic meaning their head has a negative charge). It's very mild and gentle, comes from coconut oil and is readily biodegradable.
Glycerin (also called: Glycerol)
WHAT-IT-DOES: skin-identical ingredient, moisturizer/humectant
A natural moisturizer that’s also in our skin!
A super common, safe, effective and cheap molecule used for more than 50 years.
Not only a simple moisturizer but knows much more: keeps the skin lipids between our skin cells in a healthy (liquid crystal) state, protects against irritation, helps to restore barrier
High-glycerin moisturizers are awesome for treating severely dry skin.
Cetyl Betaine
WHAT-IT-DOES: surfactant/cleansing, surfactant/cleansing, viscosity controlling
Betaine improves shine by helping maintain the integrity of the cuticle surface. It can optimize moisture in the skin cells and follicles, positively impacting the health of the scalp and contributing to healthier hair.
Propanediol
WHAT-IT-DOES: solvent, moisturizer/humectant
Propanediol is a natural alternative for the often used and often bad-mouthed propylene glycol. It's produced sustainably from corn sugar and it's Ecocert approved. Can be used to improve skin moisturization, as a solvent, to boost preservative efficacy or to influence the sensory properties of the end formula.
Lauryl Betaine
WHAT-IT-DOES: surfactant/cleansing, surfactant/cleansing
Derived from vegetables, lauryl betaine was first discovered as an extract of sugar beets. It's a mild surfactant that is commonly considered a hair and skin conditioner.
Decyl Glucoside
WHAT-IT-DOES: surfactant/cleansing, emulsion stabilising
A vegetable origin (coconut or palm kernel oil and glucose) cleansing agent with great foaming abilities. It's also mild to the skin and readily biodegradable.
Dicaprylyl Ether
WHAT-IT-DOES: emollient, solvent
A clear, colourless and odourless oily liquid that works as a fast-spreading emollient with a dry skin feel.
Glyceryl Oleate
WHAT-IT-DOES: emollient, emulsifying, perfuming
The attachment of glycerin and oleic acid that works mainly as a co-emulsifier and stabilizer to create stable water-oil mixes, aka emulsions. It is also popular in cleansing products as it helps to thicken them up and has some refatting and skin-smoothing effect.
Cetrimonium Chloride
WHAT-IT-DOES: antimicrobial/antibacterial, emulsifying, preservative, surfactant/cleansing
A preservative and antistatic agent that is readily biodegradable.It can also be used as an antiseptic, disinfectant, surfactant.
Helianthus Annus (Sunflower) Seed Oil
WHAT-IT-DOES: emollient
One of the most commonly used plant oils in skincare. Expressed directly from the seeds, the oil is used not for hundreds but thousands of years.
Sunflower oil, similar to other plant oils; is a great emollient that makes the skin smooth and nice and helps to keep it hydrated. It also protects the surface of the skin and enhances the damaged or irritated skin barrier.
It's also loaded with fatty acids (mostly linoleic and oleic) and that is great even for acne-prone skin.
Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Juice
WHAT-IT-DOES: soothing, moisturizer/humectant
Aloe Vera is one of today’s magic plants. It’s a great moisturizer and has several anti-inflammatory as well as some antibacterial components. It also helps wound healing and skin regeneration in general.
Hydroxypropyl Guar
WHAT-IT-DOES: surfactant/cleansing, viscosity controlling, emulsion stabilising
This is a natural thickener derived from guar gum. Harvested seeds or 'guar beans' are de-husked, roasted, hydrated and ground to produce guar gum. It's very useful in hair care formulations and works by neutralizing the negative charges on hair strands that cause static and tangling.
Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein
Hydrolyzed proteins are completely safe for use in personal care products. It strengthens from within, making your hair healthier, shinier, and easier to style. This protein increases your hair's ability to receive and retain moisture. It helps reduce breakage, eliminates frizz and tangles, and makes your hair appear fuller.
Hydrolyzed Quinoa
This increases the hair's ability to retain moisture and can help transform dull, lifeless, brittle hair into a soft, supple, shiny mane (even after chemical and heat damage).
Hydrolyzed Adansonia
This is a protein derived from the emblematic African Baobab tree, also known as the tree of life. It's excellent for hair care and prevention of ageing.
(Baobab) Seed Extract
The high omega-3 fatty acid in baobab oil may help moisturize dry hair and strengthen weak, brittle hair. While the saturated fats penetrate the hair cuticle, the polyunsaturated fatty acids on the surface create a film that acts as an emollient making detangling easier. It adds gloss and shines to your mane, and seals water inside the hair.
Polyquaternium-55
This is obtained via chemical modifications of Naturally-Derived Polymers such as guar gum and cellulose. It is film-forming by nature, which means they will effectively coat the hair – blocking humidity, preventing frizz, and providing curl defining/retention.
Polyquaternium-7
This is an organic compound in the polyquaternium class of chemicals and used in the personal care industry. It acts as an excellent cationic conditioner for skin & hair. It's a very good detangler and provides slip for easier wet-combing.
Fragrance/ Parfum - Natural essential oils used (lemon, lavender, clove)
WHAT-IT-DOES: perfuming
LEMON - Lemon is known for its clean, citrus scent and antiseptic properties. If you have oily hair or an acne prone scalp, lemon essential oil is good for balancing oils and preventing infections. It helps cleanse the scalp, removing dead skin, dirt, and dandruff.
LAVENDER - Lavender Oil, when used correctly, can prevent and even reverse many common hair problems such as hair loss, thinning and falling hair, hair breakage, dry hair, itchy scalp, dandruff, damaged hair and so much more. Growth factor, antiseptic, and antimicrobial properties.
CLOVE - Clove is great for stronger and healthier hair growth. This will improve blood circulation in the scalp and promote stronger hair growth.
Panthenol / Pro-Vitamin B5
WHAT-IT-DOES: soothing, moisturizer/humectant
This helps moisturize the skin that can help the skin to attract water and then hold onto it. There is also research showing that panthenol can help our skin to produce more lipids that are important for a strong and healthy skin / scalp barrier.
As for the hair, Panthenol can make your hair softer, more elastic and helps to comb your hair more easily.
Potassium Sorbate
WHAT-IT-DOES: preservative
It's one of those things that help your cosmetics not to go wrong too soon, aka a preservative. It’s not a strong one and doesn’t really work against bacteria, but more against mold and yeast. To do that it has to break down to its active form, sorbic acid. For that to happen, there has to be water in the product and the right pH value (pH 3-4).
Sodium Benzoate
WHAT-IT-DOES: preservative
A helper ingredient that helps to make the products stay nice longer, aka preservative. It works mainly against fungi.
It’s pH dependent and works best at acidic pH levels (3-5). It’s not strong enough to be used in itself so it’s always combined with something else, often with potassium sorbate, which we included above.
Phenoxyethanol
WHAT-IT-DOES: preservative
It’s pretty much the current "IT" preservative. It’s safe and gentle. It can be found in nature - in green tea.
Other than having a good safety profile and being quite gentle to the skin it has some other advantages too.
Citric Acid
WHAT-IT-DOES: buffering
Citric acid comes from citrus fruits and is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA).
It's an exfoliant, that can gently lift off the dead skin cells of your skin and make it more smooth and fresh.
Cetyl Alcohol
WHAT-IT-DOES: emollient, emulsifying, viscosity controlling, surfactant/cleansing, emulsion
A so-called fatty (the good, non-drying kind of) alcohol that does all kinds of things in a skincare product: it makes your skin/scalp feel smooth and nice (emollient), helps to thicken up products and also helps water and oil to blend (emulsifier). Can be derived from coconut or palm kernel oil.
Cetearyl Alcohol
WHAT-IT-DOES: emollient, viscosity controlling, emulsifying, emulsion stabilising, surfactant
An extremely common multitasker ingredient that gives your skin/scalp a nice soft feel (emollient).
Fatty alcohols have a long oil-soluble (and thus emollient) tail part that makes them absolutely non-drying and non-irritating and are totally ok for the skin.
Behentrimonium Chloride 2.76
This is a manufacturer's favourite because it keeps your locks frizz-free and makes them manageable and soft. We use the tiniest amount, as a little goes a long way. It’s an antistatic ingredient and is also an emulsifying agent, which helps to improve the moisture content of the hair.
Stearyl Alcohol
WHAT-IT-DOES: emollient, viscosity controlling, emulsion stabilising, emulsifying, surfactant
It makes your skin/scalp feel nice and smooth (emollient), stabilizes oil-water mixes and gives body to them. It’s the emollient type of alcohol that is non-drying and non-irritating.
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
WHAT-IT-DOES: viscosity controlling
This is a water-soluble derivative of natural guar gum, and It is a great conditioning agent for both skin/scalp and hair. Guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride is especially beneficial as a hair care product. Because it is positively charged, or cationic, it neutralizes the negative charges on hair strands that cause hair to become static or tangled.
Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil
WHAT-IT-DOES: emollient
Jojoba oil is really special and unique as it’s the most similar to human sebum. It can "trick" the skin into thinking it has already produced enough sebum, so it might have "skin balancing" properties for oily skin.
It also moisturizes the skin through a unique dual action: on the one hand, it mixes with sebum and forms a thin, non-greasy, semi-occlusive layer; on the other hand, it absorbs into the skin through pores and hair follicles then diffuses into the intercellular spaces of the outer layer of the skin to make it soft and supple.
This beautiful oil was created by Mother Nature to stay on the surface and form a protective, moisturizing barrier.
Diheptyl Succinate
WHAT-IT-DOES: emollient
This is a natural, "silicone-alternative" emollient. It can reduce oils greasiness and tackiness and make them feel nicer on the skin. It’s eco-friendly, 100% natural (Ecocert approved), sustainable and biodegradable.
Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer
The friend of the above; Diheptyl Succinate, as the duo is usually used together and is touted as a natural silicone alternative.
We do all we can to find natural ways of providing the absolute best ingredients to tend to your hair.
Tocopheryl Acetate - Vitamin E Acetate
WHAT-IT-DOES: antioxidant
It’s the most commonly used version of pure vitamin E in cosmetics.
Stearalkonium Chloride
WHAT-IT-DOES: preservative, surfactant/cleansing.
This ingredient is derived from stearic acid, a fatty acid found in plants and animals. It is extremely effective as a conditioner and softener.
As it is a positively charged salt that attracts and binds proteins, which are negatively charged; it is found to increase luster and improve the condition of wet or dry hair, often serving to de-tangle the hair.
Brassica Alcohol
WHAT-IT-DOES: emollient, emulsion stabilising, viscosity controlling
This is naturally derived and safe, non-irritating, softening, and moisturizing. Unlike drying alcohols, it is a fatty alcohol that is great for natural hair! It’s vegan friendly, natural thickening agent and secondary emulsifier that provides exceptional stability in Hair Care, Skin Care, and Sun Care products.
Propanediol - Zemea
WHAT-IT-DOES: solvent, moisturizer/humectant
This is a natural alternative for the often used and often bad-mouthed propylene glycol. It's produced sustainably from corn sugar and it's Ecocert approved.
It can be used to improve skin/scalp moisturization, as a solvent, to boost preservative efficacy or to influence the sensory properties of the end formula.
Hydroxyethylcellulose
WHAT-IT-DOES: viscosity controlling, emulsion stabilizing
This is derived from cellulose, the major component of the cell wall of green plants. It gives a very good slip to the formulas and can thicken up products and create beautiful gel formulas.
Brassicyl Isoleucinate Esylate
WHAT-IT-DOES: emulsion stabilizing
Brassicyl Isoleucinate Esylate and the above mentioned Brassica Alcohol are the only Natural plant based cationic surfactant for Hair care applications, that is also Palm Free and Ecocert approved.
PVP - Poly Vinyl Pyrollidone
WHAT-IT-DOES: viscosity controlling, emulsion stabilising
This attaches itself to surfaces such as the hair and the skin and forms a nice, thin, even film there.
Maltodextrin/Vp Copolymer
WHAT-IT-DOES: viscosity controlling, emulsion stabilising
This contains more than 50% Naturally Derived content, resulting in an improved sustainability profile compared with traditional synthetic nonionic fixative polymers. This is the first more sustainable hair fixative polymer in the marketplace to provide excellent clarity, carbomer compatibility and desirable on-hair performance.
Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract - German Chamomile Flower Extract
WHAT-IT-DOES: soothing, antioxidant
Chamomile probably needs no introduction as it's one of the most widely used medicinal herbs. It’s mainly for its anti-inflammatory properties.
Althaea Officinalis (Marshmellow) Root Extract
WHAT-IT-DOES: detangling, softening, soothing
Marshmallow root extract is a popular ingredient in many hair conditioners for its amazing slippery texture for easy detangling as well as softening the hair. It's high in plant protein that promotes healthy hair growth and shine while also soothing dry scalp and skin inflammation. It’s a great source of proteins and vitamins for your hair.
Polysorbate 20
WHAT-IT-DOES: emulsifying, surfactant/cleansing
This is a natural vegetable sourced emulsifier which creates solubility between water based ingredients and oil based ingredients. It's a common little helper ingredient that helps water and oil to mix together. Also, it can help to increase the solubility of some other ingredients in the formula.
Propylene Glycol
WHAT-IT-DOES: moisturizer/humectant, solvent, viscosity controlling
This is a solvent, humectant and to some extent a penetration enhancer. It’s safe when used properly in personal care formulations. It is completely water-soluble material that will not build up on the hair.