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Ingredients in lotions: The 5 Best Lotion Ingredients

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The 5 Best Lotion Ingredients

If you suffer from dry, flaky skin, the moisturizer aisle can feel like a minefield. You don’t want to waste money on ineffective products or those that make unrealistic claims — or to buy a lotion that might even make your condition worse. Before you pick up another tube or bottle, read our glossary of the best moisturizing ingredients to find the antidote for your dry skin.

Ceramides

Ceramides are lipid molecules found in the membrane of skin cells that are credited with helping to prevent moisture loss. “Natural or synthetic ceramides will help maintain and restore skin barrier function, so that moisture is sealed in,” explains Ava Shamban, MD, an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at UCLA. Studies have shown that people who have eczema and psoriasis have significantly fewer ceramides than people with normal skin. By using products that contain, you shore up the skin’s own moisturization defenses.

Essential fatty acids

Also known as healthy fats, essential fatty acids are the fuel that cells require to undergo biological processes, like moisturization, that keep skin healthy and glowing. The body doesn’t produce essential fatty acids on its own, so the nutrients must be absorbed from a person’s diet or from skin creams. “Olive oil, avocado, almond oil, and shea butter are all essential fatty acids that will help lock in moisture,” says David Bank, MD, president of the New York State Society for Dermatology and Dermatologic Surgery. Omega-3 fatty acids are present in such foods as salmon, mackerel, walnuts, soy, flaxseed, and safflower oil.

Glycerin, glycols, and polyols

These three ingredients are members of the humectant family — they “cause skin to draw in and bind extra moisture,” says cosmetic chemist Jim Hammer. For example, if you left glycerin out in the open, it would slowly but steadily absorb water from the air until it became about 20 percent water and 80 percent glycerin. That potent ability to pull in and retain water makes it a common ingredient in hydrating soaps and cleansers that are formulated to gently cleanse skin without stripping it of moisture. These humectants can appear in numerous variations on ingredient lists; two of the most widely usedr versions are propylene glycol and butylene glycol.

Hyaluronic acid

This is perhaps the most impressive of all moisturizing ingredients. “The hyaluronic acid molecule absorbs about 1,000 times its own weight in water,” Dr. Shamban says. That quick and effective hydrating action keeps collagen and elastin moist and functioning, and therefore helps skin look supple and youthful. And for oily skin that easily breaks out from the use of heavy humectants, hyaluronic acid is a lightweight, nonoily ingredient that is “safe” for even the most acne-prone complexions.

Sodium PCA

Sodium PCA, another type of humectant, is found naturally in the proteins of human skin and binds water to cells. “Sodium PCA has excellent water-absorbing properties,” says Hammer. While water weight may otherwise be the last thing we want to hold onto, it’s exactly what you want in a moisturizer to guarantee the longest-lasting hydration. Sodium PCA is commonly found in moisturizers for the skin, though it’s also an excellent ingredient to look for in hair care products if you suffer from static — the hydrating molecule soothes hair and prevents flyaways.

Harmful Ingredients In Body Lotion

Jo Millington/Shutterstock

Before you reach for that pretty bottle lotion on your bathroom shelf, know that what’s inside may not be as innocent as it looks. There are dozens of ingredients currently being used in top-brand body lotions that range from questionable to potentially hazardous. Watch out for these 6 toxic ingredients when scanning body lotion labels. 

1. Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA)
BHA is a food preservative and stabilizer that routinely shows up in body lotions, as well as everything from lipstick to yeast infection treatments. But beware—it’s an endocrine disruptor and “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen,” according to the National Toxicology Program.

MORE: Homemade Shampoo

2. DMDM Hydantoin
This mysterious-sounding ingredient is a type of formaldehyde-releasing preservative used in a host of personal care items, including body lotion. (Formaldehyde releasers are used in 20% of all cosmetics and personal care products, according to the Environmental Working Group). It’s an irritant for eyes and skin, and while there’s no evidence that DMDM hydantoin itself is a carcinogen, formaldehyde definitely is. And if there’s an impurity in the DMDM Hydantoin used in your moisturizer, there’s a chance that formaldehyde is present.

MORE: Beware Of These Toxins In Self-Tanners

3. Fragrance + Parfum
You may think it’s nice that your lotion smells like strawberries and cream, but there’s no way that scent is natural. When you see “fragrance” or “parfum” on a label, read “a toxic mix of chemicals the manufacturer doesn’t want to tell you about.” Most notably, this includes diethyl phthalate, according to the Environmental Working Group. You may have already heard of phthalates since they’re used in just about everything from cosmetics to insecticides to wood finishes—and they’re known to be endocrine disruptors and toxic to organ systems. Synthetic fragrances like the ones used in lotions also emit harmful VOCs, which pollute indoor air quality and cause reparatory allergies and asthma.

4. Parabens
You’ll find parabens in practically all popular commercial body lotions (just look for butylparaben, isobutylparaben, methylparaben, propylparaben, or ethylparaben on the label). They prevent bacteria and fungus from growing in your favorite bottle of moisturizer, which would be great if they weren’t linked to hormone disruption and breast cancer. Luckily, manufacturers of organic lotions have found safer ways to keep their products fungus-free, like using vitamin E and citric acid, though these products tend to have a shorter shelf life than those that contain parabens. A safe one to try: Wildcraft Organic Lemongrass Body Cream.

5. Retinyl Palmitate

Paul Bradbury/Getty Images


Retinyl palmitate, the most controversial form of vitamin A, is a vitamin A derivative that you’ll see in some sunscreens, as well as lotions and creams advertised to have anti-aging properties. A study published by the National Toxicology Program found that mice exposed to retinyl palmitate developed a frightening number of tumors after exposure to sunlight. If you’re going to use lotions that contain retinyl palmitate, do so at night.

MORE: The Toxic Stuff In Sunscreen That’s Affecting Your Health

6. Triethanolamine
This mouthful of an ingredient is a highly alkaline substance that’s used to balance the pH in various body lotions and cosmetics (especially mascara). Despite its widespread use, it’s considered moderately dangerous and should never be used long-term, according to the Dermatology Review, since it’s a skin and respiratory irritant and toxicant to the immune system. It’s also been linked to cancer in animal studies. Though triethanolamine is considered biodegradable and nontoxic to animals and organisms, wastewater released from manufacturing plants containing large amounts of triethanolamine can significantly alter the pH of rivers and streams, resulting in toxic shock to marine life.

The article The 6 Most Harmful Ingredients Found In Body Lotion originally ran on RodalesOrganicLife.com.

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Exploring Product Ingredients – Lotions

In this post, we break down the ingredient labels on four lotions to show the ingredients’ most common purpose in the formulation.

What do I need to know before we dig in?

Remember, ingredients are listed from largest quantity to smallest quantity on a label. Different ingredients require different quantities and different doses to work as intended. 

You can learn more about cosmetic product labeling in a prior blog post.
 
We know that certain ingredients are common to specific products. So, you will notice commonalities and differences in listed ingredients as we explore the ingredient information.
 
The ingredient differences in similar products don’t necessarily make one product better than another product. Formulations balancing the ingredients are critical to the end product. It’s also quite subjective, what one person may find to work effectively, another person may not have the same success.

Lotions typically contain eight types of ingredients:

  • Emollients: help maintain soft, smooth skin.
  • Emulsifiers: help ingredients that naturally repel one another (e.g., oil and water) stay together and maintain their consistency.
  • Fragrances: provide the pleasant smell common in many products.
  • Humectants: help attract and retain moisture to the surface of the skin (1).
  • Occlusives: help slow moisture evaporation from our skin’s surface (typically oil-based).
  • pH Adjusters: help regulate the pH of a product keeping it safe to use on the skin.
  • Preservatives: help prevent unwanted bacteria and fungi from growing in the product (1).
  • Solvents: help ingredients dissolve and combine with one another. 

There are hundreds of ingredients that fall into the above categories and cosmetic manufacturers will pull ingredients from these (and other) categories to formulate their products.
 
Please note, we did not manufacture the products we’re exploring in this post. The ingredients and the ingredients’ purposes may be more nuanced and may include other properties not listed. Also, ingredients can have more than one function so some ingredients may be found in more than one category.


Let’s take a look at two lotions both marketing the same scent.

 

Lotion one: ingredients and their function
Ingredients as listed on the product: water, glycerin, alcohol denat. (denatured alcohol), cetearyl alcohol, cetyl esters, glyceryl dilaurate, cetyl alcohol, ceteareth-20, lanolin oil, dimethicone, fragrance, acrylates/C10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer, sodium hydroxide, chlorphenesin, benzyl alcohol
 

 Emollients water, cetyl esters, glyceryl dilaurate, lanolin oil 
 Emulsifiers cetearyl alcohol, cetyl alcohol, ceteareth-20, lanolin oil, acrylates/C10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer
 Fragrances fragrance
 Humectants glycerin
 Occlusives lanolin oil, dimethicone
 pH Adjusters sodium hydroxide
 Preservatives alcohol denat. , chlorphenesin, benzyl alcohol
 Solvents water, alcohol denat., benzyl alcohol

 

Lotion two: ingredients and their function
Ingredients as listed on the product: water, glycerin, alcohol denat., cetearyl alcohol, stearic acid, glyceryl dilaurate, dimethicone, cetyl esters, lanolin oil, fragrance, DMDM hydantoin, methylparaben, arginine, sodium hydroxide, propylparaben, acrylates/C 10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer, tocopheryl acetate (Vitamin E)
 

 Emollients water, glyceryl dilaurate, cetyl esters, lanolin oil, arginine, tocopheryl acetate (Vitamin E)
 Emulsifiers cetearyl alcohol, stearic acid, lanolin oil, acrylates/C 10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer
 Fragrances fragrance
 Humectants glycerin
 Occlusives dimethicone, lanolin oil, tocopheryl acetate (Vitamin E)
 pH Adjusters sodium hydroxide
 Preservatives alcohol denat. , DMDM hydantoin, methylparaben, Propylparaben
 Solvents water, alcohol denat.,

 


Let’s compare two lotions marketed for skin protection properties.

 

Due to the health claims made by the manufacturers, these lotions are considered over-the-counter (OTC) drugs by the U.S. Food Drug Administration (FDA) and must be labeled in the same way as other OTC products (e.g., medications, sunscreen, etc.) are labeled. The labeling includes calling out an active ingredient as well as the inactive ingredients that make up the product.

Lotion three: ingredients and their function
Active Ingredient: dimethicone 1.2% (skin protectant)
 
Inactive ingredients: water, glycerin, distearyldimonium chloride, petrolatum, isopropyl palmitate, cetyl alcohol, avena sativa (oat) kernel flour, benzyl alcohol, sodium chloride
 

 Emollients water, distearyldimonium chloride, isopropyl palmitate, cetyl alcohol, avena sativa (oat) kernel flour
 Emulsifiers cetyl alcohol
 Fragrances 
 Humectants glycerin, avena sativa (oat) kernel flour
 Occlusives dimethicone, petrolatum, avena sativa (oat) kernel flour
 pH Adjusters 
 Preservatives benzyl alcohol, sodium chloride
 Solvents water, benzyl alcohol, sodium chloride

Lotion four: ingredients and their function
Active ingredient: Dimethicone 1. 3% (skin protectant)
 
Inactive ingredients: water, glycerin, distearyldimonium chloride, petrolatum, isopropyl palmitate, cetyl alcohol, avena sativa (oat) kernel flour, benzyl alcohol, sodium chloride
 

 Emollients water, distearyldimonium chloride, isopropyl palmitate, cetyl alcohol, avena sativa (oat) kernel flour
 Emulsifiers cetyl alcohol
 Fragrances 
 Humectants glycerin, avena sativa (oat) kernel flour
 Occlusives dimethicone, petrolatum, avena sativa (oat) kernel flour
 pH Adjusters 
 Preservatives benzyl alcohol, sodium chloride 
 Solvents water, benzyl alcohol, sodium chloride

 


What does it all mean?Breaking down the label, we can see the products are formulated to help our skin retain moisture and even protect skin, maintain a consistency that can easily spread and absorb into our skin without separating, remain free from potentially harmful pathogens, and, sometimes, smell nice too.  
 
It takes many ingredients working together in specific quantities to safely create the lotions and cosmetics we use and trust. Understanding that each ingredient serves a purpose and then learning the ingredient’s function, we can make the best decision to fit our personal needs.

We can also see that ingredients are often comparable between brands. If we look at the label, we can make decisions based on the product’s ingredients rather than branding.
 

Where can I get more information?

You can learn general cosmetic safety information at https://cosmeticsinfo.org.
 
You can view in-depth cosmetic ingredient safety information and reports at https://www.cir-safety.org/ingredients

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