Shower gel
Uploaded by: marji on
Ingredients overview
Aqua, Coco-Glucoside, Sodium Coco-Sulfate, Parfum*, Sodium Chloride, Glycerin, Glyceryl Oleate, Cinnamomum Camphora Linalooliferum Wood Oil*, Pogostemon Cablin Leaf Oil*, Tocopherol, Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate, Levulinic Acid, Sodium Levulinate, Sodium Anisate, Linalool*, Limonene*, Citral*, Lactic Acid, Citric Acid
Read more on how to read an ingredient list >>
Highlights
#alcohol-free
Alcohol Free
Key Ingredients
Antioxidant: Tocopherol
Exfoliant: Lactic Acid
Skin-identical ingredient: Glycerin
Other Ingredients
Antimicrobial/antibacterial: Sodium Anisate
Buffering: Lactic Acid, Citric Acid
Emollient: Glyceryl Oleate, Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate
Emulsifying: Sodium Coco-Sulfate, Glyceryl Oleate
Moisturizer/humectant: Glycerin, Lactic Acid
Perfuming: Parfum*, Glyceryl Oleate, Cinnamomum Camphora Linalooliferum Wood Oil*, Pogostemon Cablin Leaf Oil*, Levulinic Acid, Linalool*, Limonene*, Citral*
Solvent: Aqua, Limonene*
Surfactant/cleansing: Coco-Glucoside, Sodium Coco-Sulfate
Viscosity controlling: Sodium Chloride
Skim through
Ingredient name | what-it-does | irr., com. | ID-Rating |
---|---|---|---|
Aqua | solvent | ||
Coco-Glucoside | surfactant/cleansing | ||
Sodium Coco-Sulfate | surfactant/cleansing, emulsifying | ||
Parfum* | perfuming | icky | |
Sodium Chloride | viscosity controlling | ||
Glycerin | skin-identical ingredient, moisturizer/humectant | 0, 0 | superstar |
Glyceryl Oleate | emollient, emulsifying, perfuming | ||
Cinnamomum Camphora Linalooliferum Wood Oil* | perfuming | ||
Pogostemon Cablin Leaf Oil* | perfuming | ||
Tocopherol | antioxidant | 0-3, 0-3 | goodie |
Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate | emollient | ||
Levulinic Acid | perfuming | ||
Sodium Levulinate | |||
Sodium Anisate | antimicrobial/antibacterial | ||
Linalool* | perfuming | icky | |
Limonene* | perfuming, solvent | icky | |
Citral* | perfuming | icky | |
Lactic Acid | exfoliant, moisturizer/humectant, buffering | superstar | |
Citric Acid | buffering |
Happy Earth Douchegel Lemon Sandalwood 3 In 1
Ingredients explainedAqua
Also-called: Water | What-it-does: solvent
Good 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.
It’s mainly a solvent for ingredients that do not like to dissolve in oils but rather in water.
Once inside the skin, it hydrates, but not from the outside - putting pure water on the skin (hello long baths!) is drying.
One more thing: the water used in cosmetics is purified and deionized (it means that almost all of the mineral ions inside it is removed). Like this, the products can stay more stable over time.
Coco-Glucoside
What-it-does: surfactant/cleansing
A vegetable origin (coconut/palm kernel oil, glucose) cleansing agent that givesmoderate to high stable foam. It's also biodegradable and mild to the skin.
Sodium Coco-Sulfate
What-it-does: surfactant/cleansing, emulsifying
We don't have description for this ingredient yet.
Parfum* - icky
Also-called: Fragrance, Parfum;Parfum/Fragrance | What-it-does: perfuming
Exactly what it sounds: nice smelling stuff put into cosmetic products so that the end product also smells nice. Fragrance in the US and parfum in the EU is a generic term on the ingredient list that is made up of 30 to 50 chemicals on average (but it can have as much as 200 components!).
If you are someone who likes to know what you put on your face then fragrance is not your best friend - there's no way to know what’s really in it.
Also, if your skin is sensitive, fragrance is again not your best friend. It’s the number one cause of contact allergy to cosmetics. It’s definitely a smart thing to avoid with sensitive skin (and fragrance of any type - natural is just as allergic as synthetic, if not worse!).
Sodium Chloride
Also-called: Salt | What-it-does: viscosity controlling
Sodium chloride is the fancy name of salt. Normal, everyday table salt.
If (similar to us) you are in the weird habit of reading the label on your shower gel while taking a shower, you might have noticed that sodium chloride is almost always on the ingredient list. The reason for this is that salt acts as a fantastic thickener in cleansing formulas created with ionic cleansing agents(aka surfactants) such as Sodium Laureth Sulfate. A couple of percents (typically 1-3%) turns a runny surfactant solution into a nice gel texture.
If you are into chemistry (if not, we understand, just skip this paragraph), the reason is that electrolytes (you know, the Na+ and Cl- ions) screen the electrostatic repulsion between the head groups of ionic surfactants and thus support the formation of long shaped micelles (instead of spherical ones) that entangle like spaghetti, and viola, a gel is formed. However, too much of it causes the phenomenon called "salting out", and the surfactant solution goes runny again.
Other than that, salt also works as an emulsion stabilizer inwater-in-oil emulsions, that is when water droplets are dispersed in the outer oil (or silicone) phase. And last but not least, when salt is right at the first spot of the ingredient list (and is not dissolved), the product is usually a body scrub where salt is thephysical exfoliating agent.
Glycerin - superstar
Also-called: Glycerol | What-it-does: skin-identical ingredient, moisturizer/humectant | Irritancy: 0 | Comedogenicity: 0
- 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
- Effective from as low as 3% with even more benefits for dry skin at higher concentrations up to 20-40%
- High-glycerin moisturizers are awesome for treating severely dry skin
Read all the geeky details about Glycerin here >>
Glyceryl Oleate
What-it-does: emollient, emulsifying, perfuming
The attachment of glycerin andoleic 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.
Cinnamomum Camphora Linalooliferum Wood Oil*
What-it-does: perfuming
We don't have description for this ingredient yet.
Pogostemon Cablin Leaf Oil*
Also-called: Patchouli Essential Oil;Pogostemon Cablin Leaf Oil | What-it-does: perfuming
If you are into perfumes, you must know patchouli as an important essential oil in the perfume industry. It boasts a pleasant woody, earthy and camphoraceousscent andhas fixative properties (makes the fragrance long-lasting).
Its composition is pretty unique: it does not contain any of the EU's 26 most common fragrance allergens, but its most important components are patchoulol (30%) and alpha-patchoulene (6%) which areresponsiblefor its aroma and antifungal properties.
Among essential oils, the allergen profile of patchouli counts as pretty good (much better than ylang-ylang or lemongrass oils), but if your skin is sensitive, it's still best to avoid it.
Tocopherol - goodie
Also-called: Vitamin E | What-it-does: antioxidant | Irritancy: 0-3 | Comedogenicity: 0-3
- Primary fat-soluble antioxidant in our skin
- Significant photoprotection against UVB rays
- Vit C + Vit E work in synergy and provide great photoprotection
- Has emollient properties
- Easy to formulate, stable and relatively inexpensive
Read all the geeky details about Tocopherol here >>
Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate
What-it-does: emollient
We don't have description for this ingredient yet.
Levulinic Acid
What-it-does: perfuming
We don't have description for this ingredient yet.
Sodium Levulinate
We don't have description for this ingredient yet.
Sodium Anisate
What-it-does: antimicrobial/antibacterial
We don't have description for this ingredient yet.
Linalool* - icky
What-it-does: perfuming, deodorant
Linalool is a super common fragrance ingredient. It’s kind of everywhere - both in plants and in cosmetic products. It’s part of 200 natural oils including lavender, ylang-ylang, bergamot, jasmine, geranium and it can be found in 90-95% of prestige perfumes on the market.
The problem with linalool is, that just like limoneneit oxidises on air exposure and becomes allergenic. That’s why a product containing linalool that has been opened for several months is more likely to be allergenic than a fresh one.
A study made in the UK with 483 people tested the allergic reaction to 3% oxidised linalool and 2.3% had positive test results.
Limonene* - icky
What-it-does: perfuming, solvent, deodorant
A supercommon and cheap fragrance ingredient. It's in many plants, e.g. rosemary, eucalyptus, lavender, lemongrass, peppermint and it's the main component (about 50-90%) of the peel oil of citrus fruits.
It does smellnice but the problemis that it oxidizes on air exposure and the resulting stuff is not good for the skin. Oxidizedlimonene cancause allergic contact dermatitis and counts asa frequent skin sensitizer.
Limonene's nr1 function is definitely being a fragrance component, but there are several studies showing that it's also a penetration enhancer, mainly for oil-loving components.
All in all, limonene has some pros and cons, but - especially if your skin is sensitive -the cons probably outweigh the pros.
Citral* - icky
What-it-does: perfuming
It’s a common fragrance ingredient that smells like lemon and has a bittersweet taste. It can be found in many plant oils, e.g. lemon, orange, lime or lemongrass.
It’s one of the “EU 26 fragrances” that has to be labelled separately (and cannot be simply included in the term “fragrance/perfume” on the label) because of allergen potential. Best to avoid if your skin is sensitive.
Lactic Acid - superstar
What-it-does: exfoliant, moisturizer/humectant, buffering
- It’s the second most researched AHA after glycolic acid
- It gently lifts off dead skin cells to reveal newer, fresher, smoother skin
- It also has amazing skin hydrating properties
- In higher concentration (10% and up) it improves skin firmness, thickness and wrinkles
- Choose a product where you know the concentration and pH value because these two greatly influence effectiveness
- Don’t forget to use your sunscreen (in any case but especially so next to an AHA product)
Read all the geeky details about Lactic Acid here >>
Citric Acid
What-it-does: buffering
Citric acid comes from citrus fruits and is an AHA. If these magic three letters don’t tell you anything, click here and read our detailed description on glycolic acid, the most famous AHA.
So citric acid is an exfoliant, that can - just like other AHAs - gently lift off the dead skin cells of your skin and make it more smooth and fresh.
There is also some research showing that citric acid with regular use (think three monthsand 20% concentration) can help sun-damaged skin, increase skin thickness and some nice hydrating things called glycosaminoglycans in the skin.
But according to a comparative study done in 1995, citric acid has less skin improving magic properties than glycolic or lactic acid. Probably that’s why citric acid is usually not used as an exfoliant but more as a helper ingredient in small amounts to adjust the pH of a formulation.
You may also want to take a look at...
Normal (well kind of - it's purified and deionized) water. Usually the main solvent in cosmetic products. [more] A vegetable origin (coconut/palm kernel oil, glucose) cleansing agent that givesmoderate to high stable foam. It's also biodegradable and mild to the skin. The generic term for nice smelling stuff put into cosmetic products so that the end product also smells nice. It is made up of 30 to 50 chemicals on average. [more] Sodium chloride is the fancy name of salt. Normal, everyday table salt.If (similar to us) you are in the weird habit of reading the label on your shower gel while taking a shower, you might have noticed that sodium chloride is almost always on the ingredient list. [more] A real oldie but a goodie. Great natural moisturizer and skin-identical ingredient that plays an important role in skin hydration and general skin health. [more] The attachment of glycerin andoleic 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. [more] Patchouli essential oil that has a woody, earthy and camphoraceousscent and also has fixative properties. Also has fixative and antifungal properties. [more] Pure Vitamin E. Great antioxidant that gives significant photoprotection against UVB rays. Works in synergy with Vitamin C. [more] A super common fragrance ingredient that can be found among others in lavender, ylang-ylang, bergamot or jasmine. The downside of it is that it oxidises on air exposure and might become allergenic. [more] A supercommon fragrance ingredient found naturally in many plants including citrus peel oils, rosemary or lavender. It autoxidizes on air exposure and counts as a common skin sensitizer. [more] A common fragrance ingredient that smells like lemon. [more] A superstar AHA that not only exfoliates skin but is also a very good moisturizer. In higher concentration (10% and up) it can even improve skin firmness, thickness, and wrinkles. [more] An AHA that comes from citrus fruits. It is usually used as a helper ingredient to adjust the pH of the formula. [more] what‑it‑does solvent what‑it‑does surfactant/cleansing what‑it‑does surfactant/cleansing | emulsifying what‑it‑does perfuming what‑it‑does viscosity controlling what‑it‑does skin-identical ingredient | moisturizer/humectant irritancy,com. 0, 0 what‑it‑does emollient | emulsifying | perfuming what‑it‑does perfuming what‑it‑does perfuming what‑it‑does antioxidant irritancy,com. 0-3, 0-3 what‑it‑does emollient what‑it‑does perfuming what‑it‑does antimicrobial/antibacterial what‑it‑does perfuming what‑it‑does perfuming | solvent what‑it‑does perfuming what‑it‑does exfoliant | moisturizer/humectant | buffering what‑it‑does buffering