Cosmetics
The bridge between perfume and the household. The same fragrance substances as in perfume are in creams, shampoos and soaps – alongside dozens of functional ingredients.
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Face
A face cream is usually an emulsion of water and oils. The typical order on the label: water, humectants (glycerine, butylene glycol), emollients and oils, emulsifiers and thickeners (cetearyl alcohol), active ingredients, preservative, parfum.
Entries in the encyclopaedia: Glycerin, Niacinamide, Sodium Hyaluronate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol
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Body
Body lotions and shower gels carry fragrance over a large area of skin. A gel is rinsed off (allergen threshold 0.01%); a lotion stays on the skin (0.001%).
Entries in the encyclopaedia: Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Dimethicone, Parfum
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Hair
Shampoo cleans with surfactants and is often thickened with ordinary salt. Conditioner works the other way round – cationic substances and silicones bind to the hair and smooth it.
Entries in the encyclopaedia: Sodium Chloride, Panthenol, Dimethicone
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Soaps
Traditional soap is made by saponifying fats and oils with an alkali – it consists of sodium or potassium salts of fatty acids, and its solution is alkaline. Many “soaps” in the shops, however, are syndets: solid or liquid products made with synthetic surfactants.
Entries in the encyclopaedia: Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Glycerin
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Deodorants
A deodorant suppresses odour and masks it with fragrance; an antiperspirant also contains aluminium salts that reduce sweating. Both are leave-on products, so the 0.001% allergen threshold applies.
Entries in the encyclopaedia: Alcohol Denat., Farnesol, Parfum
In preparation
- Sunscreens and UV filters
- Preservatives in cosmetics: an overview of Annex V
- Essential oils in cosmetics: natural does not mean allergen-free
- Fragrance in children’s cosmetics