What’s in Your Top Cosmetic Products?

The next time you are out at the beauty aisle for cosmetic products, you may want to know just what ingredients are in them so you can choose the best option.  

If you want to find out why you haven't been able to get the results that you want from your cosmetic products. Then you may want to check the ingredients in them. There are many different types of cosmetics on the market. The ingredients list is located on the back of the product, usually in small print at the bottom or side of the packaging. All have their own advantages and disadvantages.

Shampoos and soaps

Shampoo and soap are common, often-fragranced cosmetic products that clean the skin. They have surfactants (surface-active agents). Surfactants are molecules that have both fat-soluble and water-soluble parts, otherwise known as "lipophilic" and "hydrophilic".

The soap or shampoo's lipophilic component adheres to oil and dirt. While the hydrophilic component aids in the release of trapped particles in the skin so that they can be washed away. Laundry detergents function in a similar manner. With harsher ingredients that increase their effectiveness when used on tough materials. As a result, using these detergents on your skin or hair can cause irritation.

Lipsticks

Lipsticks are also hydrophilic. Wax combined with castor oil, beeswax, and water is used in lipstick products. The mixture creates a viscous, water-soluble substance that is easily maneuvered on lips. The lipophilic ingredients in lipstick cause it to stick on your lips, even when they are wet.

Other lipsticks will have a dye in them that reacts to amino acids on the top layer of the skin. This makes the product appear blue or green in the container and change to red when applied to the lips. Because of its lipophilic properties, lipstick won’t dissolve on the lips when exposed to saliva or liquid from drinks

Moisturizers

Dry skin is caused by a lack of water on the top layer of the skin. This happens when dead skin cells occur faster than the living cells can absorb moisture in the skin. When the skin becomes dry and scaly, moisturizers can help. Humectant moisturizers can assist by preventing further water loss, known as occlusion.

Occlusive moisturizers form a waterproof layer over the skin to reduce moisture and allow the body's natural rehydration process to occur. It prevents water loss by adding hydrophilic property-boosting substances to the skin. Such as, alpha-hydroxy acids or glycerin that add moisture to the top layer of skin.