Anti-Stress Clay Mask

The base most products are built on. It carries the other ingredients and has no safety concern.

A naturally mined clay used in masks to absorb oil and give a tightening, drying feel. It is generally well tolerated on skin; the main real-world caution is sourcing, since unregulated raw clays have occasionally tested with elevated heavy metal content, so buying from a brand that tests each batch matters more than the ingredient itself.

A mild white clay that absorbs excess oil and lightly buffs the skin surface in wash-off masks; it is well tolerated across skin types and rinses away cleanly.

A small humectant and solvent molecule that helps other ingredients dissolve and helps skin hold water. It is one of the most studied cosmetic ingredients and is considered safe at the concentrations used in personal care products.

Lavender essential oil naturally contains linalool, geraniol, and coumarin, several of the recognized fragrance allergen constituents, so it can trigger contact reactions in fragrance-sensitive users even though it is a "natural" ingredient. It is not a general hazard for most people, but those with a known fragrance allergy should treat it like any other essential oil.

An antioxidant that helps protect a formula and condition skin. Well tolerated.

A lightweight, odorless emollient made by combining coconut or palm-derived fatty acids with glycerin. It spreads easily, feels non-greasy, and has a long history of use in skin and hair products with no meaningful irritation or sensitization signal.

A mineral clay-like absorbent used in powder formulations and dry textures to control oil and provide body. It is widely used in cosmetics, though inhalation of powder particles should be minimized during application.

A mineral UV filter and white pigment used in sunscreens and makeup. It sits on the skin surface rather than being absorbed, and major regulators consider it safe for topical cosmetic use.

A chelating agent that binds trace metal ions to keep formulas stable and preservatives working properly. It is not a functional skincare "active" and only a very small amount is used, with minimal skin penetration expected.

A synthetic gelling and stabilizing polymer that gives lotions and gels their smooth, cushiony texture. The large molecule stays on the skin surface rather than penetrating, and it is graded low concern in published assessments.

A formaldehyde-releasing preservative that slowly gives off small amounts of formaldehyde to keep bacteria and mold from growing in the bottle. CIR set a maximum use level of 0.5%, at which released formaldehyde stays under generally accepted skin-safety thresholds, but people with a formaldehyde or fragrance-mix contact allergy sometimes react to it and may want to avoid the ingredient regardless of the low dose.

A preservative that keeps products free of mold and bacteria. Reviewed repeatedly and considered safe at the low levels used.

A member of the paraben family used to prevent microbial growth in cosmetics. Like methylparaben, it has been reviewed extensively and found safe at the concentrations used in leave-on and rinse-off products.

Methylchloroisothiazolinone is typically used together with methylisothiazolinone in a 3:1 mix and is a well-documented skin sensitizer at higher rates than most preservatives. EU rules now restrict this combination to rinse-off products only, at a low maximum concentration.

A preservative that caused a wave of contact allergy in the 2010s. The EU banned it from leave-on products and tightly limits it in rinse-off ones. A genuine concern, not a myth.

An undisclosed scent blend that can contain dozens of components. The single most common cause of cosmetic contact allergy, and the blend is not itemized, so you cannot see what is in it.

Butylphenyl methylpropional, widely sold under the trade name Lilial, was banned from cosmetics in the EU starting March 2022 after being classified as toxic to reproduction based on animal studies. Products made and sold in the EU after that date should no longer contain it.

A floral fragrance component and one of the EU-labelled fragrance allergens. Usually fine, worth watching if you react to scented products.