Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation

A silicone that gives a smooth, soft feel and helps hold water in the skin. Inert and well studied.

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

A silicone with phenyl groups that provides conditioning and a refined feel in foundations and color cosmetics. It is inert and well tolerated across skin types.

A humectant that draws water into the skin. One of the best-studied, best-tolerated ingredients in personal care.

A silicone-based powder used to improve texture and slip in formulas. It is lightweight, absorbs excess moisture, and provides smooth application. Well studied in cosmetics with no skin safety concerns.

A silicone emulsifier combining polyethylene glycol and dimethicone to help blend water and oil phases in serums and primers. Limited but consistent data support its safety in cosmetic formulations.

A crosslinked silicone polymer that creates a velvety texture in primers and powders. The crosslinked structure does not change its safety profile, and it is inert and well tolerated.

A lightweight, volatile silicone that gives serums and primers their silky slip and quick-evaporating finish. Human safety data are reassuring; the EU restriction on this ingredient in rinse-off products is about environmental persistence in waterways, not skin safety.

Trimethylsiloxysilicate is a silicone resin built from trimethylsiloxy and silicate units, used in makeup and skin and hair products to form a light, flexible film that adds body, wear, and a soft-focus finish. CIR's expert panel reviewed clinical and animal data on this and related silylates and concluded the ingredient is safe as used, provided the finished product is formulated so it isn't irritating to the eyes or respiratory tract when it's inhaled as a fine powder or aerosol.

An ester oil used as an emollient and texture enhancer. The CIR Expert Panel assessed alkyl PEG/PPG ethers as safe in current cosmetic practices when formulated to be non-irritating. Its larger molecular structure limits skin penetration.

A naturally occurring mineral used as a powder filler to impart smoothness and soft-focus texture in cosmetics. It is inert, non-absorbed, and poses no known irritation or sensitization concerns at cosmetic use levels.

A lightweight humectant and solvent similar in role to propylene glycol, used to carry actives and give lotions a lighter feel. CIR has reviewed it and considers it safe as used in cosmetics.

A hydrating botanical extract from apple fruit, rich in polysaccharides and flavonoids. It conditions and softens skin and is generally well tolerated in cosmetic formulations.

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

Sodium PCA is a natural component of skin's own moisturizing factor and is used in cosmetics as a humectant to help skin hold onto water. It has an extensive history of safe use with no meaningful irritation or sensitization signal.

The sodium salt of lactic acid and a key component of the skin barrier and natural moisturizing factor that attracts water to the skin. It is well established as a safe and effective humectant with no known hazards at cosmetic concentrations.

An amino acid derived emulsifier made from stearic acid and glutamic acid that is increasingly used in natural and clean formulations. It is mild, biodegradable, and presents no known safety concerns for cosmetic use.

A light synthetic emollient that gives creams a smooth, non-greasy slip, a common alternative to mineral oil in Korean formulas. It sits on the skin surface and is graded low concern in published assessments.

A multi-ester emollient created from pentaerythritol and ethylhexanoic acid. It provides silky texture and skin conditioning with no documented safety concerns at cosmetic concentrations.

A synthetic antioxidant approved in the EU and used at low levels to prevent product degradation and extend shelf life. Not absorbed through skin and presents no safety concern in cosmetic formulations.

A long-chain fatty acid with 22 carbons, used to thicken and stabilize lotions and creams. CIR has reviewed fatty acids and found them safe for cosmetic use. It is similar to stearic acid and is a standard emulsifier in skincare formulations.

A naturally occurring fatty acid (also made in the body and found in many foods) used to thicken lotions and help stabilize cleansing bars. It is one of the most well-studied emollient ingredients and is not a meaningful irritant at cosmetic use levels.

A fatty alcohol derived from stearic acid that thickens creams and gives them a smooth, non-greasy glide. It is one of the fatty alcohols the CIR panel reviewed together and found safe as used, with a very low reported rate of contact sensitization.

A long-chain fatty alcohol used to thicken and stabilize creams and soften skin. It is a waxy emollient, not a drying solvent, and is graded low concern in published assessments.

A quaternized clay mineral used to thicken and suspend products. CIR found it safe as used, though the mineral base means trace amounts of inhalable silica particles exist if the powder form is aerosolized. It is well tolerated in leave-on and rinse-off cosmetics when formulated properly.

A silane used to improve texture and conditioning properties in leave-on cosmetics. It is hydrolyzed during formulation and creates silicone-like benefits; well tolerated at standard use levels.

Barium sulfate is a white, insoluble mineral pigment (CI 77120) used as an opacifier and colorant in makeup and other cosmetics. CIR's expert panel reviewed its safety, drawing on its long history of safe use as a medical imaging contrast agent, and concluded it's safe as used at up to 37% in leave-on products and 0.99% in rinse-off products, while noting that formulas should be kept nonirritating since sulfate salts in general have irritation potential.

An inert mineral oxide used as a filler and opacifying agent in color cosmetics. It is an FDA-approved colorant with a well-established safety record in cosmetic formulations.

A mineral pigment used to add opacity and soft-focus effects in cosmetics. FDA-approved for cosmetic use and graded low concern in published safety assessments.

Used like sodium hydroxide to adjust pH in cosmetics at very low levels. At finished-product pH, it is neutralized and well tolerated.

A widely used preservative, safe at the legal limit of 1% or less. Often the "paraben-free" replacement.

The sodium salt of benzoic acid, used as a preservative in both foods and cosmetics. Decades of safety review support its use at typical cosmetic concentrations, with mild irritation the main reported issue in sensitive skin.

A widely used, gentle preservative also common in food. It is generally well tolerated, though it can occasionally cause mild, transient irritation in people with already-compromised or very reactive skin.

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.

Mineral pigments used to add color to cosmetics. Iron oxides are FDA-approved colorants with a well-established safety record in cosmetic formulations.