Creme

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

A highly refined, purified oil that forms a light protective layer to slow water loss from skin. Cosmetic-grade mineral oil goes through purification steps that remove the contaminants associated with crude petroleum, and CIR has found it safe as used.

A time-tested occlusive that seals in moisture and helps damaged skin heal, widely used in dermatology for wound care. Cosmetic-grade petrolatum must meet purity standards that remove the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons found in crude sources, and it is considered one of the most effective and well-studied barrier ingredients available.

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

A wax-alcohol fraction of sheep's wool grease valued as a rich emollient. It is a recognized contact allergen in a minority of users, most often people with already-compromised skin barriers such as leg ulcers or chronic eczema, though most people use lanolin-based products without any reaction.

A soothing humectant that helps skin and hair look conditioned. Very well tolerated.

A fatty alcohol emollient that softens and conditions skin. The CIR Expert Panel concluded it is safe as used in cosmetics, with this determination originally made in 1985 and reaffirmed in 2006.

Used in tiny amounts to set a product to skin-friendly pH. No concern at those levels.

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.