Waso Clear Mega-Hydrating Cream

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

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

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.

A light, low-odor glycol used as a solvent and humectant, extremely common in Korean toners and essences. It has a low reported irritation rate and is graded low concern in published assessments.

A fast-evaporating solvent used to carry actives and give toners a light, "clean" feel; at the concentrations used in classic astringents it can be genuinely drying or irritating with repeated use, especially on dry or compromised skin, though it is not inherently toxic and is a normal, well-studied cosmetic ingredient.

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

A sugar alcohol humectant that draws water into the skin to support hydration. Erythritol is also used in food products and has a strong history of safety in both food and cosmetic use, with no meaningful irritation signals.

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 disaccharide sugar that acts as a humectant, drawing moisture into the skin and helping prevent dryness. It is well tolerated and commonly found in skincare formulas designed to support skin barrier health.

Ordinary salt, used in surfactant-based products like shampoos and body washes to adjust viscosity by interacting with the surfactant micelles. It has no meaningful toxicity concern at cosmetic use levels; the main practical downside is that too much can make a formula feel less mild.

A humectant naturally derived from sugar beets that helps skin draw in and hold water; it has a long history of safe use with no meaningful irritation or sensitization concerns.

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

A widely used UVB chemical filter with a long safety record at US-approved concentrations. Some lab and animal studies have raised questions about hormone activity and coral reef impact, which is why a few jurisdictions cap or restrict it, but human-relevant risk at labeled use levels is considered low by regulators.

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 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.

An ester that combines cetyl alcohol with ethylhexanoic acid, serving as an emollient. It softens skin and is well tolerated in cosmetics.

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.

A citrus-scented fragrance component. Fine for most, but it oxidizes over time into a known contact allergen, so it must be labelled in the EU.

A jasmine-like fragrance compound frequently used in soaps and lotions. It is one of the 26 EU-designated fragrance allergens, though studies suggest its sensitization potency is comparatively low relative to other listed allergens.

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 fragrance fixative and solvent found naturally in balsams and used to help scents last longer. It is one of the 26 EU-designated fragrance allergens, with documented but uncommon contact sensitization.

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

A small-dose synthetic antioxidant that prevents oils and fragrance in a formula from oxidizing. Not shown to pose a toxicological risk at the levels used in cosmetics.

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

A naturally occurring acid used to preserve and adjust pH in cosmetic formulas. It is generally recognized as safe at cosmetic use levels, with mild irritation possible on broken or very sensitive skin at higher concentrations.