Kind to Skin Moisturising Facial Wash

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

A common foaming cleanser, milder than SLS. Fine for most people in a rinse-off product.

Another sugar-and-fatty-alcohol derived non-ionic surfactant, structurally close to coco-glucoside but made from a shorter (decyl, C10) fatty chain. It is a gentle cleanser generally well tolerated, though a small number of contact-allergy case reports exist, mostly in people with pre-existing skin conditions.

A coconut-derived amphoteric surfactant used to boost foam and mildness in cleansers and shampoos. CIR has reviewed it as safe as used, but it is one of the more established contact-allergy triggers in personal care, usually traced to manufacturing impurities such as amidoamine and dimethylaminopropylamine (DMAPA) rather than the betaine itself. People with a history of eyelid or scalp dermatitis are more likely to react.

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.

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 non-ionic emulsifier and surfactant derived from coconut oil and glycerin. Used in leave-on and rinse-off products to stabilize formulations and aid in cleansing.

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

A more stable, esterified form of vitamin E used as an antioxidant and skin-conditioning ingredient. It is a different substance from the vitamin E acetate implicated in vaping-related lung injury, which involved inhaling the oil, not applying it topically to skin.

A soothing, skin-conditioning compound (also found in comfrey root) commonly added to calm and hydrate irritated or sensitive skin. It has a long history of safe use with very low irritation potential.

Bisabolol is a botanically derived (or synthetically nature-identical) compound used for its calming, anti-irritant reputation in sensitive-skin formulas. Safety reviews and long clinical use have found it well tolerated with a low rate of reported reactions.

A wax-like ester of ethylene glycol and stearic acid used purely to thicken shampoo/conditioner and give it a pearly opaque look; it has no cleansing or active role. CIR found it non-sensitizing and non-irritating even at high test concentrations, and decades of manufacturer exposure data show no reported health effects.

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.

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

A polyethylene glycol ether of lauryl alcohol, used as a mild surfactant and emulsifier in cleansers and other rinse-off products. CIR assessments support the safety of laureth surfactants in cosmetics, and they are often chosen for their mildness.

A coconut-derived fatty acid amide used as a foam booster and thickener in shampoos and washes. It is a recognized, if uncommon, contact sensitizer, and because it belongs to the same ethanolamine family reviewed alongside cocamide DEA, formulators are advised to keep it free of nitrosamine-forming contaminants; well-made products with controlled impurity levels are considered acceptable for rinse-off 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.