Photo Focus Concealer

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

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

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.

A synthetic emollient with properties similar to silicones, used for a smooth skin feel. Inert and not absorbed through intact skin, with no documented safety concerns in cosmetic formulations.

A naturally occurring mineral silicate that adds shimmer and light-diffusing properties to cosmetics. Cosmetic-grade mica is well tolerated and should be free of asbestos and talc contamination.

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

A silicone-based conditioning agent that adds smoothness and soft feel to formulas. Silicones in cosmetics are not absorbed by the skin and rinse cleanly, making them well-tolerated for most users.

A polyol ester emulsifier that stabilizes water-in-oil and oil-in-water emulsions with minimal irritation. Like other polyglyceryl esters, it is valued for its mildness and is used across a range of skincare and color cosmetics.

Hexyl Laurate is an ester of hexyl alcohol and lauric acid used as a light, fast spreading emollient that gives creams and makeup a silky, non greasy finish. CIR reviewed it within a group of 237 alkyl esters and found low potential for acute toxicity, irritation, and sensitization when products are formulated to be nonirritating.

A derived emulsifier made from sorbitol and oleic acid, used to help blend oil and water-based ingredients. Sorbitan esters are assessed as safe in cosmetics by the CIR, though people with sensitive skin or known sensitivities to oleic acid should patch test before broad application.

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 mineral thickener and anti-caking agent widely used in sunscreens and cosmetics to control texture and prevent ingredient separation. CIR has reviewed silica in cosmetic use and found no basis for concern at the levels used topically.

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 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 lightweight, silicone-like emollient derived from coconut/palm fatty alcohols, used to give lotions a smoother, less greasy feel. Listed in the EU CosIng database as a skin-conditioning agent with no restrictions.

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

Isostearic Acid is a branched fatty acid used as an emollient and co-emulsifier that gives lotions and creams a lighter, less waxy feel than straight-chain fatty acids. CIR's review found no irritation or sensitization in human patch testing with the undiluted acid and no photosensitization at 35% concentration under UVA and UVB exposure, and the panel reaffirmed that finding after a later look at newer data.

Caprylyl glycol is a plant-derived humectant that also has mild antimicrobial properties, so it is commonly paired with other preservatives to allow lower overall preservative levels. Available data do not point to meaningful irritation or sensitization concerns at typical use levels.

Propylene carbonate is a small, high-boiling solvent used to dissolve other ingredients and thin out formulas in products like lipstick, eyeshadow, and mascara. Undiluted material caused moderate skin irritation in testing, but at the concentrations actually used in finished products (generally under 20%), CIR's panel found it at most moderately irritating and reaffirmed it safe as used, with no meaningful sensitization or photoirritation seen.

This small glycol is used to thin out formulas and help preservatives work better, similar in role to propylene glycol and butylene glycol already in wide use. Industry and EU safety reviewers have set purity and concentration conditions for its use rather than restricting it outright, and no consumer-relevant hazard has been established at typical cosmetic levels.

A glycerin derivative used as a skin conditioner and preservative booster, often paired with phenoxyethanol to allow lower total preservative levels. It has a low irritation and sensitization profile in safety reviews.

A synthetic polymer used to thicken and stabilize water-based formulas like gels and serums. It provides texture and suspension of particles without interfering with skin feel. Well established in cosmetics.

Sodium dehydroacetate is a preservative that fights bacteria and fungi in water-based formulas, typically used alongside other preservatives at up to 0.6% (as the acid) and not permitted in aerosol sprays. CIR's panel has reaffirmed since 1985 that it's safe as used, based on it being practically nonirritating and nonsensitizing across many clinical tests, though the panel has also noted a small number of published hypersensitivity case reports set against very widespread use.

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 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.

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 corn-derived solvent and humectant that has largely replaced propylene glycol in "clean" formulas; CIR reviewed the alkane diol group and found use concentrations up to about 40 percent in leave-on products like deodorant sticks with no meaningful irritation signal.

Dimethiconol is a silicone emollient closely related to dimethicone, used to add slip and a smooth finish to creams and serums. It shares dimethicone's long-standing safety record and is considered non-sensitizing and non-comedogenic in typical use.

A preservative derived from caprylic acid (coconut-sourced) with antimicrobial activity that supports formula stability. Available data support its use at cosmetic concentrations.

Chamomile extract is used for its soothing and mild antioxidant reputation and is generally well tolerated. It belongs to the Asteraceae (Compositae) plant family, so people with a known ragweed or daisy-family allergy occasionally react to it and may want to patch test first.

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.