yavuzyilmaz/cosmetic-ingredients huggingface dataset:
Rosa Damascena Absolute
The super concentrated version of Rose Essential Oil (you can read here a bit more about what an absolute is and how it's prepared). So what we wrote there is pretty much true here as well: it's very expensive , smells heavenly , but it's a mixed bag when it comes to skincare. On the upside, it has antioxidant and antimicrobial compounds and on the downside, most if it is fragrant compounds that might hurt sensitive skin types .
Melaleuca Teretifolia Branch/​Leaf Oil
An essential oil with a lemony scent with warm, honey notes . Contains fragrant components - among others citral, geranial, neral - so it might be a good idea to avoid if your skin is sensitive.
Rosa Rubiginosa Seed Oil
The oil coming from the seeds of the wild rose bush most common in the southern Andes in Chile (btw, Rosa Rubiginosa, Rosa Eglanteria and Rosa Mosqueta all refer to the same oil, however, the more commonly used Rosa Canina is a bit different). Similar to many other great plant oils, it is a nice nourishing and moisturizing oil loaded with fatty acids (linoleic acid - 44%, linolenic acid - 34% and oleic acid - 14%). What makes rosehip oil a special snowflake among all the plant oils out there is that it also contains the miracle active, trans-retinoic acid, aka tretinoin . It is the main bioactive component of the oil and has all kinds of magic abilities including restoring and regenerating tissues (the oil is great for scars and burns), decreasing wrinkles , helping acne and even normalizing pore size. Just one more note: a study found that the tretinoin content of rosehip seed oil greatly depends on the extraction method. The oil coming from cold pressing contained seven times more tretinoin (0.357 ml/l) than the oil from organic solvent extraction. Always go for the cold-pressed version!
Lavandula Angustifolia Oil
We have to start by writing how fascinated we are by the amazing lavender fields of Provance and we do love pretty much everything about lavender: its look, its color, its scent.... but, when it comes to skincare, lavender is a questionable ingredient that you probably do not want in your skincare products. First, let us start with the pros: it has a lovely scent , so no wonder that it is popular as a fragrance ingredient in natural products wanting to be free from synthetic fragrances but still wanting to smell nice. The scent of lavender is famous for having calming and relaxing properties and some smallish scientific studies do support that. Inhaled volatile compounds seem to have a soothing effect on the central nervous system and studies have shown that lavender aromatherapy can improve patient's anxiety and experience in hospitals. Another pro is that lavender oil has some nice antimicrobial and antibacterial properties . It also has some local pain relieving and muscle relaxing magical powers . Lavender oil is also often claimed to have anti-inflammatory properties. We have found a study confirming this but it was the essential oil of the leaves and not the much more commonly used flowers and the two differ in their main chemical compounds very much. (The main components of the flower essential oil are linalyl acetate and linalool [around 80% the two together] while it is 1,8-Cineole [around 65%] in the essential oil of the leaves.) Now, let us look at the cons: similar to a bunch of other essential oils, the main components of lavender oil are potentially irritating fragrant components . The two main components are linalyl acetate (about 50%) and linalool (about 35%) and both autoxidise on exposure to the air forming strong contact allergens. To make things even worse, lavender oil seems to be cytotoxic from concentrations as low as 0.25% (concentration up to 0.125% were ok). There is also an often cited Japanese study that made patch tests with lavender oil for 9 years and found a huge increase in lavender oil sensitivity in 1997 (from 1.1% in 1990 to 8.7% in 1997 and 13.9% in 1998). This was the year when using dried lavender flowers in pillows, wardrobes, and elsewhere became fashionable in Japan, so it seems that increased exposure to lavender results in increased risk of sensitivity . Overall, it makes us sad to write bad things about such a lovely plant, but when it comes to skincare, you will be better off without lavender.
PPG-26-Buteth-26
A helper ingredient that usually comes to the formula coupled with PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil . The two together work as surfactants and oil solubilizers . It's a non-sticky duo that works at low concentration and is often used to solubilize fragrance components into water-based formulas.
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
You probably know olive oil from the kitchen as a great and healthy option for salad dressing but it's also a great and healthy option to moisturize and nourish the skin , especially if it's on the dry side. Similar to other emollient plant oils, it's loaded with nourishing fatty acids: oleic is the main component (55-83%), and also contains linoleic (3.5-20%) and palmitic acids (7-20%). It also contains antioxidant polyphenols, tocopherols (types of vitamin E) and carotenoids and it's one of the best plant sources of skin-identical emollient, Squalene . Overall, a great option for dry skin but less so for acne-prone or damaged skin .
Carrageenan
A natural polysaccharide (big sugar molecule) coming from red edible seaweeds. It is used as a helper ingredient for its gelling, thickening and stabilizing properties .
Lonicera Caprifolium Extract
The extract coming from the Italian Honeysuckle that has beautiful, very fragrant cream and pink colored flowers. Coupled with Japanese Honeysuckle , the reason this plant duo is in cosmetic products is not the usual one. It's not there to be an antioxidant or soothing agent or to give a nice scent but because it contains a natural form of paraben called parahydroxy benzoic acid (PHBA) and serves as a broad-spectrum antimicrobial preservative . Though PHBA is not identical to well-known parabens (like methylparaben ), it also contains the same benzene ring that is the problematic part of parabens ( read more here ). If you are someone who avoids parabens, Honeysuckle has to be on your "NO list" as well.
PEG-12 Dimethicone
A fluid silicone that reduces surface tension. It can improve oil (or silicone) in water emulsions with faster absorption, better spreading, and a lighter feel .
Acacia Senegal Gum
A natural polymer (big molecules from repeated subunits) that is harvested from the Acacia tree in the sub-Saharan region in Africa. It's a great thickening and binding agent . Often coupled with xanthan gum , as it helps to reduce its unpleasant stickiness.
Zinc Pca
If you have oily, acne-prone skin, Zinc PCA is one of the actives to put on your "TO TRY" list. It's a synergistic association of two great things: Zinc and L-PCA. The Zinc part is there to help normalize sebum production and limit the proliferation of evil acne-causing bacteria . L-PCA stands for pyrrolidone carboxylic acid and it's a key molecule in the skin that helps with processes of hydration and energy (it's actually an NMF, a natural moisturizing factor). L-PCA is not only there to hydrate the skin, but it also helps to increase the efficacy and bioavailability of zinc. An in-vivo (done on real people) test done by the manufacturer shows that Zinc PCA reduces sebum production statistically significantly after 28 days of application (1% was used in the test), and in-vitro (made in the lab) measurements show that Zinc PCA has strong anti-microbial activity against P. acnes (between 0.1-0.25%) and other bacterial strains. If that would not be enough there is also a 2011 research paper saying that based on in-vitro (made in the lab, not on real people)  findings Zinc PCA might be a promising anti-aging active that helps with the production of type I collagen (and we all know more collagen = firmer skin). All in all, definitely a goodie for oily, acne-prone skin .
Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract
Lonicera Japonica, or Japanese Honeysuckle as normal people call it, is a white-flowered honeysuckle known for being a traditional Chinese medicine . Modern research confirms that the plant has a super complex chemical composition with more than 140 compounds identified with possible anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, antioxidative and hepatoprotective activities. As for Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract in skin care, it can have two main roles. The first one is being an anti-inflammatory and soothing ingredient, probably due to chlorogenic acid , a polyphenol thought to be the main bioactive component of the flower. The other possible role is being a natural preservative . If this is the case, it is coupled with its Italian Honeysuckle cousin to form a broad spectrum antimicrobial preservative blend. You can read about this more here .
Biosaccharide Gum-2
An interesting polysaccharide (a big sugar molecule) obtained by bacterial fermentation. Its sugar sequence is rich in rhamnose, galactose, and glucuronic acid. According to its manufacturer , Biosaccharide Gum-2 is a protecting agent against the damages from external aggressors that accelerate skin aging and it's a booster of skin comfort stimulating the release of pleasure molecules.
Octyldodecanol
A clear, slightly yellow, odorless oil  that's a very common, medium-spreading emollient . It makes the skin feel nice and smooth and works in a wide range of formulas.
PEG-20 Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate
A mild , water-loving emulsifier that's safe for sensitive skin or eye-care formulations. It helps to create low viscosity oil-in-water emulsions, ideal for milks, serums, and sprayable formulations. It's derived from natural sources and  gives a light, satiny afterfeel.
Zinc Palmitoyl Nonapeptide-14
It's part of a peptide complex called "Renaissance" whose name was inspired by "Re-birth for Skin". The manufacturer claims that his peptide powder is almost magic and can increase the ability of skin to renew, regenerate, redensify , rebuild and restore skin tissue. The result is younger skin in 4 weeks with 38% more "skin compactness" or firmness. The peptide powder is supposed to be suitable for scar minimising as well.
Dimethyl Isosorbide
A little helper ingredient that can boost the performance and enhance the delivery of active ingredients in a formula. It can penetrate deep layers of the skin helping actives to do the same. It's especially useful to help active ingredients for self-tanning (DHA), anti-acne or skin-whitening to penetrate deeper and work better.
Palmitoyl Decapeptide-21
A peptide that is part of an active peptide complex called "Renaissance". It is supposed to increase skin compactness and firmness. You can read more about "Renaissance" at Zinc Palmitoyl Nonapeptide-14 .
Phenylpropanol
A naturally occurring floral component with a delicate scent that can mask the odor of other raw materials but is not noticeable in the final product. It also has remarkable antimicrobial and preservative boosting abilities and can help to create "preservative-free" formulas.
Decapeptide-22
A peptide consisting of four amino acids (arginine, glutamine, glycine, and proline). It's part of an active peptide complex called "Renaissance" that is supposed to increase skin compactness and firmness. You can read more about "Renaissance" at Zinc Palmitoyl Nonapeptide-14 .
Diglycerin
The big brother of glycerin . It's also a natural moisturizing factor that reduces water evaporation from the upper layer of the skin and helps to keep water in the skin so that it stays nicely hydrated . Compared to glycerin, it has a larger molecular structure (kind of a double glycerin). Thanks to this, it penetrates slower into the skin but gives longer lasting moisture and less sticky, better skin-feel .
Ogliopeptide-78
A synthetic peptide containing 11 amino acids consisting of alanine, glutamine, glycine, isoleucine, lysine, proline and valine. It's part of an active peptide complex called "Renaissance" that is supposed to increase skin compactness and firmness. You can read more about "Renaissance" at Zinc Palmitoyl Nonapeptide-14 .
Alteromonas Ferment Extract
A so-called exopolysaccharide (high-molecular-weight polymers) secreted by a microorganism living in hydrothermal deep vents. The manufacturer claims that it soothes and reduces irritation to sensitive skin against chemical (such as drying acne treatments or strong chemical exfoliants), mechanical (such as micro-cuts after shaving) and UVB aggressors.
Alteromonas Ferment Filtrate
A so-called exopolysaccharide (a natural big molecule secreted  by microorganisms) coming from a marine bacteria living in the French Polynesia. It goes by the trade name Exo-H and the manufacturer claims that it can stimulate the production of hyaluronic acid, lipids, and filaggrin in the skin. They are all important natural skin components for proper skin hydration and barrier repair. In-vivo (made on human) test made on 15 volunteers also showed that Exo-H quickly improves skin hydration and maintains the effect for at least 6 hours.
PPG-12-Buteth-16
It's a neat helper ingredient that gives emolliency , solvency, and slip to the cosmetic formulas.
Pentapeptide-18
A five amino-acid peptide that is claimed to target expression wrinkles that appear due to facial movements . Its effect is similar to the older and more famous Argireline peptide . They achieve similar results but in a different way. The two together work in a synergistic way (the solution is trade named Argirelox) hindering the muscle contraction process in two different stages. The in-vivo (made on real people) test by the manufacturer showed that after 28 days 5% Leuphasyl alone reduced wrinkles by 11% and 5% Leuphasyl + 5% Argireline reduced wrinkles on average by 25% with max values up to 47%.
Coceth-7
A helper ingredient that helps water and oil to mix together . It usually comes to the formula as part of a solubilizer trio coupled with PPG-1-PEG-9 Lauryl Glycol Ether and PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil . The three form an easy to handle liquid that works with many types of oils and gives good sensorial properties to the formula.
Acetylarginyltryptophyl Diphenylglycine
A four amino acid tetrapeptid e that is designed to treat sagginess and unfirmness in mature skin. It works by inhibiting an enzyme (elastase) that breaks down proteins (e.g. collagen) as well as by stimulating type I collagen synthesis. According to the manufacturer's in-vivo (made on real human) test , applying 4% Relistase for 8 weeks on mature women (avg. age 49) resulted in 14% improvement in skin elasticity and in increased skin tightness by 15.6%.
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1
A really famous peptide that is part of Matrixyl 3000 , the most sold peptide complex in the word. Before we go and find out what the big deal with Matrixyl 3000 is, let's just focus on Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 itself for a bit. It's a small three amino acid (they are the building blocks of all proteins) peptide with the amino sequence of glycine-histidine-lysine, or GHK. GHK is attached to palmitic acid (a fatty acid) to increase oil solubility and skin penetration. The GHK part is the important one as it's a type I collagen fragment . When collagen naturally breaks down in the skin, the resulting peptide fragments signal to the skin that it should get to work and create some nice, new collagen. Adding in collagen fragment peptides, like GHK, might trick the skin into thinking that collagen has broken down and it's time to create some more . Therefore, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 is believed to be able to stimulate collagen production in the skin, and more collagen means fewer wrinkles and younger looking skin. In Matrixyl 3000 , Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 is coupled with Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 and the duo works in synergy to reduce wrinkles and give younger looking skin . According to the manufacturer's in-vivo (made on real people) test , applying 3% Matrixyl 3000 twice a day for 2 months resulted in all of the following things: 39.4% reduction in surface occupied by deep wrinkles 32.9% reduction in main wrinkle density 19.9% reduction in main wrinkle average depth 16% improvement in roughness 16.2% in lifting effect 5.5% improvement in elasticity 15.5% improvement in skin tone Manufacturer results, of course, always have to be taken with a pinch of salt, but if you like peptides, the Matryxil 3000 duo is one of the best-proven and most well-known ones and it's something that is worth trying.
Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate
This awfully long named ingredient is, in fact, a pretty small molecule. It's a tripeptide (a three amino acid peptide)  with molecular weight less than 500 Da, meaning that it's small enough to penetrate nicely and easily into the skin. It belongs to the "Botox in a jar" type of peptides (similar to Argireline or Leuphasyl ) targeting wrinkles caused by facial movements , like laughter lines or crow’s feet. According to the manufacturer's in-vivo (made on real people) studies , 4% Syn-Ake used for 28 days resulted in 21% smoother and 15-20% less wrinkled skin with max values up to 52%. The smoothing effect was measurable on 80% of the volunteers, while the wrinkle reduction effect was evident on 73%.
Valine
An essential amino acid (a building block of skin proteins like collagen) that our body cannot produce itself but has to take from external sources, like diet. It's a branched chain amino acid that is claimed to enhance energy, increase endurance and aid in muscle tissue recovery and repair when taken as a supplement. It's not clear what valine does when you put it on the skin, but as all amino acids, it must be at least a great skin hydrator .
Proline
A non-essential amino acid (meaning that our body can produce it) that's also one of the major building blocks of collagen. According to the Futurederm blog , it might be able to improve wrinkles when combined with other amino acids, glycine and leucine
Threonine
An essential amino acid that's also a key building block of collagen and elastin. When taken orally, it helps the digestive and intestinal tracts function more smoothly and also helps the absorption of nutrients. As for skincare, it is not clear what it does other than being a skin hydrator .
Arginine
A semi-essential (infants cannot synthesize it, but adults can) amino acid that is one of the primary building blocks of hair keratin and skin collagen. It's a natural moisturizing factor , a skin hydrator and might also help to speed up wound healing . Arginine usually has a positive charge (cationic) that makes it substantive to skin and hair (those are more negatively charged surfaces) and an excellent film former.  Thanks to the positive charge, it also creates a complex with AHAs (AHAs like to lose a hydrogen ion and be negatively charged, so the positive and the negative ions attract each other) that causes a "time-release AHA effect" and reduces the irritation associated with AHAs .
Phenylalanine
An essential amino acid that the body cannot produce itself but has to take from the diet. Combined with UVA exposure, phenylalanine is used in the treatment of vitiligo (a pigmentation disorder where patches of the skin lose the pigment).
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
A four amino acid peptide with the amino sequence of glycine-glutamine-proline-arginine. It is attached to palmitic acid (a fatty acid)  to increase oil solubility and skin penetration. It works by reducing the production of the signal molecule , interleukin-6 (IL-6) which promotes inflammation in the skin and less inflammation means slower degradation of important things (like collagen) that results in younger looking skin for a longer time. It works in synergy with its pal, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 in the famous Matrixyl 3000 complex. You can read some more about the famous duo here.
Isoleucine
A branch-chained, essential amino acid that can be found in things like almond, cashew or soy protein. When taken orally it may promote protein synthesis. As for skincare - like all the amino acids - it's a skin-identical ingredient and moisturizer . It also seems to be useful as a barrier repair ingredient .
Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12
A six amino acid peptide that is claimed to improve firmness and skin tone . Its amino acid sequence is Val-Gly-Val-Ala-Pro-Gly that is also called the "spring fragment" and is repeated six times in the important skin protein, elastin molecule. The manufacturer made a double-blind, one-month long clinical study on 10 women and found that twice a day application of 4%  Biopeptide El improved skin firmness by 33% and skin tone by 20%.
Pca
PCA stands for Pyrrolidone Carboxylic Acid and though it might not sound like it, it is a thing that can be found naturally in our skin. In fact, after amino acids, it is the second biggest NMF component of the skin with 12% being PCA of the NMF composition of normal skin.  So similar to other NMFs, it's a skin goodie that helps the skin to hold onto water and stay nicely hydrated.
Rubus Fruticosus Seed Oil
The oil coming from the delicious blackberry fruit. Like many other plant oils, it's loaded with a bunch of good-for-the-skin stuff : nourishing and moisturizing fatty acids ( oleic acid: 15-19%, linoleic acid: 61-64% and linolenic acid 15-17% ), antioxidant vitamin E (about 1500-2000 mg/kg that counts as great!) and emollient and barrier helping phytosterols (like beta-sitosterol, campesterol and stigmasterol). If that is not enough, it also contains great skin-identical ingredient squalene (170mg/kg ) and antioxidant carotenoids (33 mg/kg). All in all, a high-quality, high-linoleic oil that's great for nourishing and moisturizing the skin.
Eriocephalus Punctulatus Oil
A beautiful blue essential oil coming from Cape Chamomile (a type of Chamomile native to South Africa). In aromatherapy , anti-inflammatory and skin-healing properties are attributed to the oil though we could not find any research to confirm this. What we could find is some research on the composition of the oil that contains an unusually large amount of compounds (over 220). More than 50% of the oil consists of so-called aliphatic esters and about 37% is the terpenoid portion. It contains only 0.2% of the anti-inflammatory agent, chamazulene that also gives the oil its nice blue color. BTW, the oil is chemically significantly chemically different from the German Chamomile oil , and a bit more similar to the Roman Chamomile oil .
Salvia Hispanica Seed Oil
Chia seeds are in fashion and there is a reason for that. They are not only a superfood for your body but putting the oil all over your face seems to be a good idea too. Its unique property is that it's the richest known botanical source of skin moisturizing and probably anti-inflammatory alpha-linolenic acid (contains 50-60%). It also contains barrier repairing linoleic acid (17-26%) and only a small amount of very nourishing but potentially acne causing oleic acid (7%). Thanks to its great fatty acid content, chia seed oil counts as a great skin hydrator and it can help to maintain a healthy skin barrier function . According to manufacturer's info , it can even alleviate itchy skin . If that is not enough, it also contains a couple of nice antioxidants , including Alpha-Lipoic Acid, Coumaric and Caffeic Acid . All in all, a nice plant oil with a unique fatty acid composition and some nice antioxidants.
Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil
The essential oil coming from the second most common type of chamomile, the Roman Chamomile. It also contains the biologically active anti-inflammatory components , bisabolol, and chamazulene , but less than the more commonly used German Chamomile .  It's not clear what Roman Chamomile knows that the German one does not.
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Oil
The essential oil coming from the German Chamomile . It's loaded with the famous anti-inflammatory agent, bisabolol (approx. 50%) and contains 5% of soothing, antiallergic and blue color giving chamazulene . It also contains about 120 other things, including 28 terpenoids and 36 flavonoids (including some antioxidants like quercetin). As for skincare, the essential oil is used mainly for it's anti-inflammatory and soothing properties .
Aspartic Acid
A non-essential amino acid  (important building block of collagen and elastin) that hydrates the skin . It is also used to set the pH of the cosmetic product (buffering).