yavuzyilmaz/cosmetic-ingredients huggingface dataset:
Linoleic Acid
The famous omega-6 fatty acid , the mother of all ω-6 fatty acids in our body. It is a so-called polyunsaturated fatty acid meaning it has more than one (in this case two) double bonds and a somewhat kinky structure that makes LA and LA-rich oils a thin liquid. It is also an essential fatty acid meaning our body cannot synthesize it and has to take it from food. This is not hard at all as plenty of nuts (such as flax, poppy or sesame seeds) and vegetable oils (such as sunflower or safflower) are rich in LA. The hard thing seems to be eating enough omega-3-s , more specifically eating a healthy ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 , but that is a topic for a what-is-good-to-eat-site and not for us. As for linoleic acid and the skin , LA is a really important little guy found naturally in our skin. It is the most abundant fatty acid in the epidermis and it serves as a structural precursor for important skin lipids called ceramides . Knowing this, it will not come as a surprise that Linoleic acid has a central role in the structure and function of stratum corneum permeability, aka healthy skin barrier .  LA deficiency leads to an impaired more permeable skin barrier and the topical application of LA-rich sunflower oil can fix this issue rapidly (while oleic-rich olive oil did not have the same barrier repairing effect). LA is not only important for dry, barrier damaged skin types but also for acne-prone skin . Research shows that problem skin has lower levels of linoleic acid (and higher levels of oleic acid ) than normal skin. So LA-deficiency in the skin seems to be connected not only to an impaired skin barrier but also to acne and smearing LA all over your face might help with your problem skin. A double-blind study using a 2.5% LA gel for 4 weeks found a 25% reduction in the size of microcomedones, the tiny blocked pores that can later lead to acne. If that was not enough, we have one more thing to report about LA.  It lightens hyperpigmentation (aka UVB caused sun spots) both by blocking the melanin production of melanocytes (the skin cells that make the pigment melanin) and by enhancing the desquamation of melanin pigment from the upper layers of the skin. Overall , linoleic acid is a multi-functional skin goodie with barrier repairing, acne-reducing, and skin-lightening magic abilities. It's a nice one to spot on the ingredient list pretty much for any skin type.
Mangifera Indica Seed Oil
The soft solid, off-white to ivory butter or oil coming from the kernel (the seed inside of the seed) of the Mango. Similar to many other plant oils, it's a great moisturizing and nourishing emollient oil . It has medium spreadability and gives skin a creamy-dry feel. It's loaded with a bunch of good-for-the-skin stuff : it contains almost all of the essential amino acids , has several antioxidant phenolic compounds (including famous antioxidant ferulic acid ) and is a rich source of nourishing fatty acids (like stearic and oleic acid). All in all, a skin goodie especially for dry skin types.
Cera Alba
It's the yellow, solid stuff that you probably know from beeswax candles. It's a natural material produced by honey bees to build their honeycomb. As for skincare, it's used as an emollient and thickening agent . It's super common in lip balms and lipsticks.
Borago Officinalis Seed Oil
We feel that this one is a bit under the radar probably because the Borage plant is not very well known. Maybe because its name isn't as cool as some others, it's hard to compete with kukui or baobab, not to mention murumuru. But let us tell you when it comes to skin care, borage seed oil is one of the best oils that can happen to your skin . Especially, if it's dry, sensitive , easily irritated, often itchy or eczema prone. So what is so special about it? It is the richest known plant source of the super important essential fatty acid, gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) . GLA is soothing and nourishing , and can repair even severely dry and irritated skin, but it's pretty rare and borage contains by far the most of it (17-28%). Next to GLA, it also contains more common fatty acids, like linoleic (36%), oleic (18%) or palmitic acid (10%). If your skin is dry and sensitive, this one is totally for you.
Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil
A beautiful golden-yellow oil coming from the Camellia tree . It's a 5 -10 meters high tree with spectacular white flowers native to Asia. It's pretty common there and also used as cooking oil or salad dressing. Sometimes Camellia oil is referred to as " the olive oil of Asia ". So what can it do for the skin? Similar to many other great non-fragrant plant oils, it's a great emollient and moisturising oil for dry skin. It's light in texture, absorbs fast into the skin and leaves it soft and supple. It contains a bunch of good-for-the-skin stuff : it's very rich (70-85%) in nourishing and moisturising fatty acid, oleic acid (though if you are acne-prone be careful with oleic acid ), contains significant amount of antioxidant vitamin E (0.15%) as well as great emollient and antioxidant squalene (2-3%). All in all, a skin goodie especially for dry skin.
Parabens
Unless you live under a rock, you have probably heard of parabens. Until about 10 years ago they were the most commonly used preservatives, as they are non-irritating, very effective, and cheap. Then 2004 came and a research paper came out that tested 20 human breast tumors and found parabens in all of them. This was before the era of social media (btw, it's the year Facebook was founded) but this research still managed to go viral and caused parabens to become the evil, cancer-causing preservative in people's head. Cosmetic companies do want to do what we want to buy and as we did not want to buy products, containing parabens anymore, they started to use alternatives, like the current IT-preservative, phenoxyethanol . It's much easier to replace parabens than trying to go into lengthy explanations about why the 2004 research is misunderstood and how there are lots of data showing that parabens are totally ok. As people got so interested, the FDA wrote a little article about parabens stating, " (the) FDA believes that at the present time there is no reason for consumers to be concerned about the use of cosmetics containing parabens. " We think the above is pretty much the gist of the topic but if you feel like reading about parabens all day today, here is a handy list for you to get you started: Parabens on Wikipedia The perils of parabens by cosmetic chemist Perry Romanowski on the great The Beauty Brains blog Spotlight on parabens by Nicki Zevola on the Futerederm blog Fact-Check Friday: What’s The Deal with Parabens in Cosmetics? on the great LabMuffin blog
Aleurites Moluccana Seed Oil
Having such a cool name and coming from Hawaii how could this oil be not good? Well, it is good. It's absorbed excellently by the skin and is used traditionally by the Hawaiians to soothe sunburn and other inflammations. Research confirms this : it's shown to have anti-inflammatory, pain reducing, and wound healing properties . It's also a particularly rich source of moisturizing essential fatty acids linoleic and linolenic (about 42 and 32%) and it's not so rich in oleic acid - around 15% - that can be good even for acne prone skin .
Oryza Sativa Bran Oil
The oil coming from the bran of rice. Similar to many other emollient plant oils, it contains several skin-goodies : nourishing and moisturizing fatty acids ( oleic acid :  40%, linoleic acid : 30%, linolenic acid :1-2%), antioxidant vitamin E , emollient sterols and potent antioxidant gamma-oryzanol .
Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil
The oil coming from the seeds of the Moringa tree, a big white-flowered tree native to India. It's a yellow oil similar to olive oil . It's rich in nourishing and moisturizing fatty acid, oleic (75%) and also contains behenic acid (up to 8%) that makes moringa very stable and gives the oil a long shelf life . It blends easily with essential oils and can also help to stabilize scents so it's a popular oil in the perfume industry.
Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter
Theobroma means "food of the gods" in Greek though probably "treat of the people" would be more spot on. The cacao fruits and especially the seeds in it need no introduction as everyone knows them as the magical raw material of the magical sweet treat, chocolate (the flavour is composed of more than 1200(!) substances, and the exact chemical nature of it is not really understood, so it's indeed magic. :)). As for skincare, cocoa butter counts as a rich emollient that can moisturize and nourish even the driest skin (think chapped hands or lips). It's solid at room temperature and melts nicely when you smear it on. It's loaded with good-for-the-skin things: it contains fatty acids , mainly oleic (35%), stearic (34%), and palmitic (25%) and it also has antioxidant vitamin E and polyphenols . An ex-vivo (made on human skin but not on real people) study examined the cocoa polyphenols and found that 0.5-0.75% of them improved skin tone and elasticity and had a similarly positive impact on GAGs (important natural moisturizing factors in the skin) and collagen synthesis than a commercial high-end moisturizer (it was an Estee Lauder one). All in all, cocoa butter is a goodie, especially for very dry skin.
Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil
Baobab is a really big, iconic tree native to Africa (here is a nice image of it ). It's the largest succulent plant in the world and almost all parts of it have traditional medicinal uses in Africa. The seed oil, similar to other plant oils, is loaded with things that are good-for-the-skin : it contains skin regenerating vitamin A , antioxidant vitamin E, and vitamin D3 that helps with calcium absorption. It's rich in n ourishing fatty acids oleic (30-40%), linoleic (24-34%) and palmitic (18-30%). Its moisturizing benefits are impressive, it absorbed into the skin quickly and might even improve skin elasticity. A great oil for drier skin types and excellent for eczema and psoriasis .
Ricinus Communis Seed Oil
Castor oil is sourced from the castor bean plant native to tropical areas in Eastern Africa and the Mediterranean Basin. It is an age-old ingredient (it’s over 4,000 years old!) with many uses including as a shoe polish, food additive and motor lubricant. You would be reasonable to think that putting shoe polish on your face wouldn’t be the best idea, but it turns out castor oil has some unique properties that make it a stalwart in thick and gloss-giving formulas (think lipsticks and highlighters). So what is so special about it? The answer is its main fatty acid, called ricinoleic acid (85-95%).  Unlike other fatty acids, ricinoleic acid has an extra water-loving part (aka -OH group) on its fatty chain that gives Castor Oil several unique properties. First, it is thicker than other oils , then its solubility is different (e.g. dissolves in alcohol but not in mineral oil), and it allows all kinds of chemical modifications other oils do not, hence the lots of Castor oil-derived ingredients . It is also more glossy than other oils, in fact, it creates the highest gloss of all natural oils when applied to the skin. Other than that, it is a very effective emollient and occlusive that reduces skin moisture loss so it is quite common in smaller amounts in moisturizers. While it is very unlikely (and this is true for pretty much every ingredient), cases of reactions to castor oil have been reported, so if your skin is sensitive, it never hurts to patch test.
Rosa Damascena Flower Cera
It's a waxy, solid material coming from Rose . In general, floral waxes are created in the same process as floral absolutes. An absolute is a super concentrated version of an essential oil . Instead of distillation, a solvent extraction method is used: First, an organic solvent is added to the plant material. Second, this solution is filtered and concentrated and a waxy mass, called concrete is produced. Third, the concrete is treated in alcohol and the soluble fraction becomes the absolute while the insoluble parts give the floral wax. So the Rose Wax is a solid emollient with some protecting and softening power . It does not contain too much of the fragrant compounds (read more at the essential oil ) as most of them are in the absolute, but if your skin is very sensitive it still might be better to avoid it.
Pelargonium Graveolens Leaf Oil
A yellow to brownish essential oil coming from the leaves of Rose Geranium . It contains flavonoid and phenolic compounds that give the oil antibacterial and antifungal properties. The main components though are fragrant ones - citronellol (33%), geraniol (26%) and linalool (10%) - so it might be a good idea to avoid if your skin is sensitive.
Daucus Carota Sativa Root Extract
The oil-soluble extract coming from the edible, orange part of the carrot . It is created by macerating the carrot root in a carrier oil such as sunflower or olive oil, and the resulting thing (base oil + carrot root extract) is often called carrot oil or carrot root oil. (Not to be confused with carrot seed oil , that can be fixed or essential and comes from the seeds.) The root extract is known for containing the orange pigment beta-carotene , aka provitamin A. It is a famous molecule for being a potent antioxidant, suntan accelerator and having skin-regenerative abilities . Carrot oil also contains vitamin E and some fatty acids that give the oil further antioxidant and barrier repairing properties.
Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract
The extract coming from the popular garden plant Calendula or Marigold. According to manufacturer info , it's used  for many centuries for its exceptional healing powers and is particularly remarkable in the treatment of wounds. It contains flavonoids that give the plant anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
Eucalyptus Radiata Leaf Oil
The essential oil coming from Eucalyptus Radiata. It is a different species than the much more commonly used Eucalyptus Globulus , but the chemical structure of the essential oils are surprisingly similar. The main component here is also eucalyptol (84%) giving the oil camphoraceous aroma and antibacterial and expectorant properties . Also similar to Eucalyptus Globulus , its EU sensitiser total percentage is 5% (due to limonene) and counts as non-senstiising amount essential oils.
Alcohol
Simply alcohol refers to ethanol and it's a pretty controversial ingredient . It has many instant benefits: it's a great solvent, penetration enhancer , creates cosmetically elegant, light formulas , great astringent and antimicrobial . No wonder it's popular in toners and oily skin formulas. The downside is that it can be very drying if it's in the first few ingredients on an ingredient list. Some experts even think that regular exposure to alcohol damages skin barrier and causes inflammation though it's a debated opinion. If you wanna know more, we wrote a more detailed explanation about what's the deal with alcohol in skincare products at alcohol denat. (it's also alcohol, but with some additives to make sure no one drinks it).
Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
The famous tea tree oil. One of the best known essential oils which comes from Australia where it has been used for almost 100 years for its antiseptic and anti-inflammatory actions . Legend has it that the medicinal benefits of the oil were considered so important that Australian soldiers were supplied with some tea tree oil in their World War II military kit. Similar to other essential oils, tea tree oil is a very complex chemical mixture consisting of about 100 components , the major ones being terpinen -4- ol (40%), γ-Terpinene (23%) and α-Terpinene (10%). Terpinen-4-ol is considered to be the main active component but as a great article in Clinical Microbiology Reviews states " while some TTO components may be considered less active, none can be considered inactive " and most components contribute to TTO's strong antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal effects . Regarding skincare and tea tree oil, its most well-known effect is probably being a well established anti-acne ingredient . Multiple studies confirm that TTO is effective against the evil acne-causing bacteria called P. acnes and the effectiveness of 5% TTO gel is comparable to the gold standard anti-acne treatment, 5% Benzoyl Peroxide lotion. You need to be a bit more patient with TTO, though, as its effects come slower but also with fewer side effects. Regarding TTO and sensitive skin , we say that you should be careful . Even if your skin is not sensitive you should never put undiluted TTO on your skin . Luckily, it contains only very small amounts of the common allergens (such as limonene), but irritant and allergic reactions still happen, especially by oxidation products that occur in older or not properly stored oil.  So if you have some pure TTO at home, know that storage matters, keep it in a cool, dry, dark place and use it up in a reasonable amount of time. Overall , we do not often give a goodie status to essential oils, but we feel that TTO's unique antibacterial and anti-acne properties with its minimal allergen content warrant an exception. If your skin is acne-prone, TTO is something to experiment with.
Citrus Aurantium Amara Flower Water
It's the flower water coming from the flowers of bitter orange (which is the sister of the sweet orange we all know and eat). In general, flower waters (also called hydrosols) are diluted versions of essential oils coming from the same plant. They contain the same components but in far less of a concentration. So - similar to its essential oil big sister - orange flower water contains a lot of fragrant components and has a nice, sweet scent . It has some skin toning properties and can help to relax the body . If your skin is super sensitive, it's a good idea to choose products without fragrant floral waters.
Potassium Alum
An inorganic salt that has strong astringent properties. It's also a deodorant (there are deo sticks consisting only of potash alum) and is often used in aftershave products as it can stop the bleeding from minor shave cuts.
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil
The essential oil coming from the leafs of the lovely herb, rosemary. It contains several fragrant components, including the well-known irritant, camphor (around 15%). It has a nice smell , is a potent antioxidant and it's also an antimicrobial agent . If your skin is sensitive, it's probably a good idea to avoid it.
Styrax Tonkinensis Resin Extract
The resin extract coming from a small, nice tree with white flowers living in South-East Asia. The resin has a nice sweet vanilla-like aroma (contains vanillin) and is used in perfumes as a fixative agent (it can help to slow down the evaporation of the other fragrant components making the scent more long lasting). It contains potential allergen components benzyl benzoate and benzyl cinnamate, so it's best to avoid if you have sensitive skin.
Mentha Piperita Oil
The essential oil coming from steam distillation of freshly harvested, flowering peppermint sprigs. Its major component is menthol that gives the oil its well-known refreshing and cooling properties. Peppermint oil is traditionally used as an inhalant for cold and coughs and there is also some clinical data validating its use against headaches by rubbing a peppermint oil cream on the forehead. As for skincare, other than the nice grassy-minty smell and the refreshing sensations , we cannot write good things. It can be a skin irritant , so much so that it is a well-known counterirritant for muscle pains creating mild surface irritation to make things better in the deeper layers. But for everyday skincare, counterirritation is not something you wanna do, so we think that peppermint oil is better to avoid, especially if your skin is sensitive.
Melissa Officinalis Leaf Oil
The essential oil from the leaves of lemon balm. It has a sweet, fresh, citrus-like fragrance that is lovely to smell but when it comes to skincare, it's a mixed bag . Thanks to its tannin and polyphenol components, it has antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal effects. In-vitro (made in the lab, not on people) studies have also shown that it has high concentrations of antioxidants . The downside is that 50-70% of the oil consists of fragrant components (citronellal, geranial, and neral) that might irritate sensitive skin .
Rosa Damascena Flower Oil
We are big fans of all kinds of roses as ornamental plants but when it comes to skincare, it is a mixed bag . Before we list out the good and the not so good, here is an interesting thing. The oil content in rose is very, very low so distilling rose essential oil requires huge amounts of rose flowers. It has such a wonderful scent that there are no comparable synthetic alternatives. You can probably guess that this means rose essential oil is expensive.... very very expensive . So the good things: thanks to its wonderful scent the high-end perfume industry loves rose oil. Also, we (humans :)) love rose oil. We love its scent so much that it can heal headaches, depression , stress, and even grief. Rose oil contains more than 95 compounds, among them flavonoids, anthocyanins, vitamin C, and quercetin that are all known for their medicinal properties and great antioxidant effects. Similar to many other essential oils, it has antimicrobial properties too. Now, the not-so-good thing? Out of the 95 compounds, the major ones are citronellol and geraniol , fragrant components that might irritate sensitive skin.
Persea Gratissima Oil
The oil coming from the pulp of one of the most nutritious fruits in the world, the avocado. It's loaded with the nourishing and moisturizing fatty acid , oleic (70%) and contains some others including palmitic (10%) and linoleic acid (8%). It also contains a bunch of minerals and vitamins A, E and D . Avocado oil has extraordinary skin penetration abilities and can nourish different skin layers. It's a very rich, highly moisturizing emollient oil that makes the skin smooth and nourished. Thanks to its vitamin E content it also has some antioxidant properties. As a high-oleic plant oil, it is recommended for dry skin .
Farnesol
With a sweet, light and floral scent, Farnesol is a popular fragrancing ingredient to make your cosmetics that bit nicer to use. It starts its life as a colorless liquid that can either be synthetically created or extracted from loads of plants like citronella, neroli, ylang-ylang, and tuberose. The reason we list it as icky is because Farnesol is one of the “EU 26 fragrances” that has to be labeled separately (and cannot be simply included in the term “fragrance/perfume” on the label) because of allergen potential, so it is best avoided if you have super sensitive skin.
Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil
A goodie plant oil coming from the polyphenol-rich seeds of the grape. It's a light emollient oil that makes your skin feel smooth and nice and also contains a bunch of good-for-the-skin stuff . It's a great source of antioxidant polyphenols , barrier repair fatty acid linoleic acid (about 55-77%, while oleic acid is about 12-27%) and antioxidant, skin-protectant vitamin E .
Calendula Officinalis Extract
The extract coming from the popular garden plant Calendula or Marigold. It's used traditionally as a s kin-repairing and soothing plant extract . Click here to read more at the calendula flower extract .
Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Peel Oil
The essential oil coming from the peel of the bergamot orange . It's a common top note in perfumes and contains (among others) fragrant compounds limonene (37%), linalyl acetate (30%) and linalool (8.8%). Fragrant compounds smell nice but are common allergens and can be a problem for sensitive skin types. The bigger problem with bergamot oil though, is that it also contains furanocoumarins (more specifically, bergapten and bergamottin ) that have well-documented phototoxic effects . A phototoxic reaction is a not nice one causing red, edematous lesions on the affected area. We think it is a good idea to avoid bergamot oil but if you have a product that you love, make sure to use it at night only. Nowadays, furanocoumarin-free versions of bergamot oil are also available and more and more common, and they usually go by the INCI name Bergamot Fruit Oil.