List of cosmetic ingredients

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Ingredients of cosmetic products are listed following International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients (INCI). These INCI names often differ greatly from systematic chemical nomenclature or from more common trivial names.

The below tables are sorted as follows:

INCI name

chemical meaning - structure, name or description[1]

purpose - role(s) in a cosmetic formulation[2][3][4][5]

A[]

denatured alcohol	ethanol made unsuitable for drinking, often via addition of denatonium.	solvent, carrier, astringent
C12 - C15	, PhCOO(CH2)11-14CH3	(commonly found in products that are fade resistant and water/sweat resistant)
allantoin[citation needed]	N-(2,5-dioxo-4-imidazolidinyl)urea	stops bleeding of cuts from shaving
alpha-isomethyl ionone	3-methyl-4-(2,6,6-trimethylcyclohex-2-enyl)but-3-en-2-one	fragrance ingredient[6]
aluminium chlorohydrate[citation needed]	basic aluminium chloride Al2(OH)5Cl or Al2(OH)xCl6−x (0<x<6)	antitranspirant
aluminium hydroxide
aqua	water	solvent
ascorbyl palmitate	[2-(4,5-dihydroxy-3-oxo-2-furyl)-2-hydroxy-ethyl] hexadecanoate
alcohol denat

B[]

butane	butane C4H10	propellant (pressurized dispenser)
butylene glycol (a type of alcohol)
Butyrospermum parkii	shea butter, vegetable fat made from nuts of African shea tree	moisturizer
boron nitride

C[]

citric acid	C 6H 8O 7
>
cyclopentasiloxane (a type of silicone)[7]	D5
cetyl alcohol	CH3(CH2)15OH

D[]

dodecanol		emollient, used to make surfactants
disodium EDTA

E[]

egg oil	triglycerides extracted from egg yolk; contains polyunsaturated fatty acids (docosahexaenoic acid and arachidonic acid), cholesterol and traces of lecithin	emollient
ethyl macadamiate

G[]

glutamate
glycol

H[]

hydroxyethyl cellulose	cellulose fiber from wood pulp with –OCH2CH2OH groups added	gives body
hydroxypropyl cellulose	cellulose fibre from wood pulp with –OCH2CH(OH)CH3 groups added	gives body

I[]

isobutane	Isobutane (CH3)2CHCH3	propellant (pressurized dispenser)
isopentane	Isopentane (CH3)2CHCH2CH3	propellant (pressurized dispenser)
isopropyl palmitate

L[]

lauryl glucoside

surfactant

M[]

mica
magnesium sulfate

N[]

niacinamide
nylon-12	(C12H23NO)n

P[]

polysorbate 20	surfactant used as a detergent and emulsifier
propane	propane CH3CH2CH3	propellant (pressurized dispenser)
paraben		preservative
polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA)[8]	(C5O2H8)n
palmitic acid	CH3(CH2)14COOH
paraffinum liquidum
petrolatum	C15H15N
polymethyl methacrylate

S[]

sodium hydroxide	sodium hydroxide NaOH	base
sodium benzoate	C6H5COONa	preservative
silica	SiO2	preservative
synthetic fluorphlogopite

T[]

talc	Mg3Si4O10(OH)2
triethanolamine	N(CH2CH2OH)3	base, chicken liver
titanium dioxide	TiO 2
tin oxide

References[]