Estée Lauder Turbo Lash High Powered Volume + Length Mascara Versus Clinique High Impact High-Fi Full Volume Mascara

Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.

Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.

Ci 77499 is also hydrated iron III oxide. It is created from mixing red and black iron oxides. This helps give shades of darkness to a product.

Iron III oxides are classified as inorganic chemicals for coloring.

Copernicia Cerifera Wax comes from a palm tree native to Brazil; another name for this ingredient is Carnauba Wax.

This ingredient is used to thicken texture and also leaves behind a film when applied.

Disodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.

This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:

Glyceryl Stearate is made by reacting glycerin with stearic acid (typically sourced from plant oils like palm or coconut). It's an emulsifier, emollient, and mild occlusive.

Emulsifiers help ingredients like oil and water stay mixed so your formula stays nicely blended and uniform in texture.

Hydroxyethylcellulose is used to improve the texture of products. It is created from a chemical reaction involving ethylene oxide and alkali-cellulose. Cellulose is a sugar found in plant cell walls and help give plants structure.

This ingredient helps stabilize products by preventing ingredients from separating. It can also help thicken the texture of a product.

Isostearic acid is a saturated fatty acid. Its structure makes it a great surfactant.

Surfactants help decrease the surface tension between two liquids. This property also makes it an effective emulsifier. Emulsifiers help prevent waters and oils from separating in a product.

We don't have a description for Laureth-21 yet.

Paraffin is a solid created from petroleum. The term 'paraffin' can also refer to either
petroleum jelly or mineral oil.

It has natural occlusive properties which can worsen oily skin. Due to its petrolatum base, this ingredient is not fungal-acne safe.

Phenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.

It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.

Polyisobutene is a synthetic polymer made from isobutene.

It is a film-forming agent and helps bind ingredients together.

Pvp is a water-soluble synthetic polymer and common hairstyling ingredient. It is a film-forming ingredient and used to "hold" specific shapes of hair.

In cosmetics, PVP helps products like sunscreens and color cosmetics last longer and wear more evenly.

Ricinus Communis Seed Oil is the INCI name for castor oil.

Castor Oil helps moisturize the skin. It is rich in a fatty acid called ricinoleic acid. This fatty acid helps prevent moisture loss on the skin. This helps keep your skin soft and hydrated. Ricinoleic acid also has anti-inflammatory and pain reducing properties.

Silica, also known as silicon dioxide, is a naturally occurring mineral. It is used as a fine, spherical, and porous powder in cosmetics.

Though it has exfoliant properties, the function of silica varies depending on the product.

Stearic Acid is a fatty acid that is already found in your skin. It's one of the free fatty acids that works alongside ceramides and cholesterols to maintain your barrier.

In cosmetics, it is a multitasker:

Synthetic beeswax is created to be identical in structure to beeswax. It possesses the same occlusive and emulsion properties.

A blend of fatty acid esters, fatty acids, and alcohols are used to create synthetic beeswax. Whether or not this ingredient is vegan depends on the source. Sometimes, lanolin is used for its creation.

Tocopheryl Acetate is AKA Vitamin E. It is an antioxidant and protects your skin from free radicals. Free radicals damage the skin by breaking down collagen.

One study found using Tocopheryl Acetate with Vitamin C decreased the number of sunburned cells.

We don't have a description for Trimethylpentanediol/Adipic Acid/Glycerin Crosspolymer yet.

We don't have a description for Vp/Eicosene Copolymer yet.

Water. It's the most common cosmetic ingredient of all. You'll usually see it at the top of ingredient lists, meaning that it makes up the largest part of the product.

So why is it so popular? Water most often acts as a solvent - this means that it helps dissolve other ingredients into the formulation.