Disteardimonium Hectorite comes from the clay mineral named hectorite. It is used to add thickness to a product.

It can also help stabilize a product by helping to disperse other ingredients.

Lecithin is a term for a group of substances found in the cell membranes of plants, animals, and humans. They are made up of mixture of phospholipids.

This ingredient has emollient and emulsifying properties.

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.

This ingredient is also known as PMMA. It is a polymer microsphere, composed of tiny, perfectly spherical particles formed from repeating units.

In cosmetics, PMMA is mainly used to give a soft or blurring effect. The transparent particles are able to scatter light and help reduce the appearance of fine-lines and imperfections.

Triethoxycaprylylsilane is a silicone used to bind and stabilize ingredients.

As an emulsifier, it helps prevent ingredients from separating. This can help elongate the shelf life of products.

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.