Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:

Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.

This ingredient is also known as shea butter. It is an effective skin hydrator and emollient.

Emollients help soothe and soften your skin. It does this by creating a protective film on your skin. This barrier helps trap moisture and keeps your skin hydrated. Emollients may be effective at treating dry or itchy skin.

Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside is an alkyl glucoside. This just means it is creating by reacting alcohol and sugar. It is a cleansing and foaming ingredient.

Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside helps remove the dirt, oil, and other pollutants from your skin.

Carbomer is a polymer of acrylic acid. Its main role is to create a gel consistency.

A high amount of carbomer can cause pilling or balling up of products. Don't worry, most products contain 1% or less of carbomer.

Dipropylene Glycol is a synthetically created humectant, stabilizer, and solvent.

This ingredient helps:

Ethylhexylglycerin (we can't pronounce this either) is commonly used as a preservative and skin softener. It is derived from glyceryl.

You might see Ethylhexylglycerin often paired with other preservatives such as phenoxyethanol. Ethylhexylglycerin has been found to increase the effectiveness of these other preservatives.

Glycerin is already naturally found in your skin. It helps moisturize and protect your skin.

A study from 2016 found glycerin to be more effective as a humectant than AHAs and hyaluronic acid.

Glyceryl Caprylate comes from glycerin and caprylic acid, a fatty acid from coconut. It has emollient and emulsifier properties.

As an emollient, it helps hydrate your skin. Emollients work by creating a barrier on your skin to trap moisture in, helping to keep your skin soft and smooth.

Hydroxyacetophenone is antioxidant with skin conditioning and soothing properties. It also boosts the efficiency of preservatives.

This ingredient is not irritating or sensitizing.

Hydroxyethyl Urea comes from urea. It is a great moisturizer and often compared to glycerin.

The manufacturer claims hydroxyethyl urea is not sticky or tacky, so no modifier ingredients are needed to adjust how it feels on skin.

Olea Europaea Fruit Oil is the fixed oil obtained from the ripe fruit of the Olive. In other words - olive oil.

The primary contents of olive oil are glycerides of the fatty acids linoleic, oleic and palmitic.

Panthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It is found naturally in our skin and hair.

There are two forms of panthenol: D and L.

Phytosterols come from plants, nuts, and whole grains. These compounds have skin soothing and moisturizing properties.

Fun fact: They are similar to cholesterol and can help lower cholesterol levels.

Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate is an ester of lauric acid and Polyglycerin-10.

Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate is a cleansing agent and emulsifier. It helps gather dirt, oil, and other pollutants to be rinsed away. As an emulsifier, it helps prevent ingredients from separating, such as oil and water.

Polyglyceryl-10 Myristate isn't fungal acne safe.

Propanediol is an all-star ingredient. It softens, hydrates, and smooths the skin. 

It’s often used to:

Sodium Hyaluronate is hyaluronic acid's salt form. It is commonly derived from the sodium salt of hyaluronic acid.

Like hyaluronic acid, it is great at holding water and acts as a humectant. This makes it a great skin hydrating ingredient.

Tartaric acid is an AHA with exfoliating and antioxidant properties. It is found in many fruits, such as tamarind, grapes, bananas, and avocados.

AHAs provide chemical exfoliation, helping to improve skin tone and texture.

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.