Desert Essence Cucumber & Aloe Micellar Cleansing Facial Water Ingredients Explained
Published on April 13, 2021 Submitted by lauradh
Overview
What it is
Makeup remover with 20 ingredients
Cool Features
It is vegan, cruelty-free, and reef safe
Suited For
It has ingredients that are good for dry skin, brightening skin, sensitive skin and oily skin
Free From
It doesn't contain any parabens, silicones or sulfates
Fun facts
Desert Essence is from United States. This product is used in 8 routines created by our community.
We independently verify ingredients and our claims are backed by peer-reviewed research. Does this product need an update? Let us know.
Ingredient List (20)
Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Water, Pentylene Glycol, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Glyceryl Caprylate, Polyglyceryl-6 Oleate, Glycerin, Decyl Glucoside, Lauryl Glucoside, Sodium Surfactin, Benzyl Alcohol, Dehydroacetic Acid, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil, Soy Acid
You should know
Benefits
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This product contains 3 ingredients that may have this attribute:
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Concerns
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This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
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Ingredient Info
Contains Alcohol
Ingredients in this product that are types of alcohol:
Silicon Free
This product is free of silicons 🎉
Contains Fragrance
Ingredients in this product that are forms of fragrance:
Sulfate Free
This product is free of sulfates 🎉
Paraben Free
This product is free of parabens 🎉
Contains Oils
Ingredients in this product that are types of oil:
Not Malassezia Safe
Ingredients in this product that are not malassezia safe:
Reef Safe
This product is free of ingredients that damage reefs 🎉
Contains EU Allergens
Ingredients in this product that are EU allergens:
Vegan
This product is vegan 🎉
Cruelty Free
This product is cruelty-free 🎉
Ingredients Overview
Ingredients Explained
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.
You'll also recognize water as that liquid we all need to stay alive. Talk about multi-purpose! If you see this, drink a glass of water. Stay hydrated!
Learn more about WaterAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice comes from leaves of the aloe plant. Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice is best known for helping to soothe sunburns. It is also anti-inflammatory, moisturizing, antiseptic, and can help heal wounds.
Aloe is packed with good stuff including Vitamins A, C, and E. These vitamins are antioxidants, which help fight free-radicals and the damage they may cause. Free-radicals are molecules that may damage your skin cells, such as pollution.
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice also contains sugars. These sugars come in the form of monosaccharides and polysaccharides, folic acid, and choline. These sugars are able to help bind moisture to skin.
It also contains minerals such as calcium, 12 anthraquinones, fatty acids, amino acids, and Vitamin B12.
Learn more about Aloe Barbadensis Leaf JuiceThis ingredient is created by distilling parts of the tea tree plant. The bark and leaves of the tea tree plant are rich in Terpinen, an antioxidant, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory ingredient.
Learn more about tea tree benefits here.
Pentylene glycol is typically used within a product to thicken it. It also adds a smooth, soft, and moisturizing feel to the product. It is naturally found in plants such as sugar beets.
The hydrophilic trait of Pentylene Glycol makes it a humectant. As a humectant, Pentylene Glycol helps draw moisture from the air to your skin. This can help keep your skin hydrated.
This property also makes Pentylene Glycol a great texture enhancer. It can help thicken or emulsify a product. Emulsifiers help stabilize a product. It does this by preventing certain ingredients from separating.
Pentylene Glycol also acts as a mild preservative and helps to keep a product microbe-free.
Some people may experience mild eye and skin irritation from Pentylene Glycol. We always recommend speaking with a professional about using this ingredient in your routine.
Pentylene Glycol has a low molecular weight and is part of the 1,2-glycol family.
Learn more about Pentylene GlycolCucumis Sativus Fruit Extract comes from the cucumber. Cucumis Sativus is native to South Asia and can now be found on every continent.
Cucumbers are mostly made up of water (95%), and the other 5% is composed of: vitamin C, caffeic acid, fatty acids, amino acids, and other minerals.
Cucumbers have anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, and hydrating properties.
Vitamin C and Caffeic acid are potent antioxidants that may help with anti-aging. Antioxidants help neutralize free-radical molecules, or unstable molecules that may damage our skin cells and DNA.
Cucumbers contain shikimate dehydrigenase, an enzyme shown to help reduce inflammation and soothe the skin. The amino acids help nourish our skin's natural acid mantle. Our acid mantle is formed from the mixing of sebum and sweat. This slightly acidic film acts as a barrier to protect us from bacteria, viruses, and other contaminants.
Unless you have an allergy to cucumbers, it is generally a non-irritating ingredient.
Learn more about Cucumis Sativus Fruit ExtractThis tea tree oil comes from the leaves of the Tea Tree plant. Tea tree oil has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties.
According to the book Journal of Profiles of Drug Substances, tea tree helps in reducing acne-causing bacteria such as Propionibacterium acnes. This is due to the Terpinen components of tea tree oil.
Tea tree may cause sensitivity and irritation for some people. This oil naturally contains fragrance such as linalool and limonene.
However, research shows irritation usually occurs when using pure tea tree oil and not in cosmetic products.
Tea tree oil was found to help relieve the symptoms of psoriasis in one study.
Tea tree oil is toxic when ingested. Another study showed it to caused damage to the nervous system of dogs and cats when applied to their skin or given orally.
Learn more about Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf OilCaprylyl/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.
Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate is a gentle cleanser and surfactant. It is the sodium salt of the Cocoyl Glutamic Acid and comes from coconut oil. As a surfactant, it helps lift dirt and oil to be washed away.
Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate also has an emolliating effect and can help leave the skin feeling soft.
Glyceryl Caprylate comes from glycerin and caprylic acid, a fatty acid from coconut.
Glyceryl Caprylate is used for its 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.
Glyceryl Caprylate helps keep the ingredients such as oil and water together as an emulsifier.
Learn more about Glyceryl CaprylateGlycerin 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.
As a humectant, it helps the skin stay hydrated by pulling moisture to your skin. The low molecular weight of glycerin allows it to pull moisture into the deeper layers of your skin.
Hydrated skin improves your skin barrier; Your skin barrier helps protect against irritants and bacteria.
Glycerin has also been found to have antimicrobial and antiviral properties. Due to these properties, glycerin is often used in wound and burn treatments.
In cosmetics, glycerin is usually derived from plants such as soybean or palm. However, it can also be sourced from animals, such as tallow or animal fat.
This ingredient is organic, colorless, odorless, and non-toxic.
Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.
Learn more about GlycerinDecyl Glucoside is a glucose-based surfactant. Surfactants help clean the skin by trapping oil, sebum, and dirt to be washed away.
It is created from the fatty acids in coconut oil.
Decyl Glucoside also helps stabilize the ingredients in a product by preventing them from separating.
This ingredient is biodegradable and non-toxic. This ingredient is commonly found in baby shampoos.
Decyl Glucoside is sometimes used to stabilize the UV filter Tinosorb.
Learn more about Decyl GlucosideLauryl Glucoside sugar- and lipid-based cleansing agent. It is created from glucose and lauryl alcohol.
Lauryl Glucoside makes it easier to rinse oil, dirt, and other polluants away.
A British study found lauryl glucoside to cause skin sensitivity for some people. We recommend speaking with a professional if you have concerns.
Learn more about Lauryl GlucosideWe don't have a description for Sodium Surfactin.
Benzyl Alcohol is most commonly used as a preservative. It also has a subtle, sweet smell. Small amounts of Benzyl Alcohol is not irritating and safe to use in skincare products. Most Benzyl Alcohol is derived from fruits such as apricots.
Benzyl Alcohol has both antibacterial and antioxidant properties. These properties help lengthen the shelf life of products. Benzyl Alcohol is a solvent and helps dissolve other ingredients. It can also improve the texture and spreadability.
Alcohol comes in many different forms. Different types of alcohol will have different effects on skin. This ingredient is an astringent alcohol.
Using high concentrations of these alcohols are drying on the skin. They may strip away your skin's natural oils and even damage your skin barrier. Astringent alcohols may also irritate skin.
Other types of astringent alcohols include:
According to the National Rosacea Society based in the US, you should be mindful of products with these alcohols in the top half of ingredients.
Any type of sanitizing product will have high amounts of alcohol to help kill bacteria and viruses.
Learn more about Benzyl AlcoholDehydroacetic Acid is fungicide and bactericide. It is used as a preservative in cosmetics. Preservatives help elongate the shelf life of a product.
Dehydroacetic Acid is not soluble in water.
Citric Acid is an AHA derived from citrus fruits (think oranges, lemons, and limes!).
If you spot Citric Acid near the end of an ingredient list, it's likely there as a pH adjuster rather than an active ingredient.
As an AHA, Citric Acid removes the top layer of skin cells from the newer layer of skin underneath. This helps skin to remove dark spots and look more even.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Citric AcidPotassium Sorbate is a preservative used to prevent yeast and mold in products. It is commonly found in both cosmetic and food products.
Potassium sorbate is potassium salt derived from sorbic acid. Sorbic acid is a natural antibiotic and effective against fungus.
Potassium sorbate and sorbic acid can be found in baked goods, cheeses, dried meats, dried fruit, ice cream, pickles, wine, yogurt, and more.
Potassium sorbate is often used with stronger preservatives.
Learn more about Potassium SorbateSesame oil comes from sesame seeds. Sesame oil is rich in fatty acids and Vitamin E.
It has antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. The phenolic compounds of this ingredient (including vitamin E) give it these properties.
Unrefined sesame oil has a comedogenic rating of 3, while refined sesame oil has a rating of 1. This ingredient may not be fungal-acne safe.
The fatty acids in sesame oil include linoleic acid (41%), oleic acid (39%), palmitic acid (8%), stearic acid (5%), and some small traces of others.
Learn more about Sesamum Indicum Seed OilBeautiful widgets for your website
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When to use
Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.
Directions
Apply a generous amount onto a fresh cotton pad and swipe over your face and neck in an upward, circular motion. To remove eye makeup: hold pad over closed eyelid for a few seconds, then gently wipe without harsh rubbing. No rinsing required.
Apply a generous amount onto a fresh cotton pad and swipe over your face and neck in an upward, circular motion. To remove eye makeup: hold pad over closed eyelid for a few seconds, then gently wipe without harsh rubbing. No rinsing required.
When to use
We're dedicated to providing you with the most up-to-date and science-backed ingredient info out there.
The data we've presented on this page has been verified by a member of the SkinSort Team.
Read more about usCompared With
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