Hanyul Lip Balm

In cosmetics, it acts as a skin conditioner, occlusive, and emollient that give products a rich body.

Concentrations are reported from 0.0004% to 60% with leave-on products going as high as 60% and rinse-off products staying at 8% or below.

The Cosmetic Ingredient Review has concluded this ingredient to be safe as used in cosmetics.

This ingredient does have a comedogenic rating of 3, but this doesn't mean a formula with this ingredient will clog pores. Human testing has proved that any finished product with this ingredient won't automatically make you break out; it really comes down to concentration, formula, and your skin.

Since this ingredient is a triglyceride built mostly from C16 and C18 fatty acids, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe as that falls into the range the Malassezia yeast can metabolize.

Allergy-wise, the proteins responsible for plant food allergies are taken out of the refined oil. This is why reactions to refined oils are rare even from highly allergenic sources like peanut. Well-designed studies have also shown refined peanut oil is safely tolerated by the vast majority of peanut-allergic people.

However, the issue is with unrefined oils; be sure to reach out to the manufacturer if you have a plant food allergy about the type of oil used in their products.

The other catch for this INCI name is that it doesn't tell you which plants are in the blend so you would need to ask the brand.

Those are medium-chain fats which is why it melts fast on skin and feels lighter than stearic-heavy butters like shea or cacao.

In skincare, this butter works as an emollient and a temporary occlusive that helps soften the skin's surface and slows water loss.

Just to be upfront: there's no published human clinical trials on this ingredient and everything known about how it behaves on skin is from the fatty acid composition + general body of data on refined plant oils. At this time, marketing claims about wrinkles, elasticity, or "deep repair" are unsupported.

Industry survey data shows concentrations between 0.001%-7% for leave-on products and rinse-off products are capped around 0.2%.

No one has tested murumuru butter for comedogenicity in humans; the comedogenic ratings floating around trace back to lauric and myristic acid scores from the 1984 rabbit ear assay.

The author of that study later said that testing on rabbit ears is not ideal and human testing found that comedogenic ratings cannot predict how a finished formula will behave. It all comes down to formula, concentration, and your skin.

Malassezia is lipid dependent and feeds on free fatty acids between C11-24 chain lengths. This ingredient is made up entirely of chains in that range, so it may not be fungal acne safe.

It has a very saturated profile (stearic acid ~34 to 36%, oleic acid ~30 to 40%, and palmitic acid ~24 to 29%) that makes it a strong occlusive: it sits on top and slows water escaping from skin.

Concentration data shows that it can show up anywhere from a few percent in lotions up to 100% in balms, and the FDA lists cocoa butter as an OTC skin protectant active at 50-100%.

The CIR has reviewed it and concluded it to be safe as used in cosmetics.

This is one of the ingredients with a comedogenic score of 4/5 from the rabbit ear test. Just know that a later human study did find that finished products containing high-comedogenic ingredients like cocoa butter did not increase microcomedone formation.

The fair call here is that this ingredient is most likely fine on body or low-percentage formulas, but can potentially be riskier as a heavy leave-on facial product if you break out easily.

Cocoa butter may not be fungal acne safe; it is a triglyceride of C16-18 fatty acids that the Malassezia yeast can metabolize.

Allergies to cocoa butter are rare and uncommon, but a few cases have been documented (mostly in cases where the person ate chocolate). So if you have a tree nut allergy, be sure to patch test or avoid.

In comedogenic testing, Beeswax scored a 0-2, which is on the low end. Whether or not a product clogs your pores really comes down to the formula as a whole (not any single ingredient on its own) and your skin.

Cera Alba is the white, bleached form of this ingredient.

Just so you know, beeswax is not vegan since it is animal-derived. It cannot be removed with water, but can be taken off with an oil cleanser.

People with a known Propolis allergy also report to have reactions from beeswax.

Beeswax's wax esters are derived primarily from palmitic and oleic acid (C16 and C18:1). Both of these fall within the C11-C24 feeding window.

The Malassezia yeast can potentially cleave these esters and release usable fatty acids, so this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe. However, not everyone will react to this ingredient.

This ingredient is generally safe for use in cosmetics with one nuance: some grades of candelilla wax can naturally contain benzyl alcohol at concentrations high enough to require declaration under EU labeling rules. This isn't a concern for most people but relevant for those with fragrance sensitivities.

Candelilla wax contains fatty acids (mainly C31) and wax esters that can be used by the Malassezia yeast, so this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.

You might see Euphorbia Cerifera "Cera" instead of "wax". This is because some brands, databases, or labels use it interchangeably; they're the same ingredient.

For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.

The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.

For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.

One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.

Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.

Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.

The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.

Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.

It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.

This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.

This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.

In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.

Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.

According to a manufacturer, it also offer some moisturizing effects.

French patent research also backs up the anti-inflammatory and circulation supporting properties at concentrations of 0.01-2%.