Mac Cosmetics Prep + Prime Fix+ Matte

Mac Cosmetics Prep + Prime Fix+ Matte

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Overview

What it is

Setting spray & powder with 22 ingredients that contains exfoliants and hyaluronic acid

Cool Features

It is reef safe

Suited For

It has ingredients that are good for dry skin, brightening skin and scar healing

Free From

It doesn't contain any common allergens, parabens, silicones or sulfates

Fun facts

Mac Cosmetics is from United States.

We independently verify ingredients and our claims are backed by peer-reviewed research. Does this product need an update? Let us know.

Ingredients Explained

Skin Conditioning, Solvent

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. If you see this, drink a glass of water. Stay hydrated!

Learn more about Water
Antimicrobial, Astringent, Masking

Alcohol Denat. is an alcohol with a denaturant property. It is created by mixing ethanol with other additives.

This ingredient gets a bad rep because it is irritating and drying - mostly due to its astringent property. Astringents draw out natural oils in tissue, constricting pores and leaving your skin dried out.

However, alcohol denat. is not all that bad.

Due to its low molecular weight, alcohol denat. tends to evaporate quickly. One study on pig skin found half of applied alcohol evaporated in 10 seconds and less than 3% stayed on skin.

This also helps other ingredients become better absorbed upon application.

Studies are conflicted about whether this ingredient causes skin dehydration. One study from 2005 found adding emollients to propanol-based sanitizer decreased skin dryness and irritation. Another study found irritation only occurs if your skin is already damaged.

Small amounts of alcohol are generally tolerated by oily skin or people who live in humid environments.

The rule of thumb is if this alcohol is near the end of an ingredients list, it will probably not affect your skin much.

Also...

This ingredient has antimicrobial and solvent properties.

The antimicrobial property helps preserve products and increase their shelf life. As a solvent, it helps dissolve other ingredients.

Other types of astringent alcohols include:

Learn more about Alcohol Denat.
Abrasive, Absorbent

Silica is a mineral naturally found in our skin. It helps to thicken and smooth the texture of a product. It also acts as an agent for other ingredients by increasing the absorption of other ingredients into the skin.

Silica is often used for absorption and can help reduce shine when products are applied. Silica occurs in naturally in materials like clay and sandstone, and it can also be produced synthetically.

Silica is present naturally within the skin during collagen production and when reducing inflammation.

Learn more about Silica
Humectant, Skin Conditioning

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.

Sodium Hyaluronate is naturally occurring in our bodies and is mostly found in eye fluid and joints.

These are some other common types of Hyaluronic Acid:

Learn more about Sodium Hyaluronate

We don't have a description for Enantia Chlorantha Bark Extract yet.

Pyrus Malus Fruit Water is created by distilling parts of the apple.

Apples contain a large amount of antioxidants. Antioxidants help fight free-radicals. Free-radicals are molecules that may damage your skin cells.

The sugar in Apples helps keep the skin hydrated. Apples also contain some acids, such as malic acid. These acids may have a mild exfoliating effect.

Apples also contain Vitamins C and B.

Learn more about Pyrus Malus Fruit Water
Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting

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.

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 Glycerin
Skin Conditioning

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.

Skin Conditioning

Lactobacillus Ferment is created by fermenting the Lactobacillus bacteria. It helps keep our skin's natural barrier and microbiome healthy.

Studies show lactobacillus ferment to be effective at repairing the skin barrier. Having a healthy skin barrier helps keep your skin healthy and hydrated. It also protects against bad bacteria.

As a probiotic/prebiotic/postbiotic, Lactobacillus ferment can help regular our natural biome. In fact, one study found a lack of diversity in our natural skin biome can trigger acne.

Learn more about Lactobacillus Ferment
Humectant, Skin Conditioning

Honey comes from bees. It is mainly made up of the sugars fructose and glucose.

Besides sugar, honey also contains amino acids, peptides, Vitamins A, C, and E. Vitamins A, C, and E.

As a humectant, honey is great at hydrating the skin. Humectants draw moisture from the air and hold it to your skin.

Honey also has antioxidant and antioxidant properties. Fun fact: darker honey has more antioxidants than light honey.

The antibacterial property of honey may make it effective at helping to treat acne. We recommend speaking with a professional if you have concerns.

Many people wonder if honey is vegan. It is technically a byproduct from bees. This is because honey is created from the digestive enzymes in a bee's stomach.

Remember to be kind to bees :) They are important for many ecosystems and are endangered.

Learn more about Honey
Astringent

We don't have a description for Calcium Chloride yet.

Solvent

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

It’s often used to:

Propanediol is not likely to cause sensitivity and considered safe to use. It is derived from corn or petroleum with a clear color and no scent.

Learn more about Propanediol

We don't have a description for Lithium Magnesium Sodium Silicate yet.

Humectant, Masking, Skin Conditioning

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

  • It is a solvent, meaning that it helps to dissolve other ingredients. This also enhances the absorption of the product into one's skin.
  • It is a humectant, which means that it helps attract moisture into the skin.
  • It helps improve product application.
  • It has mild preservative properties.

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

Skin Conditioning, Solvent

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 also help thicken or stabilize a product.

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 Glycol
Cleansing, Emollient, Emulsifying

Coconut Acid isn't fungal acne safe.

Skin Conditioning

Oleanolic acid is a type of triterpene.

Triterpenes are chemical compounds found in various plants such as pomegranates, apples, basil, and rosemary. They have been shown to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

Skin Conditioning

Polyglutamic Acid is made up many glutamic acids chained together. It is created from bacterial fermentation.

This ingredient is an effective skin hydrator and may help speed up wound healing. As a humectant, it draws and holds water to the skin. This ingredient is often compared to hyaluronic acid or glycerin. Similarly to hyaluronic acid, it can vary in molecular weights. This means polyglutamic acid is capable of bringing hydration to lower levels of the skin.

Fun fact: Polyglutamic Acid is found in the Japanese food, natto. It is also being used in cancer treatment studies.

Learn more about Polyglutamic Acid

Peg-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil comes from hydrogenated castor oil. It is a solubilizer and emulsifier.

As a solubilizer, it helps dissolve ingredients into a water-based version. It is also an emulsifer. Emulsifier help prevent oils and water from separating. Both these properties help create evenly-spread and uniform products.

Basically, Peg-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil helps hold ingredients together.

Learn more about PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Masking, Perfuming

Parfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.

Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.

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.

Learn more about Parfum

Disodium EDTA plays a role in making products more stable by aiding other preservatives.

It is a chelating agent, meaning it neutralizes metal ions that may be found in a product.

Disodium EDTA is a salt of edetic acid and is found to be safe in cosmetic ingredients.

Learn more about Disodium EDTA
Preservative

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.

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Where it's from

Mac Cosmetics is a American brand

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Verified by SkinSort

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.

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· Updated January 30, 2025 Added by pamtr