Good old water, aka H2O. The most common skincare ingredient of all. One more thing: the water used in cosmetics is purified and deionized (it means that almost all of the mineral ions inside it is removed). We don't have description for this ingredient yet.
Butylene glycol, or let’s just call it BG, is a multi-tasking colorless, syrupy liquid. It’s a great pick for creating a nice feeling product. BG’s main job is usually to be a solvent for the other ingredients. Other tasks include helping the product to absorb faster and deeper into the skin (penetration enhancer), making the product spread nicely over the skin (slip agent), and attracting water (humectant) into the skin. It’s an ingredient whose safety hasn’t been questioned so far by anyone (at least not that we know about). BG is approved by Ecocert and is also used enthusiastically in natural products.
A helper ingredient that usually comes to the formula coupled with PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil. The two together work as surfactants and oil solubilizers. It's a non-sticky duo that works at low concentration and is often used to solubilize fragrance components into water-based formulas.
A mildly viscous, amber-colored liquid with fatty odor, made from Castor Oil and polyethylene glycol (PEG). If it were a person, we’d say, it’s agile, diligent & multifunctional. It’s mostly used as an emulsifier and surfactant but most often it is used to solubilize fragrances into water-based formulas.
Beetroot is a beautifully colored vegetable that you probably know from the kitchen. It's the chemically chopped up version of corn starch. According to manufacturer info it helps to keep formulas together (binding), and improves foam quality (makes nice, creamy foam :)).
Read all the geeky details about Propylene Glycol here >> Propanediol is a natural alternative for the often used and often bad-mouthed propylene glycol. Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate is an emollient that leaves a light, non-oily smooth and velvet skin sensation. According to manufacturer info it's also great at dispersing and dissolving pigments and sunscreen actives. We don't have description for this ingredient yet.
It’s pretty much the current IT-preservative. It’s safe and gentle, but even more importantly, it’s not a feared-by-everyone-mostly-without-scientific-reason paraben. It’s not something new: it was introduced around 1950 and today it can be used up to 1% worldwide. It can be found in nature - in green tea - but the version used in cosmetics is synthetic. Other than having a good safety profile and being quite gentle to the skin it has some other advantages too. It can be used in many types of formulations as it has great thermal stability (can be heated up to 85°C) and works on a wide range of pH levels (ph 3-10). It’s often used together with ethylhexylglycerin as it nicely improves the preservative activity of phenoxyethanol.
If you have spotted ethylhexylglycerin on the ingredient list, most probably you will see there also the current IT-preservative, phenoxyethanol. Exactly what it sounds: nice smelling stuff put into cosmetic products so that the end product also smells nice. If you are someone who likes to know what you put on your face then fragrance is not your best friend - there's no way to know what’s really in it. Also, if your skin is sensitive, fragrance is again not your best friend. It’s the number one cause of contact allergy to cosmetics.
A common fragrance ingredient that smells like jasmine. It is one of the “EU 26 fragrances” that has to be labelled separately because of allergen potential. Best to avoid if your skin is sensitive.
A super common and cheap fragrance ingredient. It's in many plants, e.g. rosemary, eucalyptus, lavender, lemongrass, peppermint and it's the main component (about 50-90%) of the peel oil of citrus fruits. It does smell nice but the problem is that it oxidizes on air exposure and the resulting stuff is not good for the skin. Oxidized limonene can cause allergic contact dermatitis and counts as a frequent skin sensitizer. Limonene's nr1 function is definitely being a fragrance component, but there are several studies showing that it's also a penetration enhancer, mainly for oil-loving components. All in all, limonene has some pros and cons, but - especially if your skin is sensitive - the cons probably outweigh the pros.
Linalool is a super common fragrance ingredient. It’s kind of everywhere - both in plants and in cosmetic products. The problem with linalool is, that just like limonene it oxidises on air exposure and becomes allergenic. That’s why a product containing linalool that has been opened for several months is more likely to be allergenic than a fresh one. A study made in the UK with 483 people tested the allergic reaction to 3% oxidised linalool and 2.3% had positive test results.
Citronellol is a very common fragrance ingredient with a nice rose-like odor. In the UK, it’s actually the third most often listed perfume on the ingredient lists. It can be naturally found in geranium oil (about 30%) or rose oil (about 25%). As with all fragrance ingredients, citronellol can also cause allergic contact dermatitis and should be avoided if you have perfume allergy. In a 2001 worldwide study with 178 people with known sensitization to fragrances citronellol tested positive in 5.6% of the cases.
There is no known anti-aging or positive skin benefits of the ingredient. A common fragrance ingredient that has a nice floral scent and also goes by the name Lilial. Normal (well kind of - it's purified and deionized) water. Usually the main solvent in cosmetic products. An often used glycol that works as a solvent, humectant, penetration enhancer and also gives a good slip to the products. A helper ingredient that usually comes to the formula coupled with PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil. Chemically chopped up version of corn starch - helps to keep formulas together (binding), and improves foam quality. Corn Starch that comes as a floury powder and helps to improve the skin feel of emulsions. A real oldie but a goodie. A common glycol that improves the freeze-thaw stability of products. A natural corn sugar derived glycol. An emollient that leaves a light, non-oily smooth and velvet skin sensation. Pretty much the current IT-preservative. The generic term for nice smelling stuff put into cosmetic products so that the end product also smells nice. A common fragrance ingredient that smells like jasmine. A super common fragrance ingredient found naturally in many plants including citrus peel oils, rosemary or lavender. A super common fragrance ingredient that can be found among others in lavender, ylang-ylang, bergamot or jasmine. The downside of it is that it oxidises on air exposure and might become allergenic. A common fragrance ingredient that has a nice floral scent and also goes by the name Lilial.
Humectants, Emollients, & Occlusives: It's Skincare Explained!
How the Restore Perfecting Spray fits into routine
The Restore Perfecting Spray combines solvents, humectants, emulsifiers and fragrance components to deliver a water-based, easily spreadable product with a velvety feel. It relies on water as the main solvent, BG as a versatile co-solvent and humectant, and PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil with Castor Oil-derived PEG to aid solubilization and emulsification. The fragrance system uses common fragrance ingredients that can pose allergen risks if oxidized or if skin is sensitive, so usage and packaging considerations matter for user safety.
In formulations, phenoxyethanol is often paired with ethylhexylglycerin to boost preservative efficacy, offering a gentle profile while ensuring microbial stability. The overall product experience-slip, spread, feel-owes much to the carefully balanced interactions between water, glycols, emollients, and surfactants. When applying, consumers may notice a light, non-oily finish and a quick absorption rate, thanks to the solvent system and humectant balance.
| Ingredient class | Typical role | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Water (Aqua) | Solvent | Purified and deionized; main base |
| Butylene Glycol (BG) | Solvent, humectant, penetration enhancer | Improves slip and absorption |
| PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil & Castor Oil-derived PEG | Surfactant, solubilizer | Non-sticky pair; solubilizes fragrances |
| Corn starch / Beetroot derivative | Binding, foam quality | Contributes to texture and stability |
| Propylene Glycol / Propanediol | Solvent, humectant | Natural alternative considerations |
| Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate / Dicaprate | Emollient, pigment/sunscreen dispersant | Light, non-oily skin feel |
| Phenoxyethanol | Preservative | Stability across pH and temperatures |
| Ethylhexylglycerin | Preservative enhancer | Works with phenoxyethanol |
| Fragrance components (limonene, linalool, citronellol, etc.) | Fragrance | Allergen and sensitization risks; oxidation concerns |
Overall, the spray aims to deliver a pleasant texture and sensory experience while maintaining stability and safety through its preservative system and fragrance management. Users should be aware of fragrance ingredients that can provoke sensitivities, especially when the product is opened and exposure increases oxidative changes in terpenes like limonene, linalool, and citronellol.
tags: #living #proof #restore #perfecting #spray