Body Lotion

These describe what an ingredient is, not whether it is a problem. The stance marks above are the ratings; these are not.

• comedogenic in testingISOPROPYL PALMITATE, ISOPROPYL MYRISTATE

  • ISOPROPYL PALMITATE: A light emollient named among the pore-clogging materials in the rabbit-ear assay. Fulton JE Jr, Pay SR, Fulton JE 3rd, "Comedogenicity of current therapeutic products, cosmetics, and ingredients in the rabbit ear", J Am Acad Dermatol 1984;10(1):96-105, PMID 6229554. The openly readable abstract names this ingredient among its "ingredient offenders", in prose and without a numeric rating: "Ingredient offenders include isopropyl myristate and its analogs, such as isopropyl palmitate, isopropyl isostearate, butyl stearate, isostearyl neopentanoate, myristyl myristate..." The rabbit-ear assay rates raw ingredients and does not predict how a finished formula behaves on human skin.
  • ISOPROPYL MYRISTATE: A light emollient, and the ester the rabbit-ear literature names first. Fulton JE Jr, Pay SR, Fulton JE 3rd, "Comedogenicity of current therapeutic products, cosmetics, and ingredients in the rabbit ear", J Am Acad Dermatol 1984;10(1):96-105, PMID 6229554. The openly readable abstract names this ingredient among its "ingredient offenders", in prose and without a numeric rating: "Ingredient offenders include isopropyl myristate and its analogs, such as isopropyl palmitate, isopropyl isostearate, butyl stearate, isostearyl neopentanoate, myristyl myristate..." The rabbit-ear assay rates raw ingredients and does not predict how a finished formula behaves on human skin.

• exfoliating acidLACTIC ACID

  • LACTIC ACID: An alpha hydroxy acid that loosens surface skin cells; it also makes skin more sun-sensitive while you use it. FDA, "Guidance for Industry: Labeling for Topically Applied Cosmetic Products Containing Alpha Hydroxy Acids as Ingredients" (announced at 70 FR 1721, 10 January 2005; FDA web pages title it "Labeling for Cosmetics Containing Alpha Hydroxy Acids"), which names this acid and recommends the statement "Sunburn Alert: This product contains an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) that may increase your skin's sensitivity to the sun and particularly the possibility of sunburn."

• retinoidRETINYL PALMITATE

  • RETINYL PALMITATE: A gentler vitamin A ester that the skin converts to retinol. SCCS Opinion on Vitamin A (Retinol, Retinyl Acetate, Retinyl Palmitate), SCCS/1576/16, which assesses retinyl palmitate by name; EU Regulation (EC) 1223/2009 Annex III entry 376 covers it in the same group as retinol.

• rich occlusiveDIMETHICONE

  • DIMETHICONE: A silicone that forms a film on the surface of the skin without an oily feel. FDA OTC skin protectant monograph, 21 CFR 347.10(g), lists dimethicone as a skin protectant at 1 to 30%.

• humectantUREA, GLYCERIN, SODIUM PCA, SODIUM HYALURONATE

  • UREA: A humectant the skin already makes; at higher levels it also softens thickened skin. StatPearls, "Moisturizers", NCBI Bookshelf NBK545171, updated 12 February 2024: "Urea is a component of NMF. The addition of urea to moisturizers helps with the absorption of water into the stratum corneum." The FDA label for prescription-strength urea calls it keratolytic and states that its mechanism of action is not yet known.
  • GLYCERIN: A humectant, and one of the two ingredients a comparison of moisturiser components found made a significant difference to skin hydration. FDA OTC skin protectant monograph, 21 CFR 347.10(h), lists glycerin as a skin protectant at 20 to 45%. On the humectant half: Jeong CB, Han JY, Cho JC, Suh KD, Nam GW, "Analysis of electrical property changes of skin by oil-in-water emulsion components", Int J Cosmet Sci 2013;35(4):402-410, DOI 10.1111/ics.12059, PMID 23621673, found that "glycerine and urea showed significant skin hydration effects compared with other humectants".
  • SODIUM PCA: The salt of PCA, one of the water-holding substances the outer layer of skin makes for itself. Dörner C, Steinbinder J, Sachslehner AP, Sukseree S, Eckhart L, "Amino Acid Metabolism of the Skin: Control by Specific Enzymes and Contribution to Protective Functions", Metabolites 2025;15(9):601, DOI 10.3390/metabo15090601, open access, section "Glutamine Is Converted to Pyrrolidone Carboxylic Acid, a Component of the NMF": "pyrrolidone carboxylic acid (PCA), also known as pyroglutamic acid or 5-oxoproline, accumulates in the stratum corneum."
  • SODIUM HYALURONATE: A humectant that holds a large amount of water at the skin surface. Chylińska N, Maciejczyk M, "Hyaluronic Acid and Skin: Its Role in Aging and Wound-Healing Processes", Gels 2025;11(4):281, DOI 10.3390/gels11040281, PMID 40277717, open access: hyaluronic acid's "high osmotic activity and anionic structure enable it to bind large amounts of water", and "sodium and potassium hyaluronate are widely used in moisturizing products". The same review notes that high-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid does not penetrate the deeper layers.

• barrier lipidLINOLEIC ACID

  • LINOLEIC ACID: An essential fatty acid the skin barrier uses and cannot make for itself. Khnykin D, Miner JH, Jahnsen F, "Role of fatty acid transporters in epidermis", Dermatoendocrinol 2011;3(2):53-61, DOI 10.4161/derm.3.2.14816, open access: "The human body can produce all but two of the fatty acids it needs: linoleic acid (C18:2, n6) and alpha-linolenic acid (C18:3, n3)", and replacing linoleic acid with a non-essential fatty acid "will lead to barrier defects". Feingold and Elias, J Lipid Res 2024: linoleate "is required for the synthesis of a subgroup of acylceramides".

• soothingBISABOLOL

  • BISABOLOL: The main soothing component isolated from chamomile. Eddin LB et al., "Health Benefits, Pharmacological Effects, Molecular Mechanisms, and Therapeutic Potential of alpha-Bisabolol", Nutrients 2022;14(7):1370, DOI 10.3390/nu14071370, PMID 35405982, open access: it "is integrated in many cosmetic formulations due to its skin soothing effects, well documented dermal absorption and the absence of dermal irritations or photosensitivity following its application". The EMA HMPC assessment report on Matricaria recutita (EMA/HMPC/55837/2011) discusses its anti-inflammatory data.