SkinCare Mountain Day Cream

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

• commonly dryingAlcohol

  • Alcohol: A fast-evaporating solvent that leaves a dry finish. International Chemical Safety Card ICSC 0044, Ethanol (anhydrous), prepared by an international group of experts for the ILO and WHO: "The substance defats the skin, which may cause dryness or cracking." Bommannan et al., as reported by Lachenmeier DW, "Safety evaluation of topical applications of ethanol on the skin and inside the oral cavity", J Occup Med Toxicol 2008;3:26, DOI 10.1186/1745-6673-3-26, open access, reference 82: "Bommannan et al. found in vivo in humans that ethanol enters the skin and removes measurable quantities of the lipid barrier material from the stratum corneum." Both describe stronger exposures than a cosmetic formula.

• comedogenic in testingIsopropyl Myristate

  • 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.

• common irritantPropylene Glycol

  • Propylene Glycol: A solvent that shows up in patch-test clinics, more often as irritation than as allergy. American Contact Dermatitis Society, Allergen of the Year 2018 (Jacob SE, Scheman A, McGowan MA, Dermatitis 2018;29(1):3-5).

• fragrance materialBenzyl Alcohol

  • Benzyl Alcohol: Used both as a fragrance component and as a preservative; the EU names it either way. EU Regulation (EC) 1223/2009, Annex III entry 45: a fragrance substance whose presence must be indicated in the list of ingredients above 0,001% in leave-on and 0,01% in rinse-off products, because of established contact-allergy risk. That entry carries transition footnote (38), which is footnote (37) plus a condition: stock that does not comply may still be made available until 31 July 2028 only "provided that they comply with the restrictions applicable on 15 August 2023", and only if it was lawfully placed on the Union market before the 31 July 2026 cut-off. Entry 45 covers its non-preservative use; it is separately an allowed preservative at Annex V entry 34.

• 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.

• humectantGlycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate

  • 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 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.

• soothingAvena Sativa Kernel Extract

  • Avena Sativa Kernel Extract: One of the ingredients the FDA recognises by name as an over-the-counter skin protectant for irritation and itching. FDA OTC skin protectant monograph, 21 CFR 347.10(f): "Colloidal oatmeal, 0.007 percent minimum; 0.003 percent minimum in combination with mineral oil in accordance with 347.20(a)(4)."; section 347.50(b)(4) gives it the indication "temporarily protects and helps relieve minor skin irritation and itching due to:" followed by at least one of rashes, eczema, poison ivy/oak/sumac, or insect bites. The indication is conditional on naming a cause; the same opening phrase also serves sodium bicarbonate at (b)(5), so the phrase alone does not identify oatmeal.