Face creams & moisturisers – INCI lists and analysis

This is the broadest face care category, gathering creams that are not specifically labelled as day or night products: all-purpose moisturisers, gel-creams, rich balms, cica creams, barrier creams and products sold for particular skin types. They are applied after cleansing and any serum, in an amount that the skin absorbs comfortably.

Most face creams are oil-in-water emulsions. Humectants such as GLYCERIN, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, PENTYLENE GLYCOL, UREA or SODIUM HYALURONATE bind water, emollients like CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE, SQUALANE, DIMETHICONE or plant butters soften the surface, and emulsifiers such as CETEARYL ALCOHOL, CETEARYL GLUCOSIDE or GLYCERYL STEARATE hold the two phases together. Thickeners like CARBOMER or XANTHAN GUM adjust the texture.

Featured ingredients vary widely: NIACINAMIDE, CERAMIDE NP, PANTHENOL, CENTELLA ASIATICA EXTRACT, MADECASSOSIDE, peptides, ALLANTOIN or vitamins. Their position relative to the 1% line, below which order is no longer fixed, helps put the front-of-pack message in perspective. Ingredients named on the pack are sometimes present only in small amounts. The pack and the list complement each other.

Preservatives allowed in the EU are listed in Annex V of the Cosmetics Regulation; common ones in creams include PHENOXYETHANOL, SODIUM BENZOATE and POTASSIUM SORBATE. Some products use alternatives such as 1,2-HEXANEDIOL or CAPRYLYL GLYCOL, which have antimicrobial properties but are not listed in Annex V. Fragrance and named allergens complete the list.