Common Terms
- Anti-oxidants
- Nutrients which help to neutralize and combat free radicals which ‘scavenge’ or destroy healthy, living tissue.
- Demulsant
- An agent which acts to soften, sooth, coat and protect living tissue.
- Emollient
- An ingredient which serves to feed, nourish, and improve the water content of skin. As such it improves skin elasticity.
- Emulsion/emusilfy
- imply means a mixture or ‘to mix’ things which are naturally incompatible. In creams that means mixing and holding oil and water together to form a final product.
- Essential fatty acids
- These are the good fats, essential to living tissue. They are found in a number of foods and natural sources and are necessary for the ongoing maintenance and repair of healthy cells.
- Free radicals
- The chemicals our bodies produce in response to our environment. Left unchecked, free radicals damage living tissue. They are neutralised by antioxidants such as essential fatty acids and Vitamin E.
- Humectant
- A substance that attracts and holds moisture in the skin but is not in itself moisturising.
