Gentle Gel Cleanser

Solvent. Water. The main vehicle for our Gel Cleanser.

Humectant and skin protecting. Technically a sugar alcohol, glycerin is one of the oldest, most common and most versatile humectants used in cosmetics. It moisturises and protects the skin, accelerates skin barrier recovery and has antimicrobial properties, among other things. We use the vegetable kind, made from rapeseed and organic corn and soy oils.

Surfactants. Low foaming, non-ionic surfactants, actually solubilisers, made from castor, rapeseed, palm and coconut oils. A surfactant acts as a cleansing agent and emulsifier. The combination we use has excellent and proven makeup removing capabilities, and is mild on the skin and eyes.

Thickening. Basically the Gel in our Cleanser, cetyl hydroxyethylcellulose is a water-dispersible polymer. Made from natural, wood derived cellulose, which has been synthetically modified.

Humectant and skin conditioning. Betaine is highly purified sugar beet extract, chemically speaking an amino acid derivative, that maintains skin moisture balance and strengthens the skin barrier even under very dry conditions. It is a so-called osmolyte, controlling water balance in living cells. The one we use is made from Finnish sugar beets.

Humectant and skin conditioning. Xylitol is a sugar alcohol that moisturises and conditions skin, whilst possessing anti-bacterial properties. There is some interesting research that suggests xylitol has the ability to inhibit bacterial biofilm on skin, which in turn may be the cause of many skin issues. The one we use is made in Finland from European hardwood.

Skin conditioning and preservative. Sodium levulinate is the sodium salt of levulinic acid, an organic acid that in this case is derived from sugarcane. Together with sodium anisate, water and plant derived glycerin, it makes up the preservation system we use for our Gel Cleanser. At the appropriate pH, the salts transform into acid, and voilà – product preserved.

Antimicrobial, flavouring agent and preservative. The salt of star anis derived organic acid. The other half of our preservation system.

Buffering agent. Citric acid is a commonly used buffering, i.e. pH adjusting, agent in cosmetics. It is made through bacterial fermentation and shifts the pH of the product into the acidic range. This is closer to the natural pH of the skin, which may range from 4 to 7, but is usually thought to be between 5 and 6, with recent studies, however, indicating it to be below 5.