Active Ingredient

Excellente

New ingredients

Active Ingredient at a glance

  • Regulated ingredients approved to perform a specific drug- or drug-like skin care function
  • Listed with their concentration and a short description of how they work
  • Must also be accompanied by instructions detailing how to apply
  • Examples include benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid for acne

Active Ingredient description

The United States Food and Drug Administration defines an active ingredient as “any component that provides pharmacological activity or other direct effect in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease, or to affect the structure or any function of the body of man or animals.” In skin care, actives are indicated on the product’s label and must be approved to perform a specific drug- or drug-like function. Examples include titanium dioxide and other UV filters for sun protection and benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid for acne. In essence, these are regulated ingredients that have active functionality to prevent, heal or improve a specific present or future (think sunburn) condition Active ingredients are listed with their concentration and a short description of how they work in a product. Active ingredients must also be accompanied by instructions detailing how and how often the product that contains them should be applied. The “inactive” ingredients that make up the rest of a skin care formulas aren’t really inactive per se, as they provide support for the active ingredient or lend cosmetic functions to the formula. Additionally, you may hear someone refer to powerful ingredients in their skin care products as “active” or “bio-active”—however this is a subjective and interpretational way of describing ingredient efficacy or potency. This verbiage is not the same thing as the regulated term. Note: Outside of the U.S., definitions of active ingredients vary by each country’s regulatory criteria.

Active Ingredient references

  • FDA.gov, Accessed June 2022, ePublication

Peer-reviewed, substantiated scientific research is used to assess ingredients in this dictionary. Regulations regarding constraints, permitted concentration levels and availability vary by country and region.

Calificaciones de ingredientes

Excelente

Ingrediente sobresaliente con beneficios reales para la piel. Su eficacia está demostrada y respaldada por estudios independientes.

Bueno

Aunque no son tan beneficiosos como los de la categoría excelente, suelen ser necesarios para mejorar la textura, la estabilidad o la absorción de una fórmula.

Aceptable

Puede presentar ciertas limitaciones en cuanto a su apariencia, estabilidad o eficacia. A veces, son ingredientes básicos o que no cuentan con suficiente respaldo científico.

Poco recomendable

Aunque puede ofrecer algunos beneficios se recomienda evitarlo por su probabilidad de causar irritación, especialmente si se combina con otros ingredientes problemáticos.

Desaconsejable

Ha demostrado provocar efectos adversos como irritación, inflamación o sequedad, especialmente si se utiliza en altas concentraciones o junto con otros ingredientes irritantes.

Desconocido

No hemos encontrado este ingrediente en nuestro diccionario. Registramos todos los ingredientes desconocidos y actualizamos la información de forma continua.

Sin calificar

Ingrediente registrado, pero con la información científica disponible pendiente de revisar.