Cosmetic Ingredients for More Potent Skin Care

Let’s take a minute to talk about fillers as cosmetic ingredients. No – not the ones for our lips, although we aren’t against a juicy Angelina Jolie pout – the ones that are found in many skin care products. The term fillers is cosmetic speak for anything included in a product that isn’t contributing a real purpose. For example, the beeswax in a lip balm is actually helping to seal moisture into the lips, but the artificial cherry flavor? It’s simply there for a more pleasant experience, and sometimes contains toxic synthetic ingredients. 100% PURE prefers to keep it real. That’s right – in addition to formulating natural makeup and the best organic skin care, we create products with an all-star list of cosmetic ingredients free of water, thickeners and fillers. Keep reading to go deeper into what fillers are, what problems they pose in our products, and how 100% PURE is paving the way for higher standards in the world of cosmetics. Here are the benefits of our natural and organic cosmetic ingredients.

Benefit 1 of Our Cosmetic Ingredients: High Potency

Imagine you have a piping hot cup of your favorite type of tea. The more honey you add, the sweeter the tea becomes, but no matter how sweet the tea tastes, ultimately the flavor of the tea is diluted by the water. In a sense, this is what’s happening in skin care when brands use fillers. They have three or four key cosmetic ingredients. The key ingredients lend their effectiveness to the product. For example, a product listed as “brightening” probably contains vitamin C or an active exfoliant. Any of us who has ever actually read an ingredient list knows that there are usually more than a dozen barely decipherable items in the product. So, what are all those other cosmetic ingredients doing? The short answer is, they’re filling in the product - basically adding more fluff to a product and decreasing the potency and effectiveness of the other key ingredients inside.

For most cosmetic products, there is a quantity that an item should hit with regards to the packaging size and price. Let’s say those three or four really key ingredients we mentioned only make up 20% of the overall product. This means that the product needs 80% more content to meet the packaging minimum. Can you believe that some products are valued the same whether they are the full size or one-fifth the size? We say that’s insanity. The way we prefer to create a high value product is to balance quality ingredients and quantity. For example, take a product like our Fermented Rice Soften + Brighten Toner that’s one of our founder’s favorites in her Korean skin care routine. This toner is great for deeply cleansing the skin in a gentle way, with a natural brightening effect and overall helping to create softer, smoother skin. In addition to fermented rice, the star ingredients inside include organic white mulberry water, organic glycerin and organic witch hazel. White mulberry is known for anti-aging properties, brightening power and is a great resource for more hydrated, rejuvenated skin. Know what this product is formulated without? Fillers. You won’t find plain water or fluff ingredients anywhere on the label. The reason why is that we believe in the natural power of our ingredients and we don’t want to jeopardize their effectiveness by putting something in the formula that’s a slacker. Everything in our formulas contributes to the overall purpose of the product for healthier skin via natural ingredients.

Benefit 2: Smarter Forms of “Water”

Water is good for our bodies but not good for 100% PURE cosmetic products. Water in products dilutes the other nourishing ingredients inside, and at its worst can also become a breeding ground for bacteria. The water we use in 100% PURE products is not just plain old water. We are smart about the liquid based ingredients we include in our formulas. The water we use is infused with the benefits of plant power.

Let’s talk about our Tea Tree & Willow Acne Clear Astringent. Thanks to the organic tea tree leaf water and witch hazel, this product is antibacterial, antiseptic and helps to gently but deeply purify the skin. The white mulberry water in our Fermented Rice Soften + Brighten Toner and the tea tree leaf water in our Tea Tree & Willow Acne Clear Astringent help to add the right texture to the product and contribute properties that all of us look for in worthwhile skin care. Other examples of more beneficial cosmetic ingredients that we might include in a product are the rose flower water in our Hydra Drench Cream, or chia water in our Restorative Sea Culture Hydrating Toner. In this formula, chia water behaves similarly to aloe vera gel; a thicker-than-water source of powerful deep hydration. The idea is to include water only when necessary, and make sure that the water inside adds to the product without compromising performance or quality.

Benefit 3: No Toxic Fragrances

Another type of filler that we haven’t covered yet is fragrance in product. While a soothing scent contributes to the overall experience of applying a product, there are certainly times when we have tried products with strong scents, almost to the point that they are overwhelming. No one wants to put on their nightly moisturizer and wake with up a headache from the unpleasant fragrance that is usually doing nothing for our skin. On top of that, “fragrance” in a cosmetic ingredients list refers to a hodgepodge of possibly toxic chemicals that the FDA has no control over.

At 100% PURE we pride ourselves on knowing our customer, and knowing what the best way to approach skin care is. If you’ve been able to try our products, you may have noticed a subtle scent during or after application. As you’ll notice, our scents vary by product and this is because the scent you are experiencing isn’t a synthetic “fragrance” at all but a result of the medley of plant-based products included in the formula. We use ingredients such as rose water, chamomile essential oil, or Japanese honeysuckle flower extract. These are simply a few examples of the ingredients for effect that we use that have dual purpose as a refreshing scent as well. Most of the time, these natural scents are organic, delivering the purest power from our product to your skin.

Benefit 4: No Petrochemical Thickeners

The same way we like to create rich, deeply nourishing body creams formulated with nut and fruit oils, we like to make products devoid of fillers for the best possible results. Fillers decrease the potency of the other ingredients inside, decrease the overall value of the product and can compromise the cleanliness of our skin. For example, many cosmetic companies use PEGs and other petrochemicals to thicken their formulas, and as a result economizing and cheapening the final products. We always use beneficial thickeners like nourishing seaweed, hydrating hyaluronic acid from Japanese sweet potatoes, and enriching cocoa butter in our Coconut Nourishing Body Cream.

When you look at your lineup of skin care, don’t you want to be clear on the cosmetic ingredients inside and what everything is doing to make you look and feel like the best you? We would love for you to share some of your favorite #fillerfree products from 100% PURE and what you love most about them. And if your skin care range isn’t totally filler free just yet, it isn’t too late to tack that goal onto your 2018 beauty resolutions.