Appendix 1 Composition of Creams

Creams are one of the most common cosmetic products for skin care. They can be used to moisturize, nourish, protect and improve the appearance of the skin. However, when choosing a cream, you need to pay attention to its composition in order to avoid substances harmful to health.

First, cosmetic products must contain several basic characteristics that will help determine their safety and effectiveness. For example, “non-comedogenic” means that the cream does not cause clogging of the sebaceous glands, “hypoallergenic” means that the risk of allergies is reduced to a minimum, and “unscented” means that the cosmetic product does not contain artificial fragrances that can cause allergies or headaches.

Also, the packaging of the cream should indicate that it has been tested by dermatologists and ophthalmologists, which guarantees its safety for the skin and eyes. Some manufacturers may also indicate that their creams do not contain preservatives, however, this is not always true, since without preservatives creams quickly deteriorate and can become hazardous to health.

In addition, when choosing a cream, you need to pay attention to substances that should not be listed on the packaging. Some of them can cause an allergic reaction, and some can be very dangerous to health.

Carcinogens such as DEA (Diethanolamine), MEA (Mopo-ethanolarnine), TEA (Trithanolamine), BHA and BHT may be harmful to health if used over a long period of time. Some substances, such as NDGA, Octyl-dimethyl PABA, Padimate-O and PABA synthetiques, are added to cosmetics as free radical protection, but they can also be extremely harmful to the body.

Drying agents such as Isopril-alcohol, Sodium lauryl sulfate, Sodium laureth sulfate (SLS) can also irritate the skin and cause it to dry out. Toxic substances such as Acide benzoique can also be hazardous to health.

There are also substances that can cause an allergic reaction, such as Petrolatum, Paraffinum liquidum, Talc Silicate de magnesium, Borax, Propylene-glycol and Lanoline. Therefore, when choosing a cream, you need to pay attention to their presence in the composition.

When it comes to protecting your skin from the sun, it is important to pay attention to the presence of a UVA and UVB filter in the cream. Good ingredients for protecting your skin from the sun are zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, avobenzone and Mexoryl SX.

In addition, various components can be added to anti-wrinkle creams to improve the condition of the skin. For example, vitamins, retinol, grapeseed, silicium, essential oils, sunscreen, plant oils, AHAs and Matrixyl can help improve skin condition and reduce the appearance of wrinkles.

For the normal functioning of the skin, water-salt metabolism is most important. The water content in the skin reaches 70% and largely determines its elasticity and firmness. Loss of moisture leads to disruption of metabolic processes in cells, drying out of the skin and the appearance of wrinkles. Therefore, when choosing a cream, you need to pay attention to its base.

Since ancient times, fatty products have been used to make creams. There are animal, vegetable and mineral fats. Animals include substances such as lanolin (a fat obtained from sheep's wool) or spermaceti (extracted from the skull of a sperm whale). However, fatty products remain on the surface of the skin for a long time, are absorbed with difficulty, and interfere with the skin’s breathing and the release of cell waste products. They protect the skin well from moisture evaporation, but are not able to compensate for its deficiency. The use of fat-based creams is considered acceptable for problematic dry skin and only as a temporary remedy.

More attractive are emulsion creams in which the water and fat phases form a homogeneous system - an emulsion. They are quickly absorbed into the skin and help establish and maintain water-salt balance. However, the production of emulsion creams requires emulsifiers, which can be harmful to the skin, so when choosing a cream, you need to pay attention to its composition and the presence of emulsifiers.

In conclusion, choosing a skin care cream is an important step to maintaining skin health and beauty. When choosing a cream, you need to pay attention to its composition, the presence of harmful and allergenic substances, as well as the composition of the base. It is best to choose emulsion-based creams that are quickly absorbed and help establish and maintain water-salt balance in the skin.