Ancient Egypt Cosmetics: Skin Care Formulation

Cosmetics Components

• Cosmetics are substances or preparations intended for placement in contact with the external part of the human body, used to cleanse, perfume, protect, and change the appearance of our bodies or alter their odour.
• Water is the basis of almost every type of cosmetic product, acting as a solvent to dissolve other ingredients and form emulsions for consistency.
• Water must be free from microbes, toxins, and other pollutants.

Preservatives

• Added to cosmetics to extend their shelf life and prevent the growth of microorganisms such as fungi and bacteria.
• Must be water soluble.
• Can be natural or synthetic (man-made).
• Examples include parabens, benzyl alcohol, salicylic acid, formaldehyde (formalin), and tetrasodium EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid).

Thickeners

• Work to give products appealing consistency.
• Lipid thickeners are usually solid at room temperature and work by imparting their natural thickness to the formula.
• Examples of lipid thickeners include cetyl alcohol, stearic acid, and carnauba wax.
• Naturally derived thickeners are polymers that absorb water, causing them to swell up and increase the viscosity of a product.
• Examples of naturally derived thickeners include hydroxyethylcellulose, guar gum, xanthan gum, and gelatin.
• Mineral thickeners are natural and observe water and oils to increase viscosity.
• Examples of mineral thickeners include magnesium aluminum sulfate, silica, and bentonite.
• Synthetic thickeners are often used in lotion and cream products.
• The most common synthetic thickener is carbomer, an acrylic acid polymer that is water-swellable and can be used to form clear gels.

Emollients

• Soften the skin by preventing water loss.
• Used in a wide range of lipstick, lotion, and cosmetics products.
• Examples of emollients include beeswax, olive oil, coconut oil, lanolin, petrolatum (petroleum jelly), mineral oil, glycerine, zinc oxide, butyl stearate, and diglycol laurate.

Pigments

• Used to accentuate or alter a person's natural coloring.
• Mineral ingredients include iron oxide, mica flakes, manganese, and chromium oxide.
• Natural colours can come from plants, such as beet powder, or from animals like cochineal insects.
• Coal tar is also used as a pigment.

Glimmers

• Create shimmering effects on cosmetics.
• Cosmetic mica typically comes from muscovite (white mica).
• Bismuth Oxychloride (BiClo) is used to create a silver-gray pearly effect.

Fragrances

• Added to cosmetics to provide an appealing scent.
• Unscented products may contain masking fragrances to mask the smell of other chemicals.
• Fragrance is often a generic term used by manufacturers.
• There are over 3000 chemicals used to formulate the huge range of fragrances used in consumer products worldwide.