Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary at Paula's Choice Review

Ever wonder what's in your lipstick?  Sure, you can read the ingredient list on the back of the container, but unless you're a chemist or a cosmetics specialist, you're likely to be stumped even after reading the label.  Mentha Piperita?  Butyrospermum?  Dimethicone Crosspolymer?  I really have no idea. 

Gratefully, there is a website that does know and is willing to share with you.  Paula's Choice Cosmetics website has dedicated a free resource to demystifying the ingredients contained in your favorite cosmetics:  Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary. 

  cosmeticscop.com/learn/dictionary.asp?TYPE=MAIN

Upon reviewing the Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary, I discovered that:

MENTHA PIPERITA is also known as peppermint oil.  Both the oil and the extract can have antimicrobial properties...but they can also have an irritating, sensitizing effect on skin

BUTYROSPERMUM is commonly known as Shea Butter - a plant lipid that is used as an emollient in cosmetics

DIMETHICONE/PEG-10/15 CROSSPOLYMER is a silicone derivative used as a stabilizing or suspending agent or as a thickener

You get the picture.  The Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary provides a layman's definition of common cosmetic ingredients.  In addition, the dictionary indicates which ingredients are known irritants, as well as those chemical agents that haven't been adequately studied or may have deleterious effects on the skin.  Research sources are heavily quoted throughout the website to support these findings.

If there is a downside to this site, it's that the dictionary is not 100% complete.  There are many agents that are listed on ingredient labels that aren't found in the dictionary.  For example, a search for TRISILOXANE came up empty.  However, I did find about 90% of the ingredients I looked for, so I'm still much wiser about what I'm applying to my skin than I've ever been before.  I figured out that the unpleasant tingling sensation I sometimes get from my lipstick is likely from the MENTHA PIPERITA.  Next time I'm in the market for a new lipstick, I'll know better.