NAME-Shourya PATEL

CLASS-11 science
ROLL.NO-15
SUBJECT-chemiSTRY
SCHOOL-D.C.I.S
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I Would like to express my special thanks of gratitude to my teacher

Mrs. Ragi Pillai & Mrs. Lalita Rana who gave me the golden
opportunity to do this wonderful project on the topic The Chemistry of
Cosmetic , which also helped me in doing a lot of research and I came
to know about so many new things I am really thankful to them.
•
What is cosmetic ?
A substance or preparation intended for placement in contact
with any external part of the human body' (this includes the
mouth and teeth). We use cosmetics to cleanse, perfume,
protect and change the appearance of our bodies or to alter its
odours. In contrast, products that claim to ‘modify a bodily
process or prevent, diagnose, cure or alleviate any disease,
ailment or defect’ are called therapeutics. This distinction
means that shampoos and deodorants are placed in the
cosmetics category, whilst anti-dandruff shampoos and
antiperspirants are considered to be therapeutics.
 What do cosmetics contain?

• There are thousands of different cosmetic products on the market, all with differing
combinations of ingredients. In the United States alone there are approximately 12,500
unique chemical ingredients approved for use in the manufacture of personal care
products.
• A typical product will contain anything from 15–50 ingredients. Considering
the average woman uses between 9 and 15 personal care products per day, researchers
have estimated that, when combined with the addition of perfumes,
women place around 515 individual chemicals on their skin each day through cosmetic
use.
• But what exactly are we putting on our skin? What do those long names on the ingredient
list mean and what do they do? While the formula of each product differs slightly, most
cosmetics contain a combination of at least some of the following core ingredients: water,
emulsifier, preservative, thickener, emollient, colour, fragrance and pH stabilisers.
There are many things which cosmetic contain.
Following are some example
• Water
• emulsifier
• preservative
• Thickener
• emollient
• color
• fragrance
• pH stabilisers.
1.Water
• If your product comes in a bottle, chances are the first ingredient on
the list is going to be water. That’s right, good old H 2O. Water forms
the basis of almost every type of cosmetic product, including creams,
lotions, makeup, deodorants, shampoos and conditioners. Water plays
an important part in the process, often acting as a solvent to dissolve
other ingredients and forming emulsions for consistency.
• Water used in the formulation of cosmetics is not your everyday,
regular tap water. It must be ‘ultra-pure’—that is, free from microbes,
toxins and other pollutants. For this reason your label may refer to it as
distilled water, purified water or just aqua.
2. Emulsifier
• The term emulsifiers refers to any ingredient that helps to keep unlike
substances (such as oil and water) from separating. Many cosmetic
products are based on emulsions—small droplets of oil dispersed in
water or small droplets of water dispersed in oil. Since oil and water
don't mix no matter how much you shake, blend or stir, emulsifiers are
added to change the surface tension between the water and the oil,
producing a homogeneous and well-mixed product with an even
texture. Examples of emulsifiers used in cosmetics include
polysorbates, laureth-4, and potassium cetyl sulfate.C
3.Preservatives
• Preservatives are important ingredients. They are added to cosmetics to extend their
shelf life and prevent the growth of microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi,
which can spoil the product and possibly harm the user. Since most microbes live in
water, the preservatives used need to be water-soluble, and this helps to determine
which ones are used. Preservatives used in cosmetics can be natural or synthetic
(man-made), and perform differently depending on the formulation of the product.
Some will require low levels of around 0.01%, while other will require levels as
high as 5%.
• Some of the more popular preservatives include parabens, benzyl alcohol, salicylic
acid, formaldehyde and tetrasodium EDTA (ethylenediaminetetra-acetic acid).
• Consumers who purchase ‘preservative-free’ products should be aware of their
shorter shelf life and be conscious of any changes to the look, feel or odour of the
product that may indicate it has gone off.
 4.Thickeners
• Thickening agents work to give products an appealing consistency. They can come from four different
chemical families:
• Lipid thickeners are usually solid at room temperature but can be liquefied and added to cosmetic
emulsions. They work by imparting their natural thickness to the formula. Examples include cetyl
alcohol, stearic acid and carnauba wax.
• Naturally derived thickeners come, as the name suggests, from nature. They are polymers that absorb
water, causing them to swell up and increase the viscosity of a product. Examples include hydroxyethyl
cellulose, guar gum, xanthan gum and gelatin. Cosmetics with a consistency that is too thick can be
diluted with solvents such as water or alcohol.
• Mineral thickeners are also natural, and as with the naturally derived thickeners mentioned above, they
absorb water and oils to increase viscosity, but give a different result to the final emulsion than the gums.
Popular mineral thickeners include magnesium aluminium silicate, silica and bentonite.
• The final group are the synthetic thickeners. They 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. Other examples include cetyl palmitate, and ammonium acryloyldimethyltaurate.
5.Emollient
• Emollients soften the skin by preventing water loss. They are used in a
wide range of lipsticks, lotions and cosmetics. A number of different
natural and synthetic chemicals work as emollients, including
beeswax, olive oil, coconut oil and lanolin, as well as petrolatum
(petroleum jelly), mineral oil, glycerine, zinc oxide, butyl stearate and
diglycol laurate.
6. colouring agents/pigments

• Ruby lips, smoky eyes and rosy cheeks; it is the purpose of many cosmetics to
accentuate or alter a person’s natural colouring. A huge range of substances are used
to provide the rainbow of appealing colours you find in the makeup stand. Mineral
ingredients can include iron oxide, mica flakes, manganese, chromium oxide and coal
tar. Natural colours can come from plants, such as beet powder, or from animals, like
the cochineal insect. The latter is often used in red lipsticks and referred to on your
ingredient list as carmine, cochineal extract or natural red 4.
• Pigments can be split into two main categories: organic, which are carbon-based
molecules (i.e. organic in the chemistry context, not to be confused with the use of the
word to promote ‘natural’ or ‘non-synthetic’ or ‘chemical-free’ products) and
inorganic which are generally metal oxides (metal + oxygen and often some other
elements too). Inorganic should not be confused with ‘synthetic’ or ‘unnatural’ as
most of the inorganic metal oxide pigments do occur naturally as mineral compounds.
• The two most common organic pigments are lakes and toners. The
lake pigments are made by combining a dye colour with an insoluble
substance like alumina hydrate. This causes the dye to become
insoluble in water, making it suitable for cosmetics where water-
resistant or waterproof properties are desired.
• A toner pigment is an organic pigment that has not been combined
with any other substance.
• The inorganic metal oxide pigments are usually duller than the organic
pigments, but are more resistant to heat and light, providing a longer-
lasting colour.
7. Glimmer and shine

• Shimmering effects can be created via a range of materials. Some of the most common ones are
mica and bismuth oxychloride.
• Cosmetic mica typically comes from muscovite (KAl2(AlSi3O10)(F,OH)2) also known as white
mica. It naturally forms in flaky sheets and these are crushed up into fine powders. The tiny
particles in the powders refract (bend) light, which creates the shimmering effect common in
many cosmetics. Mica coated with titanium dioxide gives a whitish appearance when looked at
straight on, but then produces a range of iridescent colours when viewed from an angle.
• Bismuth oxychloride (BiClO) is used to create a silver grey pearly effect. This compound
occurs naturally in the rare mineral bismoclite, but is usually produced synthetically and so is
also known as synthetic pearl.
• The size of the particles used to create pearly and shimmering looks affect the degree of
glimmer the product has. The smaller the particle size (15–60 microns, where one micron is one
millionth of a meter), the less lustrous the powder will be, and more coverage it gives. Larger
particle sizes, up to 500 microns, give a more glittery lustre and are more transparent.
 8. Fragrances
• No matter how effective a cosmetic may be, no one will want to use it if it smells unpleasant.
Consumer research indicates that smell is one of the key factors in a consumer’s decision to
purchase and/or use a product.
• Chemicals, both natural and synthetic, are added to cosmetics to provide an appealing fragrance.
Even ‘unscented’ products may contain masking fragrances to mask the smell of other chemicals.
• The term ‘fragrance’ is often a generic term used by manufacturers. A single listing of fragrance on
your product’s ingredient list could represent dozens or even hundreds of unlisted chemical
compounds which were used to create the final individual fragrance.
• Manufacturers do not have to list these individual ingredients as fragrance is considered to be
a trade secret.
• There are over 3,000 chemicals used to formulate the huge range of fragrances used in consumer
products worldwide. A comprehensive list has been published by the fragrance industry. All the
ingredients on this list have passed the International Fragrance Association (IFRA) safety standards
for use in commercial products. However, without knowing which individual ingredients went in to
making up the fragrance of a product, consumers can find it difficult to make informed choices. If
consumers are concerned they should look for fragrance free products and buy from companies that
label their products comprehensively.
 Are Cosmetic Dangerous for skin?
• Makeup contains a lot of chemicals and
components which may or may not suit your
particular skin type. Some of these skin-
unfriendly components used in everyday makeup
products can even cause irritation, itchiness and
sometimes even untimely ageing.
 Conclusion
• While the current scientific thinking on many of these chemicals is that they are
safe to use, it is up to each consumer to make their own decision as to whether
they purchase and use a product containing certain ingredients or not.
Consumers should also try to purchase reputable brands from established sellers
—cheap imports or copies bought online may not have been through the proper
testing and assessment process and may not contain what they claim to.
• In our pursuit of beauty, it is wise to remember that cosmetics can be complex
combinations of chemicals. Achieving even a basic understanding of the long
chemical names on a product ingredient list—what they are and what they do—
can go a long way to helping consumers make informed decisions about the
products they choose to use—certainly helpful when putting on your best face.
Bibliography
• Chat GPT