Ingredients glossary
We’ve listed below in alphabetical order all the various functions our ingredients perform - from fragrances to preservatives, emulsifiers to solvents.
Use the letter links to easily navigate to each section.
A
- Abrasive
- Removes dirt to leave surfaces clean or polished through rubbing/ brushing
- Additive
- Added to a product to improve one or more important properties
- Alkalinity Source
- Increases the alkalinity of the product to help in the washing away of dirt.
- Anti-redeposition Agent
- Helps prevent the removed dirt in washing water from reattaching to a surface
- Antifoaming Agent
- Prevents excessive foam or bubbles forming when a product is used
- Antimicrobial Agent
- Helps to reduce the amount of bacteria on a surface or body (part)
- Antioxidant
- Helps to prevent reactions promoted by oxygen in the product, which can cause product spoilage.
- Antistatic Agent
- Helps to make you hair, skin, clothes, kitchen ware or hard surfaces feel better by reducing static charge
B
- Binder
- Helps materials to bind or stick together
- Bleach Catalyst
- Boosts the performance of bleach to make it more effective at low temperatures
- Bleach Precursor
- Becomes a bleaching substance during washing
- Botanicals
- Ingredients from herbs, roots, flowers, fruits, leaves or seeds
- Buffering Agent
- Maintains the right acidity / alkalinity balance of a product
- Builder
- Reduces water hardness, makes cleaning products more effective
- Bulking Agent
- Diluant. Dilutes solids or liquids to allow for more accurate dosing
C
- Colourant
- Colours the product, your hair or skin
- Corrosion Inhibitor
- Prevents corrosion of packaging
D
- Denaturant
- Changes the taste of a product to prevent ingestion. Typically used in alcohol-containing products.
- Dye Transfer Inhibitor
- Prevents colour rinsed out from clothes into wash water being deposited on to your other clothes during the wash
E
- Emulsifier
- Helps two or more liquids, that don't usually combine to form a single solution; often referred to as an 'emulsion'
- Emulsion Stabiliser
- Prevents a mixture from separating and helping to increase a product's shelf life
- Enzyme
- Boosts the cleaning properties of a product to help remove specific stains at lower temperatures e.g. fats, egg, blood.
- Enzyme Stabiliser
- Makes an enzyme last longer in liquid detergent
F
- Fabric Conditioner Agent
- Helps to soften and improve the feel of a fabric
- Film Former
- Helps provide a smooth, consistent coverage when applied
- Flavour
- Improves the taste of oral or lip care products, such as tooth paste or lip balm
- Fragrance
- Provides a distinctive, pleasant smell
H
- Humectant
- Helps to retain water in a product, in hair or the top layers of skin
- Hydrotrope
- Allows cleaning agents to be uniformly dispersed within a product.
O
- Opacifier
- Makes the product appear more opaque or pearly
- Optical Brightener
- Provides additional brightness to the surface to which product is applied.
- Oxidising Agent
- In laundry and household care products stains are removed by oxidation (bleaching).
P
- pH Adjuster
- Controls the acidity / alkalinity balance of products
- Preservative
- This prolongs the shelf-life of the product, even once it has been opened, protecting it from bacteria, yeasts and moulds
- Process by-product
- A secondary component/ingredient which is created when making the product
- Propellant
- A compressed gas that helps expel product from a can
S
- Sequestrant
- Helps prevent impurities from water from causing adverse effects on product performance, appearance, or stability.
- Skin Conditioning Agent
- Helps to make your skin feel soft, smooth and supple.
- Softness Extender
- Makes a softening agent more effective and last longer
- Solubiliser
- Helps an ingredient in the product dissolve better
- Solvent
- Dissolves substances or ingredients
- Stabilising Agent
- Helps maintain the stability of a product's formulation, appearance and texture
- Structurant
- Gives a product form or shape
- Surfactant
- An ingredient which helps to clean or remove dirt and oil, creating foam when used with water
- Suspending Agent
- Helps keep solids separated and evenly dispersed within a product
U
- UV Absorber
- Helps to protect the product formulation from UV rays
V
- Viscosity Controlling Agent
- Controls the density or thickness of a product