Ingredient

CERAMIDE NP STEARATE

Substance information

Ceramides are sphingolipids in which the base molecule, sphingosine, is bound to a fatty acid residue. Stearates are salts or esters of stearic acid (octadecanoic acid).

Function(s) of this ingredient in cosmetic products

SKIN PROTECTING

Protects the skin from external influences

Origin

synthetic

Background information on use in cosmetics

Ceramides (INCI: as a word component CERAMIDE) are a sub-group of the lipids. The human skin contains ceramides above all in the horn cells of the epidermis. They form a natural barrier which protects the skin from desiccation and avoids the penetration of contaminants and irritants. In skincare products ceramides play an important role, more particularly, as anti-ageing ingredient and are often used in care products for mature but also for dry skin. Mostly in combination with other active ingredients, they smoothen the skin structure and avoid water loss. In haircare ceramide compounds contained in hair cures emulate, for instance, the natural binder of the hair. They are to act selectively at the damaged spots by filling cracks and by resealing the hair fibre. The hair is to be repaired and protected from new damaging.

Belongs to the following substance groups

Ingredients for skincare

Regulating cosmetics

Cosmetics Ingredients are subject to regulation. Please note, different regulations may apply to cosmetic ingredients outside the EU.

Understanding your cosmetics

How are cosmetics kept safe in Europe?

Strict laws make sure that cosmetics and personal care products sold in the European Union are safe for people to use. Companies, national and European regulatory authorities share the responsibility of keeping cosmetic products safe.

What should I know about endocrine disruptors?

Some ingredients used in cosmetic products have been claimed to be ‘endocrine disruptors’ because they have the potential to mimic some of the properties of our hormones. Just because something has the potential to mimic a hormone does not mean it will disrupt our endocrine system. Many substances, including natural ones, mimic hormones but very few, and these are mostly potent medicines, have ever been shown to cause disruption of the endocrine system. The rigorous product safety assessments by qualified, scientific experts that companies are legally obliged to carry out cover all potential risks, including potential endocrine disruption.

Are cosmetics tested on animals? No!

In the European Union, testing cosmetics on animals has been fully banned since 2013. Over the last 30 years, long before a ban was in place, the cosmetics and personal care industry has invested in research and development to pioneer alternatives to animal testing tools to assess the safety of cosmetics ingredients and products.

What about allergens in cosmetics?

Many substances, natural or man-made, have the potential to cause an allergic reaction. An allergic reaction occurs when a person’s immune system reacts to substances that are harmless to most people. A substance that causes an allergic reaction is called an allergen. Cosmetics and personal care products may contain ingredients that can be allergenic for some people. This does not mean that the product is not safe for others to use.

Database

Cosmetics matter to people and play an important role in our everyday life. On average European consumers use over seven different cosmetics daily. You too? It’s only natural that you want to know more about the ingredients in those products.

In the digital world we live in, there’s a deluge of information on cosmetics. However, it can be difficult to know which sources are reliable. COSMILE Europe is a European cosmetic ingredient database that offers reliable, verified and scientifically supported information on almost 30,000 ingredients used in cosmetics.

This database will help you understand why certain ingredients are in your cosmetic products; which properties they have and much more. The database is currently available in fourteen languages with more to come.

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