Ingredients Info
The following pages contain a list of the cosmetic ingredients that are used during our workshops and in our kits sold on the Plush Folly website. They include soap making ingredients and other natural ingredients for making handmade cosmetics.
Click the links below to go straight to our Raw Ingredients pages where you can buy online
All raw ingredients
Botanicals
Clays & Muds
Colours
Gums & Waxes
Regular & Luxury Oils
Fruit, Dairy & Mineral Powders
Preservatives & Additives
Essential Oils
Packaging
Everything Else
If you require information on an ingredient that isn't listed here, please request information via email and we will do our best to send you the information you require.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
A
Aloe Vera Gel - The First Aid plant! Used in soaps and other cosmetic products for its supposed skin soothing and calming properties. It certainly feels refreshing! Used in our whipped shea after-shave soothing cream. We include this in our Making Natural Skin Care Home Study programme
Aloe Vera Butter - as above but in butter form. Used in cold process soaps and creams
Apricot Kernel Oil - Contains natural moisturising factors and is easily absorbed into the skin. Wonderful in face masks, moisturisers and cleansers which is why we use it in ours. Included in some of our Make Your Own Moisturiser kits and Make Your Own Cleanser kits
Avocado Oil - A lovely oil that spreads well and is quickly absorbed into the skin. Good for damaged and lined skin. High in Vitamin E content so we use it in our skin and body care range. We include this in our Making Natural Skin Care Home Study programme and in some of our Make Your Own Moisturiser kits
B
Beeswax - Used as an emulsifier in moisturisers and cleansers. Also used in our cold process soap, lip and salve products to adjust the texture of the product as it helps make them hard. Included in our Make Your Own Lip Gloss kits and also in our Make Your Own Skin Salves kit - and in more, we find it a very nourishing and useful ingredient. We swap it with olive wax or similar for vegan products.
Bentonite Clay - used in our face masks to absorb facial oil. You can probably already guess that this is included in our Make Your Own Face Masks kits but we also include clay in our Make Your Own Glycerine Soap kit (advanced) and in our Traditional Soap Making home study course and learning kit.
Bicarbonate of Soda- aka Baking Soda. Used in bath salts, mineral soaks and bath fizz as a skin soothing ingredient. A key ingredient in our Make Your Own Bath Fizz kit.
C
Calendula Petals - Marigold petals. Keep their colour when used as a decorative botanical in most cosmetic products. We include calendula in many of our Make Your Own Cosmetic kits
Carnauba Wax - A vegetable wax which has a brittle, firm texture. Used as a thickening and texturising agent. It is a pain in the neck to wash off the pots and utensils used in making products containing carnauba wax. The most effective method we have found is to warm up the equipment and wipe with a kitchen towel until all traces have been removed. You can then place the items in a dishwasher (if they are dishwasher safe). Another wax that you'll find in our Lipstick Making kit
Castor Oil - A sticky, thick oil which isn't easily absorbed into the skin. Ideal for use in cleansers as it helps the product to draw out the dirt and 'slide' across the skin. Fabulous in lip glosses as it provides a shiny glossy finish which is why you'll find it in our Make Your Own Cleansers kit and in our Make Your Own Lip Gloss & Lipsticks kits and in our Making Natural Skincare Products home study programme.
Caustic Soda - See Sodium Hydroxide
Cetearyl Alcohol - See emulsifying wax
Citric Acid - Derived from citrus fruits and used as a preservative and to adjust the PH of products. Used in our bath products to give them the fizz factor and in our Make Your Own Bath Fizz kit so you can create your own fizzing fun.
Clays
Red Clay - Used as an ingredient in masks, soaps, scrubs etc to help detoxify and cleanse normal skin
Green Clay - As above but for oily & problem skin
Yellow Clay - As above but for normal & oily skin
Pink Clay - As above but for dry & sensitive skin
We use clays in our face mask kits and in our Advanced Glycerine Soap Making kit (although we sometimes swap it for pumice) and in our Traditional Soap Learning Kit
Cocoa Butter - a fabulous skin softener and lubricator. Used in our cold process soaps, creams, lipsticks, butter balls, salves - in fact in masses of our moisturising products
Coconut Milk - Used in our Coconut & Lime cold processed soaps to give an authentic moisturising property in true coconut style. Mostly odourless so not used to give coconut aroma
Coconut Oil - Used in some of our lip treatments and in our cold processed soaps to give a creamy lather
Cornflour - A finely ground powder used in some of our eye shadows
E
Emulsifying Wax - A vegetable wax used in our face creams and cleansers to enable the oils and waters to blend together
Epsom Salts - aka Magnesium Sulphate. In 1618 a farmer at Epsom (Surrey, England) attempted to give his cows water, but they refused to drink it to due its sour/bitter taste. However the farmer noticed that the water seemed to heal scratches and rashes. Thus commenced the fame of Epsom Salts. We use it in our mineral soaks
Essential Oils - An essential oil is a concentrated, oil extracted from plants. It may also be referred to as "oil of" the raw plant material from which it was extracted, such as oil of clove. Used in most of our products primarily for their lovely aromas, we also use them in our skin care range due to their supposed beneficial properties. More information about the individual essential oils and their properties can be found here
Evening Primrose Oil - Can have anti-inflammatory and moisturising benefits for skin. Used in our skin care products and some cold processed soaps
F
Floral Waters - aka Hydrolats and Hydrosols are the waters that are collected when plants are distilled to make essential oil. We use them in our face and body creams with natural spring water. Rose, Lavender and, Orange Blossom waters are the most popular with our customers
Fragrance Oils- A man-made, synthetic oil used to give a pleasant smell to products. Used in our glycerine soap and in some cold processed soaps
G
Glitter - Cosmetic grade glitter is used in our glycerine soaps, massage bars, lip and eye products and bath fizz to give that certain twinkle
Glycerine - A by-product of soap manufacture although many commerically produced soaps actually have their glycerine content removed (as the manufacturers can sell the glycerine on for other purposes). A natural humectant which means that it will absorb moisture from the air and therefore help keep moisture in a product. Helps products spread better which is why we use it in our scrubs and cleansers
Goats Milk - a skin conditioning agent which we use in powdered form in one of our cold processed soaps
Grapeseed Oil - Used as a base for massage oil and in our scrubs
H
Hydrogenated (Castor Oil) - In its simplest form, hydrogenation is the process used to convert liquid oils into semisolid fats at room temperature. Therefore hydrogenated castor oil (for example) is a soft fat rather than a sticky thick liquid
I
Iso Propyl Myristate - A non-alcohol based diluent used in the making of 'perfumes'. Add fragrances or essential oils to make a product suitable for direct skin application
J
Jojoba Oil- A liquid wax commonly used as a dry skin treatment. Can also be used on hair and nails as a conditioner. Chemically very similar to the human sebum and we use it in many products to moisturise including salves, skin care and lip products
K
Kelp- A marine plant which is said to contain many minerals and beneficial properties. Used in our detox bath products
Lemon Peel Powder - From dried lemon peel. We use it in our cold process soaps for an extra citrus smell
M
Mango Butter - Obtained from the dried mango fruit kernels, we use mango butter in many of our moisturising products
Mica - An earth mineral used to give products sparkle and shine. We use it in our glycerine soaps, lip and eye products. Needless to say we've included it in our Make Your Own Makeup kits
Monoi de Tahiti - 'Monoï' is an ancient Tahitian word meaning 'scented oil' and the product is part of long-established cosmetic practice among the Tahitian people. The beautiful Tahitian women, 'Vahines', use Monoï de Tahiti daily to hydrate and protect their skin and to condition their hair. Try it in our Make Your Own Body Butters kit.
When we can bear to part with it and have finished drooling over the tub, we use it in our whipped shea butter range as the perfect body moisturiser
O
Oatmeal - Used in our exfoliating soap bars as oatmeal makes a very gentle yet effective face scrub
Olive Oil - A moisturising oil used in all of our cold processed soaps and salves. Used in our Body Scrubs kit and in our Soap Making kits (cold processed).
P
Palm Oil - A solid oil (soft at room temperature) used in cold process soaps. Helps produce lovely rich bubbles and a gives a waxy feel to your soap.
Peach Kernel Oil - another light oil which is easily absorbed into the skin. Good for all skin types. Used in our range of skin care products
Pomace Olive Oil - A grade of olive oil that is best suited for cold processed soaps (we use it!)
Poppy Seeds - A great exfoliating product used in soaps. We scatter them liberally in our Really Dirty Hands soap
Pumice - A great exfoliating product used in scrubs and soaps. We use it in our Glycerine Gardeners Scrubby soap (with jojoba oil)
R
Ressasol - A liquid used to make fragrance and essential oils soluble in water. Used with deionised water, it is used as an ingredient when making room and laundry sprays
Rose Petals - Dried rose petals and rose buds can be used in a variety of products such as milk baths. Although initially beautiful, they quickly turn brown if placed in soaps. Sad, but true.
S
Sea Salt - A product rich in minerals and used in our scrubs and mineral soaks
Shea Butter - Mmmm mmmm, a semi hard oil extracted from the Karite tree that will melt on contact with the skin. Whipped shea makes a beautiful conditioning skin cream that can also be used on scalp, hair, nails - add a spoonful to your bath for a moisurising soak. We use it in our skin and body care range and usually stick a healthy dollop of it in our cold process soaps
Silver - Known for its antibacterial and healing qualities, we use this in one of our cold process soaps
Skimmed Milk Powder - Used in cold process milk soaps and milk baths to soften the water and moisturise your skin
SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulphate) - Used as a foaming agent, we use this in our bubbly bath fizz. There has been public concern recently that SLS can cause drying of the skin, but this has not been scientifically proven
Stearic Acid - A white waxy natural fatty acid used widely in cosmetic products. Stearic acid is used to harden soaps, particularly those made with vegetable oil. It produces a pearly effect when used in products such as shampoos and handcreams
Sodium Hydroxide - Also known as Lye and caustic soda. A vital ingredient for cold process soap making. The soap goes through a 'curing' stage where the lye and the oils go through a saponification process and form a hard, soapy bar. No caustic soda is left in the end product
Sugar - Used as a gentle exfoliator in our sugar scrub
Sunflower Oil - Can be used as an emollient with or instead of olive oil in cold process soap making
Sweet Almond Oil - Known for its ability to soften, soothe, and re-condition the skin, this oil is a great addition to many body care products and is quickly and easily absorbed into the skin. We use it in our salves, skin care products and bath melts
T
Talc - Talc is finely ground magnesium silicate, a mineral. Used as a colouring agent and in creams to give a slippery soft sensation. We use it in our powdered eye shadows
V
Vitamin E- aka Tocopherol, is a fat-soluble vitamin in eight forms that is an important antioxidant. Vitamin E is often used in skin creams and lotions because it is claimed by the manufacturers to play a role in encouraging skin healing and reducing scarring after injuries such as burns. Although originally extracted from wheat germ oil, most natural vitamin E supplements are now derived from vegetable oils, usually soybean oil
We use it extensively in our face and body creams
W
Water- The most widely used cosmetic ingredient yet it turns out that water may not be an important ingredient for the skin when applied topically. Only a 10% concentration of water in the outer skin layer is necessary for softness. Water can breed harmful bacteria so in nearly all cases, a preservative is needed to ensure that the product remains safe after several weeks of it being exposed to the air
Wheatgerm Oil - Rich in Vitamin E, this oil is used in skin conditioning products
X
Xanthan Gum- a thickenhing agent also used as the base of our face, foot and cellulite gels
...Snowmen fall from Heaven unassembled...Anon
