Let's Talk Filler Ingredients in Your Skincare

Ingredients matter! Let's say it again for the people in the back - Ingredients matter!

While ingredients matter, you'll find that most cosmetic products don't just include the hero ingredients like shea butter or Vitamin E. In fact, almost all products will contain some kind of filler ingredient. You have probably read many articles or heard about the harmful consequences of formulas packed with fillers, but there's more to the story here. Let's dig in a bit deeper and you'll see what I mean.

What exactly are filler ingredients?

By definition, a "filler" ingredients of a skincare formula is any ingredient used to create bulk, texture or lubrication. Typically, fillers aren't useful in the active part of the formulation or make it perform better. However, they have an important role within the final product. So this is why I say there isn't anything inherently wrong with filler ingredients, it's all about which ingredients you use. 

A Skincare Formula is a sum of its parts

Each skincare product is composed on many ingredients, not just one. Ingredient list often contain chemicals or ingredients that you are unfamiliar with like emulsifiers, preservatives or stabilizers. This could be for the consistency of a moisturizer, the texture of a skin mask, or even to ensure your bath scrub doesn't contain mold each time you put wet hand into the container - each ingredient serves a purpose and is an important component that keeps the entire formula in balance. 

There are "Good" and "Bad" Fillers

Just because they may be necessary, doesn't entirely mean they are always beneficial. 

A common filler ingredient in skincare is petroleum jelly. Petroleum jelly is used as a synthetic wax to increase moisturizing benefits of a formula and is favored by manufacturers because of the low cost. Arguably, petroleum jelly as a filler ingredient has its share of negative side effects like clogging pores and promoting the growth of blackheads. This could be classified as a "bad" filler ingredient. 

Alternatively, Cashmere Moon uses ingredients like caprylyl glycol, coconut oil, and grape seed oil to increase the moisturizing and skin conditioning benefits of our formulations. Although, they may be considered "filler" ingredients, they're extremely helpful in creating the finished product and won't have any nasty side effects!

Water can be another ingredient that is considered a filler and isn't really a bad thing. Many skincare ingredients are only water-soluble and can't be used in water-free formulations. It's also a lightweight hydrator that can be used to penetrate into the skin to improve ingredient absorption. To create the finished product, many companies will use water to adjust and create the perfect consistency and texture. So while water doesn't contribute any special benefits to the skin, it's often a necessary ingredient for product formulations. 

Now What?

So now that you have a better understanding of ingredients and fillers - you can see why it may be hard to classify all fillers as "good" or "bad" and why they are useful. They play a huge role in the skincare products you love and are necessary in the formulas. Take a look at the label of some of your products and see if you can spot any fillers.