What do skincare products contain – and why? Here's an overview of the ingredients used in our products, what they do, and how they contribute to their function, feel, and skin-friendliness.

At Sterisol, we use carefully selected ingredients to create products that are effective, gentle, and designed for professional use. In the list below, you can learn more about various ingredients, their functions, and why they are used in skincare, hand cleansers, and hand sanitizers.
Function: Stabilizing
Acacia Senegal Gum and Xanthan Gum are plant-based texturizers that help the product achieve a smooth and pleasant texture. They are often used in skincare and hygiene products to stabilize the formulation, ensuring the ingredients stay together and the product feels good to use. They also contribute to making the product easy to apply and giving it the right feel on the skin.
Function: Stabilizing
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer is an ingredient that helps give creams, gels, and lotions the right consistency. It acts as a stabilizer, ensuring the product is smooth, easy to spread, and pleasant to use. In skincare products, it helps the formulation maintain its integrity and feel stable over time.
Function: pH-regulating / neutralizing
Aminomethyl Propanol is used to adjust the product's pH value and to activate certain thickening ingredients. A well-balanced pH is crucial for the product to perform as intended, feel pleasant, and achieve the right consistency. The ingredient is used in small amounts and primarily contributes to the product's stability and ease of use.
Function: Solvent
Water is one of the most common ingredients in skincare, soap, and hygiene products. It acts as a carrier and solvent, meaning it helps other ingredients to mix and distribute evenly throughout the product. Water also helps the product achieve the right consistency and makes it easy to apply or rinse off.
Function: Emollient, thickening, and stabilizing
C12-13 Alkyl Lactate is a light emollient ingredient that helps the product feel smooth on the skin. It can also contribute to improving consistency and making the formulation more stable. In skincare and hygiene products, it is used to provide a pleasant application and a softer skin feel without the product feeling heavy or sticky.
Function: Dirt-removing, emollient
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate is an oil-soluble ester used in Super Hand Cleaner to dissolve oily dirt. It is often found in products like makeup removers, where it helps dissolve oil-based substances on the skin.
The ingredient also contributes to a soft and pleasant skin feel. It can make the product easier to spread and reduce a greasy or sticky sensation, providing a smoother user experience.
Function: Emulsifying
This ingredient combination helps oil and water blend into a smooth cream or lotion. It acts as an emulsifier, helping the product stay together, achieve a stable consistency, and feel pleasant on the skin. This ingredient is often used in skincare products to create a soft, smooth, and nourishing feel.
Function: Emollient
Canola Oil is an emollient oil that helps the skin feel supple and nourished. It contributes to a pleasant skin feel and is used in products where a mild, softening effect is desired. Canola oil is a well-known ingredient in skincare and is well-suited for formulations that should feel soft and moisturizing.
Function: Cleansing
Capryl/Capramidopropyl Betaine is a mild cleansing surfactant that helps dissolve dirt and grease. It also contributes to foam and makes the product pleasant to use. The ingredient is often used in soaps, shower products, and other cleansing hygiene products where effective cleansing is combined with a gentle feel.
Function: Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride is a light emollient oil that leaves the skin feeling smooth and supple. It helps the product spread evenly over the skin and makes creams and lotions feel less heavy. This ingredient is common in skincare as it contributes to a soft, pleasant, and non-sticky product feel.
Function: Thickening and stabilizing
Carbomer is an ingredient used to create gel structures and give products the right consistency. It helps make formulations stable, smooth, and easy to apply. In products such as gels, creams, and disinfectants, Carbomer helps prevent the product from becoming too thin and ensures a controlled feel during use.
Function: Cleansing surfactant
Ceteareth-25 is a surfactant used in Sterisol's soaps for its cleansing function. It helps dissolve and remove dirt and grease from the skin, allowing the product to clean effectively during handwashing.
The ingredient can also function as an emulsifier in other types of formulations, where it helps water- and oil-based ingredients blend into a smooth and stable product.
Function: Emollient
This combination of emollient esters helps the product feel smooth, supple, and easy to spread. These ingredients contribute to a soft skin feel and ensure the product doesn't feel heavy or sticky. They are often used in skincare to provide a pleasant application and a nourishing sensation.
Function: Emollient and consistency-enhancing
Cetyl Alcohol is a fatty alcohol used to make products creamier and more pleasant on the skin. Despite its name, it is not the same type of alcohol that can be drying, but rather an emollient ingredient that helps provide richness and stability. It contributes to a smoother feel and a more nourishing product experience.
Function: pH adjuster
Citric acid is used to adjust and balance the pH level in the product. A correct pH level is important for the product to function properly and feel pleasant to use. Citric acid is a well-known ingredient often used in soaps, skincare, and hygiene products to fine-tune the formulation.
Function: Cleansing
Cocamidopropyl Betaine is a mild cleansing ingredient that helps the product dissolve dirt and create a pleasant lather. It is often used in hand soap, shower products, and other cleansing products because it combines cleansing with a milder feel. It can also help make the lather softer and the product more pleasant to use.
Function: Cleansing
Decyl Glucoside is a mild sugar surfactant that helps to gently cleanse the skin. It contributes to lather and helps the product spread evenly during use. This ingredient is common in mild cleansing products, such as hand soap and shower products, where effective cleansing with a softer feel is desired.
Function: Conditioning
Dioleoylethyl Hydroxyethylmonium Methosulfate is a conditioning ingredient that helps skin or hair feel softer and more manageable. It is used in products designed to create a caring sensation after cleansing. The ingredient can help reduce roughness and make the product more pleasant to use.
Function: Biocide / active ingredient in disinfectants
Ethanol is an alcohol-based ingredient used in disinfectant products. It is an important part of the product's disinfectant properties and helps it dry quickly upon application. Ethanol is often used in hand sanitizers and other hygiene products where fast and effective evaporation is desired.
Function: Fragrance
Fragrance is used to give the product a pleasant and recognizable scent. The fragrance does not affect the product's cleansing or softening function, but it is important for the overall user experience. A fresh scent can make the product feel clean, caring, and more appealing in everyday use.
Function: Cleansing and conditioning
Glycereth-17 Cocoate is a mild cleansing ingredient that also provides a conditioning feel. It helps the product dissolve dirt while making the cleansing process more pleasant for the skin. The ingredient is often used in mild soaps and cleansing hygiene products where the goal is to combine effective cleansing with a soft skin feel.
Function: Cleansing
Glycereth-2 Cocoate is a cleansing ingredient with softening and moisturizing properties. It helps the product cleanse the skin while contributing to a more pleasant feeling after use. It is ideal for products designed to prevent the skin from feeling excessively dry after cleansing.
Function: Cleansing and conditioning
Glycereth-7 Caprylate/Caprate is a mild ingredient that aids in cleansing while also contributing to a softer feel. It can make the product more pleasant to use and help the skin feel less tight after cleansing. The ingredient is used in hygiene products where both cleansing and skin feel are important.
Function: Moisturizing and softening
Glycerin is a well-known moisture-binding ingredient that helps the skin retain moisture. It is often used in skincare, soaps, and hygiene products because it contributes to a softer and more pleasant feeling after use. Glycerin can help reduce the feeling of dryness and makes the product more nourishing.
Function: Emollient
Glyceryl Myristate is an emollient ingredient that helps the product feel smooth and supple on the skin. It contributes to a pleasant application and gives the product a softer feel. The ingredient is often used in skincare products where the aim is to improve both consistency and skin feel.
Function: Conditioning
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride is a conditioning ingredient based on guar. It helps provide a softer and more nourishing feel, especially in cleansing products. The ingredient can help skin or hair feel less rough after use and makes the product more pleasant.
Function: Emollient
Isopropyl Isostearate is an emollient ester that helps the product feel smooth and light on the skin. It improves spreadability, making creams and lotions easy to apply. This ingredient is used to achieve a soft skin feel without the product feeling heavy or greasy.
Function: Emollient
Isopropyl Palmitate is an emollient ingredient that gives the product a smooth and supple feel. It helps creams and lotions spread evenly over the skin and contributes to a pleasant application. The ingredient is often used in skincare to create a soft, light, and nourishing product feel.
Function: Cleansing
This is a mild cleansing surfactant system that helps the product dissolve dirt and create a pleasant lather. This combination is used in cleansing personal care products where effective cleansing is desired, but also a milder feel on the skin. It contributes to a balanced and user-friendly cleansing product.
Function: Cleansing
MEA-Cocoate is a saponified soap base that helps cleanse the skin by dissolving dirt and grease. It is used in products where a classic soap feel and effective cleansing are desired. The ingredient contributes to the product's cleansing properties and is an important part of the formulation's soap base.
Function: Emollient
Paraffinum Liquidum, also known as mineral oil, is an emollient ingredient that helps the skin feel supple and protected. It creates a pleasant sensation on the skin and is often used in products where the aim is to reduce the feeling of dryness. The ingredient contributes to a soft and nourishing product experience.
Function: Fragrance
Parfum is a fragrance component used to create a pleasant product experience. It helps the product achieve a distinct and pleasant scent profile. Fragrance is often an important part of how users perceive soap, skincare, and hygiene products, even though it is not responsible for the product's primary cleansing function.
Function: Scent
Parfum Tea Blossom is used to give the product a mild and pleasant scent. The scent contributes to the product's feel and user experience, especially in products used frequently throughout the day. A well-balanced scent can make hygiene and skincare products feel fresh and enjoyable to use.
Function: Cleansing and thickening
PEG-4 Rapeseedamide is an ingredient derived from rapeseed-based fatty acids that assists with both cleansing and consistency. It helps give the product a richer feel and can make cleansing products more pleasant to use. The ingredient is suitable for soaps and hygiene products where a good product structure is desired alongside cleansing.
Function: Cleansing and softening
PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate is a mild cleansing ingredient that also contributes to a softer skin feel. It helps the product cleanse without feeling unnecessarily drying. The ingredient is often used in hand soap, shower products, and other hygiene products where a pleasant balance between cleansing and a nourishing feel is desired.
Function: Stabilizing
Sclerotium Gum is a natural gum that helps the product achieve a smooth and stable consistency. It is used to make the formulation more pleasant and easy to apply. The ingredient helps the product bind together and achieve a soft, even texture that feels good during use.
Function: Thickening
Sodium chloride is common salt and is used in many cleansing products to adjust consistency. In the right amount, it can make the product a bit richer and easier to dispense. It therefore doesn't primarily aid in cleaning, but rather in the product's feel, thickness, and ease of use.
Function: Cleansing
Sodium Cocoamphoacetate is a mild cleansing surfactant that helps the product dissolve dirt and create a soft lather. It is often used in personal care products where a gentle yet effective cleansing is desired. The ingredient contributes to a pleasant user experience and is well-suited for mild cleansing formulations.
Function: Cleansing surfactant
Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate is a mild cleansing surfactant based on coconut fatty acids and glutamic acid, which is an amino acid. It helps to cleanse the skin and contributes to a pleasant lather.
This ingredient is used in products where a gentle cleanse and a soft feel after use are desired.
Function: pH adjuster
Sodium Hydroxide is used in small amounts to adjust the pH of the product. pH adjustment is important for the formulation to be stable and perform as intended. Once the product is finished, the ingredient's primary role is to have helped create the right balance in the formulation.
Function: Cleansing
Sodium Laureth Sulfate, often referred to as SLES, is an effective cleansing surfactant that helps dissolve dirt and grease. It also contributes to foam, making the product easy to spread and rinse off. SLES is used in many soaps, shower products, and hygiene products where a clear cleansing effect is desired.
Function: Emulsifying
TEA-Stearate is an emulsifying ingredient that helps oil and water mix in the product. It contributes to a smooth and stable consistency, especially in creamier formulations. The ingredient makes the product easier to apply and helps create a soft and pleasant feel.
Function: Cleaning booster / chelating agent
Tetrasodium Diacetate Glutamate helps cleaning products perform better, especially by binding minerals that could otherwise affect cleaning performance. It can be described as a cleaning booster that supports the product's other ingredients. The ingredient contributes to a more stable and effective formulation.
Function: Corn Scrubbing Grains
Zea Mays Cob Powder consists of finely ground scrubbing particles from corn cobs. They are used to provide mechanical cleansing and help remove dirt from the skin through a gentle scrubbing effect. This ingredient contributes to a more active cleansing sensation in products where physical exfoliation or an extra cleansing effect is desired.