7-Keto DHEA is a metabolite of the adrenal steroid dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). It is almost identical in chemical structure to DHEA and is converted to its form from DHEA in a two stage process. Scientific research has indicated its immune system boosting and memory enhancing effects. Some cells of the immune system use chemical messages in the form of cytokines which signal the whole immune system to go into “battle mode”. 7-Keto DHEA has been shown to increase the production of the cytokine IL-2 which regulates the T-Helper cells. Studies on mice have shown that when this chemical was administered along with a memory abolishing chemical like the scopolamine, the mice were able to resist memory loss.

Caprylic Acid is an essential fatty acid that may be found in the human and bovine milk, palm oils, and coconut fruits. It has several benefits because of its antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties. It is a popular remedy against Candia yeast infections. It works by destroying the yeast in the intestines upon absorption. Caprylic acid also aids in the treatment of inflammatory intestinal conditions such as Crohn’s disease. Caprylic Acid also improves the memory retention, concentration and focus. It also prevents liver diseases by inhibiting the accumulation of fats and reducing its workload. It also has the ability to dissolve kidney stones. Caprylic acid also helps control blood sugar level, and improves the secretion of insulin.

Cetearyl Glucoside is a combination of glucose and Cetearyl alcohol. Cetearyl alcohol is a type of fatty alcohol that can be found in a number of plants and vegetables. Glucose, on the other hand, is a type of sugar that is also naturally available. Cetearyl Glucoside helps in maintaining the skin and hair’s natural moisture and leaves a velvety texture. It is commonly found in coconut oils and corn oils. This is commonly used in beauty products such as face creams, lotions, and lip moisturizers. Cetearyl Glucoside is an effective emulsifier, and it helps in smoothening and binding the consistency of a product, enhancing the product’s affectivity.

Cetyl Alcohol is a fatty alcohol with a waxy texture. It was originally derived from sperm whale oil, thus, the name “Cetyl”. It is also known as 1-hexadecanol and palmityl alcohol. It is often used in shampoos, creams, lotions and other beauty products. Cetyl alcohol is used as emulsifier, lubricant, emollient or skin softener and thickening agents. Its waxy texture is ideal for use of conditioner and shampoos to cover the hair with waxy and lustrous texture. It is also commonly used in lotions because it allows the products to spread onto the skin. Cetyl alcohol can be found from the end-products of petroleum, or from vegetable oils.

Citric Acid is found in several citrus fruits, including pineapples, limes, gooseberries, plums, peaches, lemons, grapefruit, and oranges. It assists in preventing urinary tract infections. It is also applied as a natural preservative in lieu of chemicals. It helps energy production within the cells. It is a good natural astringent and regulates pH in digestive tract. Citric acid boosts efficient digestive function and helps remove toxins from body. It provides prevention against diarrhea, dysentery, and other bowel diseases. Citric acid assists in breakdown of fatty foods and increasing appetite. It helps eliminate fatigue. Citric acid in a little modified form, potassium citrate, can halt human heartbeat for greater facility during surgery and also is used to leach damaging metals from soil in landfills.

Glycerineis a humectant that naturally attract moisture to your skin. Being a natural byproduct of soap making, most times it is used in the making of lotions, creams and special soaps. Glycerin is a neutral, sweet-tasting, colorless, thick liquid with a high boiling point and freezes to a gummy paste. It is highly hygroscopic meaning it easily absorbs water from the air. Some other uses of glycerin include conserving preserved fruit, as a base for lotions, prevention of freezing in hydraulic jacks and even preservation of specimens in laboratories. Glycerin is also used in the manufacture of soaps which can contain up to 25% pure glycerin. This makes the soaps very moisturizing to the skin.

Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil as it is more commonly known is widely used for cooking food. It is used as frying oil. Its other popular use is as an emollient for cosmetic purposes. This oil is produced from oil type sunflower seeds. This oil is not only light in appearance but also in taste. Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil is rich in Vitamin E content. This oil has low saturated fat levels as it is a combination of polyunsaturated and mono-unsaturated fats. Its properties are typical of other triglyceride vegetable oils. As a cosmetic is has a noncomedogenic and smoothing property. It is the high oleic property that allows sunflower oil sufficient shelf life which makes it possible to use it for cosmetic purposes.

Magnesium Aluminum Silicate is a mineral that occurs naturally. The refined and purified clay form is commonly used as a thickener for cosmetics and various beauty products. It has white consistency and is flaky, often used as fillers for deodorants. It is also used as thickener for shaving creams, and lotions. It has huge molecular molecules that make it unable to be absorbed into the skin. It used in foundations and such cosmetics because of its anti-caking, coloring, and absorbent properties. However, it is prohibited to be used in products applied to areas of the lips and eyes. It is also used in pharmaceuticals, particularly in antacids.

Potassium Sorbate, a potassium salt belonging to sorbic acid, is primarily used as a preservative for various foods and beverages. Potassium sorbate has also gained popularity for its efficiency when used in different personal care products. Commonly, Potassium sorbate is used in molding or as a form of yeast for various foods such as cheese, dried meats, apple cider, yogurt, wines, bake goods and the likes. Potassium sorbate is usually present in dried fruit products and is starting to be used in herbal dietary supplements. The reason why it is widely used for food products is because Potassium sorbate does not impose any harmful side effects.

Pregnenolone, a type of steroid hormone, is a gamma aminobutyric acid  metabotropic transmembrane receptor which increases a hippocampus’s neurogenesis. Being a type steroid, Pregnenolone is interconnected with four cyclic hydrocarbons consisting of ketone, hydroxyl and a couple of methylbranches. Similar to all steroids, Pregnenolone is hydrophobic and is soluble in water. Pregnenolone is extracted from cholesterols in which its conversion involves hydroxylation on various positions. It is considered to be a building block for very steroid hormone that we have in our body which concludes that without pregnenolone, existence of steroid in our body would be impossible. Steroid hormone production would not be possible without it.

Progesterone USP is a natural hormone which is exerted or produced by a human’s body. Though some have a misconception that Progesterone USP are the same with Progestins, manufacturers made it clear that Progesterone USP are very different with progestins. Progestins are very synthetic as compared to Progesterone USP and are mainly used for birth defects unlike Progesterone USP which is mainly used to maintain a healthy pregnancy. Unlike progestins that impose undesirable and sometimes harmful side effects, Progesterone USP, being natural as it is, are easily produced and removed by our body; whichever is necessary. On a side note, USP stands for United States Pharmacopia which stands as a grade or purity of a product.

Purified Water refers to any water physically or chemically treated to remove any impurities present. Distilled and deionized water are two most common purified water forms; however, there are other available forms depending on the process of purification. Other processes include microporous filtration, ultraviolet oxidation, carbon filtration, electrodialysis and reverse osmosis. At present, a combination of the processes is being applied to produce an extremely purified water that has trace elements being measured parts per billion (ppb) or parts per trillion (ppt). It is important that the water we drink is clean and free from harmful elements that may affect our health. The issue, however, is on the small amounts of trace elements purified water contains. Tap water contains calcium, fluoride and chloride ions that are beneficial in maintaining fluid and electrolyte balance in the body. It is good to note in choosing the type of water to drink that the pros should outweigh the cons. The industrial use of purified water has of little concern but is still important. In scientific experiments, for example biochemical and molecular biological tests, water treated with a special substance that destroys any DNase and RNase to preserve the purity of specimens. In microbiological tests and medical use, sterile water is used. This type of water has undergone the process of autoclaving – removal of microorganism and spores with moist heat under pressure.

Sodium Benzoate or E211, the sodium salt of benzoic acid, is used as a preservative because of its bacteriostatic and fungistatic properties, most effective under acidic conditions. When mixed with water, sodium benzoate exists in its acid form. It is generally found in salad dressings, vinegar, carbonated drinks, jams and fruit juices. This compound is also naturally occurring in several fruits like apples, plums and cranberries but only in small amounts. Aside from being used as a preservative, sodium benzoate, having fungistatic quality, is mixed with wine to stop the fermentation process. Health concerns arise because of its combination with vitamin C that leads to the formation of the chemical benzene, a highly carcinogenic substance. However, misconceptions that sodium benzoate on its own is carcinogenic is to be corrected. Toxicity, also, only happens when huge amount of this substance is ingested. It is labeled by the Food and Drug Administration as safe for human consumption after undergoing short- and long-term scientific researches on man, dogs, cats and mice.

Sodium Hyaluronate is used in treatment of osteoarthritis patients who continue to have persistent knee pain despite availing different other kinds of treatments. Osteoarthritis is considered to the most common type of arthritis which occurs when the cartilage between joints wears down. Research has found Sodium Hyaluronate to be very helpful as a long-term treatment of osteoarthritis pain. Sodium Hyaluronate plays an important role in several biological processes like proteoglycan organization, tissue hydration, cell differentiation, proliferation and angiogenesis. It plays a basic role in processes of tissue repair. It is also a useful skin care ingredient. Sodium Hyaluronate can also be applied to stimulate healing of tissues after surgery. It is beneficial in reducing bad effects of autoimmune disease.

Sodium PCA, a clear, pale yellow liquid, attracts moisture from the air and absorbs large quantities of water. It is a simple molecule that is naturally produced in the body and one of the components of human skin that slows down water loss to the environment. It is a derivative of glutamic acid and tends to be a stronger hydrating agent than traditional compounds like glycerine, propylene glycol or sorbitol. Its full name is sodium-2-pyrrolidone carboxylate. The moisturizing effect of Sodium PCA is used in skin and hair care products.

Sorbitan Stearate is the ester of stearic acid and sorbitan, which is mainly used as an oil-soluble emulsifier in lotion products. This sorbitan ester is produced by reacting the polyol, sorbitol, with a stearic acid, a fatty acid. Both sobitol and the fatty acids are naturally occurring and are used in cosmetic products. It is mildly irritating to the skin but is labeled by the Food and Drug Administration safe as a cosmetic ingredient. Supporting studies of the emulsifier’s safety include its negative result to carcinogenic studies. Additional studies of the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel concluded that this cosmetic emulsifier is safe under present conditions of concentration and use.

Sorbitol or glucitol is an alcohol form of the sucrose. It is a sugar alcohol or polyol that is often used as sweetener in a various products. It occurs in fruits and vegetables and is manufactured from corn syrup. It is resistant to the metabolism of oral bacteria that causes tooth decay. It plays an important role in the diet of diabetic patients; it helps maintain blood sugar level, lipids and control weight. Sorbitol also has laxative effect. It works by drawing water into the large intestine that stimulates bowel movement. Sorbitol is also used in cosmetics as humectant and thickener.

Stearic Acid is a saturated fatty acid that occurs in many animal and vegetable fats and oils. Stearic acid is useful as an ingredient in making candles, soaps, plastics, oil pastels and cosmetics, and for softening rubber. Stearic acid is used to harden soaps, particularly those made with vegetable oil. Even though stearic acid is a saturated fat, studies have suggested that it has little effect on blood cholesterol levels, because such a high proportion is converted to oleic acid.

Stearyl Alcohol is derived from coconut oil and since it acts both as emollient and emulsifier it can be used in place of cetyl alcohol in order to stabilize skin care formulations. Stearyl alcohol is commonly used in lubricants, creams, depilatories, conditioners, and other personal care products. It can act as a lubricant on the surface of skin, giving the skin a soft and smooth look. The property of stearyl alcohol to build thickness makes it extremely useful in ensuring stable emulsions. It reduces appearance of fine lines and wrinkles on the skin, thus slowing down aging effects. It also enhances facial skin radiance.

Xanthan Gum is used in cosmetics to stabilize and bind products. Cosmetic companies add a very small amount to their products to keep the individual ingredients from separating. Xanthan gum is composed of glucose,mannose and glucuronic acid. It is often used in recipes in place of gelatin by people with food allergies or for people who are omitting dairy, eggs and soy from their diets.