After mercilessly making fun of a #TikTok person/influencer (?) who inconsistently reviewed a product, I thought I’d actually tell you what the product is – so that you may also judge me – haha, please don’t.
But please do leave a comment and let me know what you think – I am here to #educate and improve – so please do help me on that front!
The product is by #Milk, a vegan brand, and it’s called “Cooling Water Jelly Tint”, which is a sheer lip + cheek stain.
As you can see it’s a transparent coloured product that is in a screw-based container. The manufacturer is absolutely anticipating the product is going to be exposed to a lot of contamination during the lifetime of the product.
Just looking at the product, this was the initial hypothesis (and you’ll see it’s only partially on the right lines). My working theory is that this product has these features:
- Ingredients that are translucent oil-gelling agents
- An oil/alcohol or other solvent-rich product because this has a substantial amount of coloured pigments – they need to be solubilised into something.
- A robust preservative system (at least 2 preservatives because this is a vegan product, chelating agent, and anything extra)
What are the ingredients?
Aqua/Water/Eau, Glycerin, Sorbitol, Propanediol, Butylene Glycol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Niacinamide, Hibiscus Rosa-Sinensis Flower Extract, Hylocereus Undatus Fruit Extract, Kappaphycus Alvarezii Extract, Tremella Fuciformis Polysaccharide, Chlorella Ferment, Tocopherol, Maris Aqua/Sea Water/Eau De Mer, Allantoin, Agarose, Carbomer, Sodium Hydroxide, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Pvm/Ma Copolymer, Potassium Carbonate, Citric Acid, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Benzoic Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Benzyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance (Parfum), Linalool, Red 22 (Ci 45380), Red 28 (Ci 45410), Red 33 (Ci 17200).
(source: https://milkmakeup.com/products/cooling-water-jelly-tint?variant=burst-poppy-pink)
Breaking down the product
The product is a hardened gel. If I were a betting woman, I’d say the primary gelling agent is Carbomer (which tends to be used in a clear product). The second viscosity enhancer is Sorbitol (which is also a moisturising agent). Finally, there is something called Agarose, which is Agar, that is used a lot in experiments. It is a gelling agent, but it is stupidly expensive, so I think it’s present in very small quantities here. (Click here to see more https://www.sigmaaldrich.com/US/en/products/chemistry-and-biochemicals/biochemicals/agarose)
The solvent for the pigments/colourants is likely to be Butylene Glycol. The colourants/pigments: Red 22 (Ci 45380), Red 28 (Ci 45410), Red 33 (Ci 17200)
A good sensorial experience is usually given by silicones, and in the absence of that, we have a moisturising ingredient that gives a similar sensory feel to silicone oils but is not a silicone oil. The INCI name is Glycerin (and) Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer (and) PVM/MA Copolymer
Actives:
There are many actives in this product. The first category is the cheap chip actives that are skin-soothing and anti-inflammatory and are Niacinamide, Allantoin and Aloe Vera.
The second bunch of actives are the more expensive compound ingredients. I think the product has 3 such actives (which is a lot for a make-up product at this price point)
1) Pro-collagen complex with this INCI name ( Hibiscus Rosa-Sinensis Flower Extract (and) Chlorella Ferment (and) Tremella Fuciformis Polysaccharide (and) 1,2-Hexanediol
2) Dragon fruit extract (which gives the skin a healthy glow and supports skin microbiome) with INCI name (Glycerin (and) Hylocereus Undatus Fruit Extract
3) Moisturising agent with INCI name Glycerin (and) Kappaphycus Alvarezii Extract (and) Maris Aqua/Sea Water/Eau De Mer
Preservative system:
I can identify 3 different preservatives as follows and the super important thing about the preservative system is its STRONG – so you dont need to use a brush – the manufacturer has prepared the product to ensure it does its job of being preserved + fully functional, while being exposed to microbial contaminatioN!!!
1) Phenoxyethanol (and) Ethylhexylglcerin
2) Caprylyl Glycol (and) Benzoic Acid (and) Propanediol
3) Sodium Benzoate (and) Potassium Sorbate (and) Water
Allergens by reason of the fragrance: Benzyl alcohol (and) Linalool