Hustling and bustling in our
daily lives, I’m sure most of us perspire. The beads of sweat rolling down our
foreheads and down our arms, our underarms are sure to give out unpleasant aromas. What do we do
about it? Apply perfume? No, that would only make the smell worse, with the
sweet perfume mixing with our sweat. Thus, we apply deodorants, with the antiperspirant
function. What exactly is inside those chemicals we apply to our skin? Well,
here is an example of a deodorant by The Body Shop.
You might wonder, what organic
chemicals are contained in it? Maybe something harmful? Well here’s a quick
summary of it contains.
Alcohol, also called ethanol or
ethyl alcohol, is normally the alcohol used in alcoholic beverages. However, in
inedible products, the regulations require that alcohol be denatured. This
means that a small amount of a denaturant is added to the alcohol to make it
taste bad or poisonous. Alcohol Denat. is the general name used for denatured
alcohol. The formula for ethanol is C2H5OH.
In cosmetics field, Alcohol
Denat. is used in many product types including makeup, lotions, fragrance,
shaving, oral care, skin care and hair care products. Why are they used in
cosmetics and personal care products? Alcohol and Alcohol Denat. function as
antifoaming agents, cosmetic astringents, solvents and viscosity decreasing
agents. In our case, Alcohol Denat. is used as a solvent.
For the product in concern, they
used Denatonium Benzoate as the denaturant to render the alcohol unfit for
consumption. It a quaternary ammonium compound that is considered the bitterest
compound known.
2.
Hydroxyethyl cellulose(HEC)
Hydroxyethyl cellulose is a
thickening agent made from extractions of cellulose. It is used as an
ingredient in solutions such as household cleaning products, soaps, and
shampoos. Hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) is an excellent thickening agent for all
personal care products. Of all the natural polymers (gums), hydroxyethyl cellulose
(HEC) creates one of the clearest serums and makes an excellent vehicle for
active ingredients. This is the polymers
(gums) of choice when you need your serums to be crystal clear. Besides that, hydroxyethyl
cellulose is an eco-friendly material and gives a smooth feel to the skin.
3. Hexyl
Cinnamal
Click here for a 3D-view of the
molecule
Hexyl Cinnamal, short for hexyl
cinnamaldehyde and has a chemical formula of C15H20O. The
IUPAC name for this aldehyde is 2-(phenylmethylidene)octanal. It is a common
additive in perfume and cosmetic industry as it has a pleasant jasmine-like smell.
It can be found naturally as one of essential oil of chamomile or can be synthesized
chemically. Hexyl Cinnamal is FDA approved and also approved by the Cosmetics
Working Group for topical use. However, it can cause allergic reactions when
used in high concentrations.
4.
Linalool
Click here for a 3D-view of the
molecule
Besides Hexyl Cinnamal, Linalool
is also used to provide fragrance. Linalool has a chemical formula of C10H18O.
The carbon atom 3 in the molecule is a stereogenic centre, as it has four
different groups attached, thus there are two stereoisomers. (S)-(+)-linalool
has a pleasant sweet, floral lavender smell with a touch of citrus whereas the (R)-(-)-linalool
has a woody lavender smell, not as strong as the other linalool. The isomers
can be seen below, where the left one is (S)-(+)-linalool and the right one is (R)-(-)-linalool.
Linalool
can be chemically synthesized or extracted from the flowers of lavender plant.
 |
| Lavender Flower |
5. t-Butyl
Alcohol
Click
here for a 3D-view of the molecule
tert-Butyl alcohol, or commonly
known in its IUPAC name 2-Methylpropan-2-ol is the simplest tertiary alcohol. A
tertiary alcohol is a compound in which a hydroxy group, ‒OH, is attached to a
saturated carbon atom which has three other carbon atoms attached to it. It is
a common additive in personal care products. It is a clear liquid with
camphor-like odor. Just as the Denatonium Benzoate, it functions as an alcohol
denaturant.
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