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Other Ingredients

A catch-all category for ingredients that do not fit neatly into the other groups: chelators, pH adjusters, flavorings, and specialty compounds. Browse 55 entries in this category.

Mixed powder and liquid ingredients with measuring tools
Editorial illustration

Illustrated guides

Selected entries interpreted through varied editorial art and photography.

Fine white granules in a shallow ceramic dish on folded cream paper

Allulose

A low-energy rare sugar with distinct U.S. labeling rules; acute glucose findings and short tolerance studies are not a diabetes treatment.Two-color collage of an unlabelled roll-on applicator beside a dish of pale powder

Aluminum Chlorohydrate

A specific topical antiperspirant active; a 25% ingredient limit is not 25% elemental aluminum or a DIY formulation target.Fine white powder in a clear glass dish on folded cream paper

Aspartame

A dipeptide sweetener with a phenylalanine warning; hazard classification, permitted exposure and weight-control evidence answer different questions.Woodcut-style study of an amber jar beside a translucent gel swatch

Benzocaine

A local anesthetic with limited short-term relief evidence and a serious methemoglobinemia warning; it is not a teething remedy.Cut-paper collage of a closed bottle beside a dish of pale pink liquid

Bismuth Subsalicylate

An oral antidiarrheal containing salicylate; relief, travel prevention and warning-sign assessment are different decisions.Coffee beans, tea leaves, and fine caffeine-like powder on archive paper

Caffeine

The world's favorite stimulant — proven for performance and alertness, with clear safe limits and a hidden risk in powders.Gouache still life of an amber bottle and dusty-pink lotion

Calamine

A topical skin protectant for defined uses; drying a weeping poison-plant rash is not the same as diagnosing or curing every itchy rash.Woodcut-style illustration of pale crystalline pieces beside a closed amber jar

Camphor

A topical medicine ingredient whose allowed use depends on concentration and formulation; swallowing it can cause serious poisoning.Gouache study of white powder in a ceramic bowl beside an amber vial

Citicoline

A distinct choline-containing compound with a limited memory signal, not an established general cognition or stroke treatment.A glass dish of fine white powder and a plain wooden spoon on ivory linen

D-Mannose

A sugar marketed for urinary health; a large placebo-controlled community trial did not support recurrent-UTI prevention.A hand-cut linocut illustration of pale sugar-like crystals in a shallow bowl on textured cream paper.

D-ribose

A pentose sugar with small cardiac feasibility studies, a glucose-lowering caution and exposure-dependent food safety assessments.Woodcut-style amber jar and shallow dish of pale ochre powder

Diosmin

A phlebotonic flavonoid studied for venous symptoms; single-ingredient diosmin and micronized flavonoid mixtures are not the same intervention.Gouache painting of a plain tube and cream smear on sandstone

Ecamsule (Mexoryl SX)

A UVA filter with a U.S. product-specific approval history, not a blanket approval of every international sunscreen using the name.Screenprint illustration of a plain tube and watery gel swatch

Ensulizole

A primarily UVB-filtering sunscreen ingredient; monograph marketing conditions and requests for more safety data are different regulatory questions.A matte gouache painting of a white paste swatch on a small ceramic tile with muted green brushwork.

Hydroxyapatite

An oral-care calcium-phosphate material whose clinical performance and nano-particle safety must be assessed separately.An unlabeled glass dish of fine ivory powder on warm paper beside an ink-green paper fold.

Inosine

A purine nucleoside whose urate-raising action did not deliver the hoped-for Parkinson disease benefit.Off-white clay powder, a clay fragment and a paste swatch on warm linen

Kaolin

A mineral clay used for cosmetic absorption and texture; finished-product safety is different from chronic dust exposure or oral detox claims.Nighttime still life with an amber dropper, plain tablet, book, and paper moon

Melatonin

The sleep-wake hormone, taken as the most popular OTC sleep aid in the US — best for jet lag and falling asleep faster.Watercolor study of fermented soybeans in a plain ceramic dish

Nattokinase

A fermented-soy enzyme with limited blood-pressure signals; clot-dissolving language overstates the demonstrated oral clinical evidence.Amber sunscreen-filter liquid, glass dish, and cream swatch in sunlight

Octisalate

An oil-soluble UVB filter that supports sunscreen formulas but does not provide broad-spectrum protection by itself.A torn-paper collage of an unbranded toothbrush and a white toothpaste-like ribbon against cream and dark-green paper.

Potassium Nitrate

A sensitivity-toothpaste active whose evidence depends on the formula, stimulus and duration—not the potassium name alone.Gouache still life of an amber bottle and reddish-brown liquid in a glass saucer

Povidone-Iodine

An antiseptic ingredient whose concentration, vehicle and route matter; surgical skin evidence cannot authorize a homemade nasal or oral preparation.Linocut-style bowl of white granules with dark green carved shadows

Saccharin

An intense sweetener whose old rat-cancer warning and conflicting short human glucose studies should not be treated as the same safety question.Gouache still life of golden wheat germ flakes and two wheat ears on folded paper

Spermidine

A polyamine studied in wheat-germ extracts; cellular autophagy research is not a demonstrated memory or human-longevity benefit.Deep blue-green spirulina powder and dried algae flakes

Spirulina

The protein-rich microalgae — real effects on lipids and antioxidants, but not the B12 source its reputation suggests.Cut-paper collage of white powder in a folded paper boat

Sucralose

A high-intensity sweetener; authorized-use safety, prolonged heating and long-term weight-control evidence are separate questions.White mineral specimen, fine powder, and an opaque white cosmetic swatch

Titanium Dioxide

A mineral UV filter and white pigment whose safety context changes sharply between intact-skin use and inhalable powder.Gouache still life of a pomegranate half beside a ceramic dish of beige powder

Urolithin A

A microbiota-derived metabolite with exploratory muscle findings, not established human longevity or a reproducible mobility benefit.

Other Ingredients

  1. 01AlluloseA low-energy rare sugar with distinct U.S. labeling rules; acute glucose findings and short tolerance studies are not a diabetes treatment.
  2. 02Alpha-GPCThe brain-penetrant choline — a nootropic with modest attention data and a real prescription career in Europe.
  3. 03Aluminum ChlorohydrateA specific topical antiperspirant active; a 25% ingredient limit is not 25% elemental aluminum or a DIY formulation target.
  4. 04AspartameA dipeptide sweetener with a phenylalanine warning; hazard classification, permitted exposure and weight-control evidence answer different questions.
  5. 05AvobenzoneThe only true UVA filter in most US sunscreens — excellent long-wave protection, famously unstable unless stabilized.
  6. 06Bee PollenThe hive's multi-flower multivitamin — nutrient-dense pollen with thin clinical data and a serious allergy asterisk.
  7. 07Beetroot (Nitrates)The vegetable with a performance profile — dietary nitrates lower blood pressure and help endurance through real chemistry.
  8. 08BenzocaineA local anesthetic with limited short-term relief evidence and a serious methemoglobinemia warning; it is not a teething remedy.
  9. 09Bismuth SubsalicylateAn oral antidiarrheal containing salicylate; relief, travel prevention and warning-sign assessment are different decisions.
  10. 10Cacao (Cocoa)The flavanol powerhouse behind dark chocolate — real blood-pressure and vascular data, minus the sugar marketing.
  11. 11CaffeineThe world's favorite stimulant — proven for performance and alertness, with clear safe limits and a hidden risk in powders.
  12. 12CalamineA topical skin protectant for defined uses; drying a weeping poison-plant rash is not the same as diagnosing or curing every itchy rash.
  13. 13CamphorA topical medicine ingredient whose allowed use depends on concentration and formulation; swallowing it can cause serious poisoning.
  14. 14ChlorellaThe detox-marketed green algae — real nutrition, genuine metal-binding chemistry, and heavily overclaimed cleansing powers.
  15. 15ChondroitinCartilage's shock-absorber molecule — an osteoarthritis staple that draws water into joints, with real if modest evidence.
  16. 16CiticolineA distinct choline-containing compound with a limited memory signal, not an established general cognition or stroke treatment.
  17. 17ColostrumThe first-milk concentrate — immunoglobulins for gut and immunity, with sports-recovery data on the side.
  18. 18D-MannoseA sugar marketed for urinary health; a large placebo-controlled community trial did not support recurrent-UTI prevention.
  19. 19D-riboseA pentose sugar with small cardiac feasibility studies, a glucose-lowering caution and exposure-dependent food safety assessments.
  20. 20DHEAThe aging hormone — a genuine steroid with real effects and real regulatory caution; not a casual supplement.
  21. 21DiosminA phlebotonic flavonoid studied for venous symptoms; single-ingredient diosmin and micronized flavonoid mixtures are not the same intervention.
  22. 22Ecamsule (Mexoryl SX)A UVA filter with a U.S. product-specific approval history, not a blanket approval of every international sunscreen using the name.
  23. 23EnsulizoleA primarily UVB-filtering sunscreen ingredient; monograph marketing conditions and requests for more safety data are different regulatory questions.
  24. 24ErythritolThe zero-calorie sugar alcohol that behaves — near-zero glycemic impact, no tooth decay, and one contested cardiovascular study.
  25. 25GlucosamineThe joint-cartilage building block — osteoarthritis trials that split along a sulfate-vs-HCl fault line.
  26. 26HomosalateThe sunscreen solvent that also filters — ubiquitous at high concentrations, with an EU limit and absorption scrutiny.
  27. 27Huperzine AThe club-moss acetylcholinesterase inhibitor — an Alzheimer's drug in China, a cognitive nootropic elsewhere.
  28. 28HydroxyapatiteAn oral-care calcium-phosphate material whose clinical performance and nano-particle safety must be assessed separately.
  29. 29InosineA purine nucleoside whose urate-raising action did not deliver the hoped-for Parkinson disease benefit.
  30. 30KaolinA mineral clay used for cosmetic absorption and texture; finished-product safety is different from chronic dust exposure or oral detox claims.
  31. 31KetoconazoleThe antifungal behind Nizoral — first-line for dandruff and seborrheic dermatitis, with a quiet anti-androgen bonus for hair.
  32. 32MelatoninThe sleep-wake hormone, taken as the most popular OTC sleep aid in the US — best for jet lag and falling asleep faster.
  33. 33MinoxidilThe FDA-approved hair-loss drug — a blood-flow booster that regrows hair in most consistent users, with a famous shedding phase.
  34. 34Monk FruitThe monk's sweet melon — mogrosides deliver sugar-level sweetness with zero calories and no blood-sugar impact.
  35. 35NattokinaseA fermented-soy enzyme with limited blood-pressure signals; clot-dissolving language overstates the demonstrated oral clinical evidence.
  36. 36OctinoxateThe workhorse UVB filter — light, cheap, and ubiquitous in cosmetics, with endocrine questions and a reef-ban footnote.
  37. 37OctisalateAn oil-soluble UVB filter that supports sunscreen formulas but does not provide broad-spectrum protection by itself.
  38. 38OctocryleneThe stabilizer-filter hybrid — UVB absorption plus the molecule that keeps avobenzone alive, with a degradation debate.
  39. 39OxybenzoneThe most scrutinized sunscreen active — effective UV filtering, measurable absorption, and the reef-ban debate.
  40. 40Potassium NitrateA sensitivity-toothpaste active whose evidence depends on the formula, stimulus and duration—not the potassium name alone.
  41. 41Povidone-IodineAn antiseptic ingredient whose concentration, vehicle and route matter; surgical skin evidence cannot authorize a homemade nasal or oral preparation.
  42. 42Royal JellyThe queen bee's food — a protein-and-fat secretion with menopause and lipid hints, and a strict allergy asterisk.
  43. 43SaccharinAn intense sweetener whose old rat-cancer warning and conflicting short human glucose studies should not be treated as the same safety question.
  44. 44SAM-eThe body's universal methyl donor — an actual antidepressant drug in Europe, with joint and liver evidence too.
  45. 45Selenium SulfideThe dandruff-fighting anti-fungal with a cytotoxic bonus — an OTC staple for scalp conditions, used with respect and rinsing.
  46. 46Sodium BicarbonateThe kitchen chemical with a sports-science career — buffering acid is real performance ergogenics, antacid use included.
  47. 47SpermidineA polyamine studied in wheat-germ extracts; cellular autophagy research is not a demonstrated memory or human-longevity benefit.
  48. 48SpirulinaThe protein-rich microalgae — real effects on lipids and antioxidants, but not the B12 source its reputation suggests.
  49. 49SteviaThe sweet leaf of Paraguay — zero-calorie sweetness with real blood-pressure data and a divisive aftertaste.
  50. 50SucraloseA high-intensity sweetener; authorized-use safety, prolonged heating and long-term weight-control evidence are separate questions.
  51. 51Titanium DioxideA mineral UV filter and white pigment whose safety context changes sharply between intact-skin use and inhalable powder.
  52. 52Urolithin AA microbiota-derived metabolite with exploratory muscle findings, not established human longevity or a reproducible mobility benefit.
  53. 53XylitolThe tooth-friendly sugar alcohol — proven cavity prevention in gum and mints, and fatally toxic to dogs.
  54. 54Zinc OxideThe mineral shield — a broad-spectrum UV blocker that sits on skin, soothes diaper rash, and anchors reef-safe sunscreens.
  55. 55Zinc PyrithioneThe anti-dandruff and anti-acne antimicrobial — effective against Malassezia and more, with a European regulation twist.