The Crystal ingredient library

Formulation ingredients

Not every ingredient is a headline botanical. Bases, solvents, humectants, cleansing materials and live cultures help explain how a finished preparation is made.

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8 ingredients

Matte black charcoal powder on pale limestone.

Activated charcoal

Carbon processed to be porous. A wash-off soap and a powder have different uses.

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A glass dish of clear liquid beside a sprig of dried herb.

Alcohol in tinctures

Used with water to extract plant constituents and to help preserve a tincture.

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A split aloe leaf showing clear gel on pale limestone.

Aloe vera

A leaf ingredient in our topical silver gel and cream. A drink, a leaf and a finished gel are different.

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An illustrated ceramic bowl of cloudy cultured liquid on linen.

Live cultures

Named microorganisms in our fermented probiotic products. A species list is not the whole formula.

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A plain ivory soap bar beside solid coconut oil, with no printed label.

Saponified coconut oil

Coconut oil after saponification. The bar is a finished soap, not unchanged coconut oil.

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Clear water in a glass on pale limestone.

Steam-distilled water

The base of our core colloidal liquids. Distillation leaves many dissolved substances behind.

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Thick clear glycerine in a glass dish on limestone.

Vegetable glycerine

A liquid base in some botanical preparations and a moisture-attracting ingredient in cosmetics.

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Viscous golden oil in a glass dish on limestone.

Vitamin E

Tocopherol in oil-based skincare. An antioxidant role in a formula is not the whole preservation system.

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This library explains ingredient identity, traditional context and product formats. For complete ingredients, allergens, suitability and directions, read the current product label. A guide to one ingredient does not describe every possible effect of the finished preparation.