Macadamia Ternifolia

Used in emollients. Contains magnesium and thiamine.

Magnesium Aspartate

Used widely as a skin conditioning ingredient.

Malic Acid

A colorless, crystalline compound with a strong acid taste that occurs naturally in a wide variety of fruits, including apples and cherries. An alkali in cosmetics, foods and wines. Also used as an antioxidant for cosmetics and as an ingredient in hair lacquers. Irritating to the skin and can cause an allergic reaction when used in hair lacquers.

Mallow

Malva Sylvestris. From the herb family. A moderate purplish red that is paler than magenta rose. Used in coloring andalso as a source of pectin. No known toxicity.

Mannitol

A humectant in hand creams and lotions and used in hair-grooming products as an emulsifier and antioxidant. It is widespread in plants but mostly prepared from seaweed. White, crystalline solid, odorless and sweet tasting. There is no known toxicity from its use as a cosmetic. In cosmetics it is used as a flavoring ingredient, humectant and skin conditioner.

Menthol

It gives that “cool” feeling to the skin after use. It can be obtained naturally from peppermint or other mint oils and can be made synthetically by hydrogenation of thymol. It is a local anesthetic. It is non-toxic in low doses.

Methyl Gluceth 20

The polyethylene glycol ether of methyl glucose. Glucose Glutamate. Used as a humectant in hand creams and lotions, it occurs naturally in animal blood, grape and corn sugars, and is a source of energy for plants and animals. It is sweeter than sucrose. Glutamate is the salt of glutamic acid.

Methyl Paraben

Methyl p-Hydroxybenzoate. One of the most widely used preservatives in cosmetics, it has a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity and is relatively nonirritating, non-sensitizing, and nonpoisonous. It is stable over the acid-alkalinity range of most cosmetics and is sufficiently soluble in water to produce the effective concentration in the water phase.

Methyldibromo Glutaronitrile

A preservative. It is readily absorbed through the skin. Based on available data, the CIR Expert Panel concludes that it is safe as used in ‘rinse-off” products and safe up to 0.025 percent in “leace-on” products. Bromate- A salt of bromic acid. Glutaric acid- A crystalline fatty acid that is soluble in oil. Widely used in oriental medicine as an aromatic bitter. It is used in American cosmetics as a demulcent. No known toxicity.