Water-binding agents

These are a wide range of ingredients that help skin retain moisture, says beauty expert Paula Begoun on cosmeticscop.com. Glycerin is one of the more typical and effective water-binding agents used in cosmetics, she says. One group of water-binding agents can mimic the skin's actual structure and be of benefit in a formulation. There are many types of these agents and no single one is preferred over another because, even though they are all effective, none of them can permanently change the actual structure of skin.