Beauty Glossary: E

Eczema - red, flaky, scaly patches of dry, itchy skin that may be caused by allergic reactions.

Effleurage - a massage technique using flowing movements up and down the face and neck during a facial.

Elastin - fibers in the skin that give it elasticity.

Electrolysis - the only permanent form of hair removal, in which electric current is used to kill hair at its root.

Emollient - usually a grease or an oil that softens the skin and protects it from dryness. The emollients in moisturizers come from animal, vegetable, or mineral sources. Common ones are allantoin, cocoa butter, lanolin, squalene, castor oil, plant or vegetable oil, mineral oil, and fatty alcohols.

Emulsifier - a substance that disperses one ingredient into another in which it would not ordinarily dissolve. An emulsifier binds water with oily humectants and emollients so that the texture of a product is smooth. Common ones are beeswax, vegetable wax, TEA lauryl sulfate, cetearyl alcohol, glyceryl monostearate, stearic acid, and choleth 24.

Enzymes - exfoliants derived from papaya, pineapple, or papain (a papaya derivative) that can help even out the skin's color and tone.

Eosin dyes - used to give red color to cosmetics.

Epidermis - the surface layer of the skin.

Epsom salts - crystals derived from magnesium sulfate that are used in the bath to relieve common aches and pains, especially in the feet or back.

Essential oils - esences extracted from plants that contain the scent and other therapeutic properties of the plant. (Products labeled "extract of," "essence of," or "aromatic oil of" are usually not natural oils but instead inexpensive synthetics.)

Ethylparaben - a synthetic preservative.

Evening primrose oil - essential oil used to treat eczema, psoriasis, and dry, aging skin.

Exfoliation - the removal of dead skin cells on the skin's surface.

Extraction - the process of unclogging blackheads.