Ponds Dry Skin Cream is a moisturizing cream designed to hydrate dry skin and keep it from flaking and peeling. The Ponds brand has been popular throughout the years for its skin care line. Other than water and fragrance, there are 17 ingredients in the product.

Emollients keep skin silky smooth and flake-free, giving it moisture and making it supple. The emollients in Ponds Dry Skin Cream are candelilla wax, mineral oil and petrolatum. Mineral oil and petrolatum are similar, mineral oil being a derivative of petrolatum, according to Cosmetics Cop. Both protect the skin and moisturize. Candelilla wax can also be a fragrance and a thickener, according to Skin Deep.

Preservatives help a product last longer by inhibiting the growth of microbes such as mold, fungi and bacteria. There are three preservatives in this cream; imidazolidinyl urea, propylparaben and methylparaben. The parabens are gentler as they do not release formaldehyde, according to Cosmetics Cop.

Binding agents keep chemicals in a formula bound together. Binding agents in this Ponds product are ceresin and isopropyl palmitate. Isopropyl palmitate is also a lubricant that makes the skin have a smooth appearance, according to Cosmetics Info.

Emulsifiers combine oil and water ingredients to form a cohesive unit. The emulsifiers in this product are cetyl alcohol, glyceryl stearate and sorbitan oleate. Glyceryl stearate can also be a lubricant, according to Cosmetics Info, as can cetyl alcohol, according to DERMAdoctor.

Cleansing agents help as a skin detergent and cleaner. They remove debris and dirt from the skin, as in makeup removal. Laureth-23 and TEA-dodecylbenzenesulfonate are two cleansing agents in this product. Another ingredient used like a cleanser, stearic acid, is an essential fatty acid that may cause skin irritation, according to DERMAdoctor.

Hydrated skin is softer and smoother. Those ingredients that add moisture to the skin are called hydrators. The hydrating agent in Ponds Dry Skin Cream is glycerin.

Thickeners will bulk up a formula when it is getting thin, making for a cream-based texture. Carbomer 934 is the thickener in this formula.

Binders will bind to metal ions in a formula, making them inactive so that they cannot break down a formula and deteriorate. The binding agent in this cream is Trisodium EDTA, according to Cosmetics Info.