What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningParaffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil
Emollient
PEG-30 Dipolyhydroxystearate
Emulsifying
Isododecane
EmollientZea Mays Starch
Absorbent
Zinc Oxide
Cosmetic Colorant
PEG-22/Dodecyl Glycol Copolymer
EmulsifyingCera Alba
Emollient
Avena Sativa Leaf/Stem Extract
Skin ConditioningCetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Citric Acid
Buffering
Copper Sulfate
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Magnesium Sulfate
O-Cymen-5-Ol
Antimicrobial
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingZinc Sulfate
Antimicrobial
Water, Paraffinum Liquidum, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, PEG-30 Dipolyhydroxystearate, Isododecane, Zea Mays Starch, Zinc Oxide, PEG-22/Dodecyl Glycol Copolymer, Cera Alba, Avena Sativa Leaf/Stem Extract, Cetyl Alcohol, Citric Acid, Copper Sulfate, Glyceryl Stearate, Magnesium Sulfate, O-Cymen-5-Ol, Sodium Hydroxide, Xanthan Gum, Zinc Sulfate
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Cetyl Alcohol is a fatty alcohol. Fatty Alcohols are most often used as an emollient or to thicken a product.
Its main roles are:
Though it has "alcohol" in the name, it is not related to denatured alcohol or ethyl alcohol.
The FDA allows products labeled "alcohol-free" to have fatty alcohols.
Learn more about Cetyl AlcoholGlycerin (or glycerol) is a compound naturally found in your skin. It's a powerhouse humectant that pulls water into the stratum corneum.
Topically, glycerin does several things at once:
Your skin makes glycerin on its own (mostly from sebaceous oil breakdown) and shuttles it to your outermost layer of skin, or your epidermis, via aquaporin-3.
Aquaporin-3 is a transporter that is essential for normal skin hydration, elasticity, and repair. Interestingly, mice lacking in AQP3 have dry and less elastic skin that can be fully corrected with glycerin.
This ingredient is non-irritating, plays well with almost every ingredient, and works across all skin types. Typical use is anywhere between 3-10% but can go up to 79% in some leave-on products.
Just know very high concentrations (>40%) can feel tacky in low humidity.
Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.
Learn more about GlycerinWater. It's the most common cosmetic ingredient of all. You'll usually see it at the top of ingredient lists, meaning that it makes up the largest part of the product.
So why is it so popular? Water most often acts as a solvent - this means that it helps dissolve other ingredients into the formulation.
You'll also recognize water as that liquid we all need to stay alive. If you see this, drink a glass of water. Remember to stay hydrated!
Learn more about Water
