What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Niacinamide
Smoothing
10-Hydroxydecenoic Acid
Skin ConditioningAvena Sativa Leaf/Stem Extract
Skin ConditioningBenzoic Acid
Masking
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Oenothera Biennis Oil
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Polyacrylate-13
Polyisobutene
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingSorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Niacinamide, 10-Hydroxydecenoic Acid, Avena Sativa Leaf/Stem Extract, Benzoic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Oenothera Biennis Oil, PEG-100 Stearate, Polyacrylate-13, Polyisobutene, Polysorbate 20, Sodium Hydroxide, Sorbitan Isostearate, Tocopherol, Tocopheryl Acetate
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides
Emollient
Isopropyl Palmitate
Emollient
Triisostearin
Skin Conditioning
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Laureth-9
EmulsifyingPalmitic Acid
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Distarch Phosphate
AbsorbentDimethicone
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Sorbitan Stearate
Emulsifying
Arginine Hcl
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
Antioxidant
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Citrate
BufferingCitric Acid
Buffering
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
Arachidic Acid
Cleansing
Oleic Acid
Emollient
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningTrans-2-Tert-Butylcyclohexanol
Perfuming
Menthoxypropanediol
Masking
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingTrisodium EDTA
Water, Glycerin, Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides, Isopropyl Palmitate, Triisostearin, Stearyl Alcohol, Laureth-9, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Distarch Phosphate, Dimethicone, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, PEG-100 Stearate, Sorbitan Stearate, Arginine Hcl, Tocopherol, Ceramide NP, Sodium Citrate, Citric Acid, Myristic Acid, Arachidic Acid, Oleic Acid, Benzyl Alcohol, Pentylene Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Trans-2-Tert-Butylcyclohexanol, Menthoxypropanediol, Carbomer, Sodium Hydroxide, Trisodium EDTA
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.
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe. It is a primary fatty alcohol with a chain length above 12 carbons. A study from 2019 show Malassezia can feed on fatty alcohols in this range, so it may trigger fungal acne in those prone to it.
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 GlycerinGlyceryl Stearate is made by reacting glycerin with stearic acid (typically sourced from plant oils like palm or coconut). It's an emulsifier, emollient, and mild occlusive.
Emulsifiers help ingredients like oil and water stay mixed so your formula stays nicely blended and uniform in texture.
This ingredient is typically used in concentrations between 1-10%. Studies have found it to be non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.
A close cousin of this ingredient is Glyceryl Stearate SE ("self-emulsifying"). This just has a small amount of sodium or potassium stearate added so it can emulsify without a co-emulsifier.
Since this ingredient is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize within the C11-C24 range.
Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.
Learn more about Glyceryl StearatePeg-100 Stearate is an emollient and emulsifier. As an emollient, it helps keep skin soft by trapping moisture in. On the other hand, emulsifiers help prevent oil and water from separating in a product.
PEGS are a hydrophilic polyether compound . There are 100 ethylene oxide monomers in Peg-100 Stearate. Peg-100 Stearate is polyethylene glycol ester of stearic acid.
Sodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.
In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.
Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.
"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.
Learn more about Sodium HydroxideTocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.
You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.
Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.
It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.
This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.
This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.
In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.
Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.
Learn more about TocopherolWater. 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
