What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningEthylhexyl Stearate
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Propanediol
Solvent
Diglycerin
Humectant
Triisostearin
Skin Conditioning
Polyglyceryl-3 Dicitrate/Stearate
Emulsifying
Myristyl Myristate
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Urea
Buffering
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPolyglycerin-3
Humectant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Citrate
BufferingMethylparaben
Preservative
Ethylparaben
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Water, Ethylhexyl Stearate, Glycerin, Propanediol, Diglycerin, Triisostearin, Polyglyceryl-3 Dicitrate/Stearate, Myristyl Myristate, Glyceryl Stearate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Urea, Cetearyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Tocopheryl Acetate, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Xanthan Gum, Polyglycerin-3, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Parfum
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Cetearyl alcohol is a waxy mixture of two fatty alcohols: cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. It is an emollient and emulsifier.
Despite having "alcohol" in its name, it has nothing to do with drying solvent alcohols; the FDA also allows "alcohol-free" products to contain fatty alcohols like this ingredient.
It plays several roles in a formula:
Typical use levels for this ingredient sit around 1-10% and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has affirmed safety at concentrations up to 25% in leave-on products.
Multiple assessments have found it to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing to most people.
However, there have been some cases of allergic contact dermatitis in patients with chronically compromised skin barriers.
Cetearyl alcohol has a comedogenic rating of 2 and irritancy rating of 1. Both of these numbers come from the 1989 study that used rabbit ears; a "2" means mildly comedogenic and a "1" means low irritancy.
Here's the catch: rabbit skin is more sensitive than human skin and throws a lot of false positives. A 1996 reappraisal found that ingredients rated 1-2 in the rabbit ear tests are generally safe for humans.
Remember comedogenic ratings are unable to assess the entire formula of a product or how it will react on your skin. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure about certain ingredients.
This ingredient is not fungal acne safe. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol with chain lengths that fall within the range that Malassezia can metabolize.
Learn more about Cetearyl AlcoholDiglycerin is a humectant. It is derived from glycerin, which is naturally found in your skin.
As a humectant, it helps draw moisture to the skin from the air.
Ethylparaben is a preservative, is a paraben, and is not reef safe.
Glyceryl 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 StearateMethylparaben is a preservative and is a paraben. It is used to prevent the growth of fungus, mold, and other harmful bacteria. Parabens are chemicals used as preservatives in both cosmetics and food.
Methylparaben can be synthetically created. It can also be found naturally in some fruits, such as blueberries.
Oftentimes, Methylparaben is combined with other parabens to help increase the shelf life.
The safety of Methylparaben is currently being studied. While ongoing studies are looking into the safety of parabens, the results have been very mixed. Some studies have not found Methylparaben to be harmful.
Learn more about MethylparabenPolyglycerin-3 is a 3-unit glycerin polymer.
Like glycerin, this ingredient is a humectant. Humectants help hydrate your skin by drawing water to it.
Having moisturized skin helps improve the skin barrier. Your skin barrier helps protect against irritants and bacteria.
Learn more about Polyglycerin-3Water. 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 WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum
