What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate Citrate
Emollient
Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
Masking
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter
Emollient
Cocoglycerides
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Glyceryl Laurate
Emollient
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientOenothera Biennis Oil
Emollient
Sodium Levulinate
Skin ConditioningTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract
Masking
Citric Acid
Buffering
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Phytate
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Aspalathus Linearis Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningChamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract
Punica Granatum Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Rubus Fruticosus Fruit Extract
AstringentAlcohol
Antimicrobial
Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil
Emollient
Leontopodium Alpinum Callus Culture Extract
Antioxidant
Marrubium Vulgare Meristem Cell Culture
Skin ProtectingChlorella Vulgaris Extract
Skin ConditioningPhospholipids
Skin Conditioning
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Antimicrobial
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingUbiquinone
Antioxidant
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingWater, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Cocoglycerides, Glycerin, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Glyceryl Laurate, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Potassium Sorbate, Glyceryl Caprylate, Oenothera Biennis Oil, Sodium Levulinate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Citric Acid, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Sodium Phytate, Tocopherol, Aspalathus Linearis Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract, Punica Granatum Fruit Extract, Rubus Fruticosus Fruit Extract, Alcohol, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Leontopodium Alpinum Callus Culture Extract, Marrubium Vulgare Meristem Cell Culture, Chlorella Vulgaris Extract, Phospholipids, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Xanthan Gum, Ubiquinone, Sodium Hydroxide
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearates
Emollient
Cetearyl Olivate
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Antimicrobial
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Potassium Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingSclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil
Humectant
Tetradecane
Perfuming
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Albizia Julibrissin Bark Extract
MaskingDarutoside
Skin ConditioningHibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningAvena Sativa Kernel Extract
Abrasive
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPotassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Dehydroacetate
Preservative
Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearates, Cetearyl Olivate, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Sorbitan Olivate, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil, Tetradecane, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Albizia Julibrissin Bark Extract, Darutoside, Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Extract, Avena Sativa Kernel Extract, Xanthan Gum, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Dehydroacetate
Reviews
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.
A 2019 study has also observed Malassezia growth in the presence of this ingredient, confirming it to be not-fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Cetearyl 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 GlycerinLeuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate is a natural preservative. It comes from fermenting radish roots with a bacteria called leuconostoc. The trade name for this ingredient is Leucidal.
Leuconostoc comes from lactic acid.
This ingredient has antimicrobial properties and helps prevent the growth of bacteria in a product.
Leuconostoc is used to make the traditional Korean side-dish, kimchi. It is also used to make sourdough bread (both incredibly yummy foods).
Learn more about Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment FiltratePotassium Sorbate is a preservative used to prevent yeast and mold in products. It is commonly found in both cosmetic and food products.
This ingredient comes from potassium salt derived from sorbic acid. Sorbic acid is a natural antibiotic and effective against fungus.
Both potassium sorbate and sorbic acid can be found in baked goods, cheeses, dried meats, dried fruit, ice cream, pickles, wine, yogurt, and more.
You'll often find this ingredient used with other preservatives.
Learn more about Potassium SorbateWater. 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
