What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Propanediol
Solvent
Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate
Emollient
Hydrogenated Poly(C6-14 Olefin)
Emollient1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Phenyl Trimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Bis-Hydroxyethoxypropyl Dimethicone
Emollient
Synthetic Wax
Abrasive
C14-22 Alcohols
Emulsion Stabilising
Squalane
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingC12-20 Alkyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingAcetyl Glucosamine
Skin Conditioning
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Glyceryl Stearate Citrate
Emollient
Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil
Emollient
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientTromethamine
BufferingPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate
Skin Conditioning
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningDisodium EDTA
Gluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate
Emulsifying
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingThymol Trimethoxycinnamate
Antioxidant
Cholesterol
Emollient
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Glucose
Humectant
Oenothera Biennis Oil
Emollient
Hydroxypropyl Bispalmitamide Mea
Emollient
Mannitol
Humectant
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
Lauric Acid
Cleansing
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Copernicia Cerifera Wax Extract
Acrylates/Ammonium Methacrylate Copolymer
Silica
Abrasive
Arachidic Acid
Cleansing
Caesalpinia Sappan Stem Powder
Exfoliating
Oleic Acid
Emollient
Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Propanediol, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, Hydrogenated Poly(C6-14 Olefin), 1,2-Hexanediol, Phenyl Trimethicone, Bis-Hydroxyethoxypropyl Dimethicone, Synthetic Wax, C14-22 Alcohols, Squalane, Cetearyl Alcohol, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Xanthan Gum, Glyceryl Stearate, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside, Acetyl Glucosamine, Stearic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Glyceryl Caprylate, Tromethamine, Panthenol, Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate, Palmitic Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium EDTA, Gluconolactone, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Carbomer, Thymol Trimethoxycinnamate, Cholesterol, Ceramide NP, Glucose, Oenothera Biennis Oil, Hydroxypropyl Bispalmitamide Mea, Mannitol, Myristic Acid, Lauric Acid, Tocopherol, Copernicia Cerifera Wax Extract, Acrylates/Ammonium Methacrylate Copolymer, Silica, Arachidic Acid, Caesalpinia Sappan Stem Powder, Oleic Acid
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Urea
Buffering
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides
Emollient
Octyldodecanol
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Arginine Hcl
Skin ConditioningGlycine
Buffering
Alanine
Masking
Carnitine
Cleansing
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Carrageenan
Cholesterol
Emollient
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Tapioca Starch
Dimethicone
Emollient
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Decylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Cetearyl Sulfate
Cleansing
Sodium Chloride
MaskingWater, Glycerin, Urea, Cetearyl Alcohol, Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides, Octyldodecanol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Sodium Lactate, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Ceramide NP, Lactic Acid, Arginine Hcl, Glycine, Alanine, Carnitine, Sodium PCA, Carrageenan, Cholesterol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Tapioca Starch, Dimethicone, Pentylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Decylene Glycol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate, Sodium Chloride
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer is a synthetic polymer. It is used to thicken, emulsify, and improve the texture of products.
As an emulsifier, it helps stabilize oil-in-water emulsions to give products an elegant feel when applied.
It can also form a thin protective film on skin. One study found that a formula using this polymer helped slow down how quickly other ingredients (like DEET) were absorbed through skin.
A 2024 study of over 1,300 patients confirmed that sensitization to this ingredient is rare. It is also non-mutagenic and has a clean track record.
Learn more about Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate CrosspolymerCeramide NP (formerly known as Ceramide 3) is one of the skin's naturally occurring lipids.
Since ceramides are the major lipid components of the skin, they are crucial for maintaining skin barrier and hydration. Ceramide NP most closely mirrors the dominant kind in human skin amongst ceramide subtypes.
This ceramide works by slotting into gaps within the stratum corneum's lipid matrix to limit trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) and shield the skin against external irritants.
A study with 312 patients found that using a ceramide-containing routine for 4 weeks reduced the severity of atopic dermatitis by over 61%.
Another clinical study in subjects aged 60 and older found that a ceramide body wash and moisturizer improved skin dryness and itchy skin in 15 days.
Overall, ceramides are considered non-irritating and safety tests have found little to no observable adverse effects from using this ingredient.
Ceramide NP is usually sourced from plants (like soybean or rice bran), or produced synthetically.
Learn more about Ceramide NPCetearyl 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 AlcoholCholesterol is a lipid that is naturally found in human skin and is one of the three key components of your skin barrier. In skincare, it is an emollient and barrier-repairing ingredient.
It works by fitting directly into the lipid layers of skin to help restore structure and reduce transepidermal water loss (TEWL).
This is a great ingredient for dry, compromised, or aging skin; our skin starts to produce less cholesterol with age.
Research shows cholesterol works best in combination with ceramides and fatty acids, the other two major components in your skin barrier.
Cholesterol is also a well-establish penetration enhancer and can help other actives absorb more effectively.
Cosmetic-grade cholesterol is usually derived from lanolin but plant and synthetic options also exist. We recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about their source of cholesterol.
Learn more about CholesterolGlycerin (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
