What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAmmonium Lactate
Buffering
Potassium Lactate
BufferingSodium Lactate
Buffering
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Propanediol
Solvent
Glycerin
Humectant
Isostearyl Isostearate
Emollient
Paraffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingPolysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Petrolatum
Emollient
PEG-75 Stearate
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Polyisobutene
Ceteth-20
CleansingSteareth-20
CleansingTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
PEG-7 Trimethylolpropane Coconut Ether
Emulsifying
Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
EmulsifyingCeramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Cholesterol
Emollient
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingCeramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Water, Ammonium Lactate, Potassium Lactate, Sodium Lactate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Dimethicone, Propanediol, Glycerin, Isostearyl Isostearate, Paraffinum Liquidum, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Polysorbate 60, Petrolatum, PEG-75 Stearate, Caprylyl Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Polyisobutene, Ceteth-20, Steareth-20, Tocopheryl Acetate, PEG-7 Trimethylolpropane Coconut Ether, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Phytosphingosine, Cholesterol, Xanthan Gum, Carbomer, Ceramide EOP
Water
Skin ConditioningParaffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Butylene Glycol Myristate
EmollientGlycerin
Humectant
Ceteareth-20
CleansingCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Retinol
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract
Masking
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingTetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingIodopropynyl Butylcarbamate
Preservative
BHT
Antioxidant
Water, Paraffinum Liquidum, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Butylene Glycol Myristate, Glycerin, Ceteareth-20, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Retinol, Tocopherol, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Sodium Hydroxide, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, BHT
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid or alcohol, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolCetearyl 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 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 GlycerinParaffinum Liquidum is a highly-refined cosmetic-grade mineral oil. It is also known as liquid paraffin.
Despite its controversial reputation, the science is pretty clear: it's one of the most well-studied and effective moisturizing ingredients out there.
As an occlusive, it forms a protective layer on the skin that locks in moisture and prevents transepidermal water loss (TEWL). This makes it especially great for compromised skin barriers.
The "it clogs your pores" myth has been around for decades; a study found that industrial-grade mineral oil may be comedogenic but cosmetic-grade mineral oil is not (these two are very, very different).
A 2017 review concluded that cosmetic use of mineral oils and waxes does not present a risk to consumers due to absorption.
Mineral oil got a bad rap from the old rabbit ear studies. When tested on actual human skin, cosmetic-grade mineral oil showed no comedogenic activity. The rating of 0 is a correction of outdated science.
Mineral oil is an inert substance with no fatty acids so there's nothing to feed Malassezia. This ingredient is fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Paraffinum LiquidumWater. 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
