What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningOlivine Extract
Skin ConditioningButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Leptospermum Scoparium Mel
Honey
Humectant
Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil
Emollient
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Calendula Officinalis Flower Oil
Masking
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Lecithin
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Dehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract
Antimicrobial
Benzyl Benzoate
Antimicrobial
Benzyl Salicylate
Perfuming
Citral
Perfuming
Citronellol
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Eugenol
Perfuming
Farnesol
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Isoeugenol
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Water, Olivine Extract, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Glycerin, Leptospermum Scoparium Mel, Honey, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Persea Gratissima Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Calendula Officinalis Flower Oil, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Lecithin, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Dehydroacetic Acid, Benzyl Alcohol, Bisabolol, Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract, Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Salicylate, Citral, Citronellol, Limonene, Eugenol, Farnesol, Geraniol, Isoeugenol, Linalool
Water
Skin ConditioningCoco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingGlycerin
Humectant
Isodecyl Neopentanoate
EmollientSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Squalane
Emollient
Arginine
Masking
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Glycogen
HumectantSodium Dehydroacetate
Preservative
Dehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Sucrose
Humectant
Plankton Extract
Skin ConditioningLecithin
Emollient
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingCitral
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Water, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Cetyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Phosphate, Glycerin, Isodecyl Neopentanoate, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Squalane, Arginine, Benzyl Alcohol, Panthenol, Glycogen, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Dehydroacetic Acid, Parfum, Sucrose, Plankton Extract, Lecithin, Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Citral, Limonene, Linalool
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Benzyl Alcohol is most commonly used as a preservative. It also has a subtle, sweet smell. Small amounts of Benzyl Alcohol is not irritating and safe to use in skincare products. Most Benzyl Alcohol is derived from fruits such as apricots.
Benzyl Alcohol has both antibacterial and antioxidant properties. These properties help lengthen the shelf life of products. Benzyl Alcohol is a solvent and helps dissolve other ingredients. It can also improve the texture and spreadability.
Alcohol comes in many different forms. Different types of alcohol will have different effects on skin. This ingredient is an astringent alcohol.
Using high concentrations of these alcohols are drying on the skin. They may strip away your skin's natural oils and even damage your skin barrier. Astringent alcohols may also irritate skin.
Other types of astringent alcohols include:
According to the National Rosacea Society based in the US, you should be mindful of products with these alcohols in the top half of ingredients.
Any type of sanitizing product will have high amounts of alcohol to help kill bacteria and viruses.
Learn more about Benzyl AlcoholCetearyl 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 AlcoholCitral is the molecule responsible for the fresh lemon scent in lemon, lime, and lemongrass. It is a fragrance ingredient that can be created from plant essential oils or synthetically.
Though Citral has documented antimicrobial activity against acne bacteria (which is where the marketing claims about it being good for acne-prone skin originate), real formulas use it at fragrance-level concentrations under 1% so there's likely no skin benefit.
You should know this ingredient is a known EU fragrance allergen.
Animal studies classifies this ingredient as a weak-to-moderate skin sensitizer and clinical patch testing on eczema patients confirmed it to be both a contact allergen and irritant.
The term 'citral' is a collective term for two geometric isomers: geranial/Citral A and neral/Citral B.
The term 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term. For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance.
Learn more about CitralDehydroacetic Acid is fungicide and bactericide. It is used as a preservative in cosmetics. Preservatives help elongate the shelf life of a product.
Dehydroacetic Acid is not soluble in water.
Glycerin (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 GlycerinLecithin is a term for a group of substances found in the cell membranes of plants, animals, and humans. They are made up of phospholipids.
Thanks to its amphiphilic structure (water-loving head and oil-loving tail), it is a true multitasker:
It plays well with most ingredients and is typically used at 0.1-1%. However, concentrations up to 50% have been reported in moisturizers.
Depending on the source of this ingredient, lecithin may not be fungal acne safe. This is because some sources of lecithin come from soybean oil, which may feed the malassezia yeast that causes fungal acne.
We recommend reaching out to the brand you are purchasing from to inquire about the source of their lecithin.
Learn more about LecithinLimonene is a fragrance that adds scent and taste to a formulation.
It's found in the peel oil of citrus fruits and other plants such as lavender and eucalyptus. The scent of limonene is generally described as "sweet citrus".
Limonene acts as an antioxidant, meaning it helps neutralize free radicals.
When exposed to air, oxidized limonene may sensitize the skin. Because of this, limonene is often avoided by people with sensitive skin.
The term 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term. For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance.
Learn more about LimoneneLinalool is a fragrance and helps add scent to products. It's derived from common plants such as cinnamon, mint, citrus, and lavender.
Like Limonene, this ingredient oxidizes when exposed to air. Oxidized linalool can cause allergies and skin sensitivity.
This ingredient has a scent that is floral, spicy tropical, and citrus-like.
Learn more about LinaloolWater. 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
