What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCentella Asiatica Extract 12.3%
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Cetyl Ethylhexanoate
EmollientCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Glutathione
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Madecassic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Asiaticoside
Antioxidant
Asiatic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningMelaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Extract
Perfuming
Hydrolyzed Collagen
Emollient
Beta-Glucan
Skin Conditioning
Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Nelumbo Nucifera Extract
Skin ConditioningArtemisia Annua Extract
MaskingOryza Sativa Extract
Absorbent
Saccharomyces Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Squalane
Emollient
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantButylene Glycol
Humectant
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Cholesterol
Emollient
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPotassium Hydroxide
BufferingDisodium EDTA
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Cyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Cyclohexasiloxane
Emollient
Saccharide Hydrolysate
HumectantSorbitan Stearate
Emulsifying
Dimethicone
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Water, Centella Asiatica Extract 12.3%, Glycerin, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Glutathione, Niacinamide, Madecassic Acid, Asiaticoside, Asiatic Acid, Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Extract, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Beta-Glucan, Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Extract, Nelumbo Nucifera Extract, Artemisia Annua Extract, Oryza Sativa Extract, Saccharomyces Ferment, Squalane, Sodium Hyaluronate, Dipropylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Cholesterol, Xanthan Gum, Potassium Hydroxide, Disodium EDTA, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cyclopentasiloxane, Cyclohexasiloxane, Saccharide Hydrolysate, Sorbitan Stearate, Dimethicone, PEG-100 Stearate, Stearic Acid, 1,2-Hexanediol, Chlorphenesin, Carbomer, Caprylyl Glycol
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Paraffinum Liquidum
Emollient
C15-19 Alkane
SolventC12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialPolyglyceryl-3 Distearate
Emulsifying
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Myristyl Alcohol
Emollient
Ubiquinone
Antioxidant
Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Sorbitan Stearate
Emulsifying
Cera Microcristallina
Emulsion StabilisingHydrogenated Coco-Glycerides
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingBenzoic Acid
Masking
Trisodium EDTA
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningLinalool
Perfuming
Citronellol
Perfuming
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Parfum
Masking
Water, Glycerin, Paraffinum Liquidum, C15-19 Alkane, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Polyglyceryl-3 Distearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Myristyl Alcohol, Ubiquinone, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Sorbitan Stearate, Cera Microcristallina, Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides, Dimethicone, Carbomer, Sodium Hydroxide, Benzoic Acid, Trisodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Linalool, Citronellol, Benzyl Alcohol, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Limonene, Parfum
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Carbomer is a high-molecular weight polymer of acrylic acid. It is used to form gels and thicken formulas.
Due to its large molecular size, carbomer has minimal skin penetration and is considered an inert ingredient.
A high amount of carbomer can cause pilling or balling up of products. Don't worry, most products contain 1% or less of carbomer.
Learn more about CarbomerCetearyl 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 AlcoholDimethicone is a type of synthetic silicone created from natural materials such as quartz. It is also known as polydimethylsiloxane.
What it does:
Dimethicone comes in different viscosities:
Depending on the viscosity, dimethicone has different properties.
Ingredients lists don't always show which type is used, so we recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the viscosity.
This ingredient is unlikely to cause irritation because it does not get absorbed into skin. However, people with silicone allergies should be careful about using this ingredient.
Note: Dimethicone may contribute to pilling. This is because it is not oil or water soluble, so pilling may occur when layered with products. When mixed with heavy oils in a formula, the outcome is also quite greasy.
Learn more about DimethiconeGlycerin (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 GlycerinSorbitan Stearate is an emulsifier made by reacting sorbitol with stearic acid.
It's mostly used to keep oil and water mixed so your formulas stay smooth and stable.
The Cosmetic Ingredient Review has found 4% of this ingredient in repeat-insult patch tests on humans to be non-sensitizing. There is a caveat that some reactions have shown up in patients with damaged or diseased skin.
Because it is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it falls into the C11-24 range that the Malassezia yeast can metabolize. This means this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Sorbitan StearateWater. 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
