What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Dimethicone
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Isohexadecane
EmollientDimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Skin Conditioning
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Beheneth-25 Methacrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Linoleamidopropyl Pg-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate
Parfum
Masking
Imperata Cylindrica Root Extract
Skin ConditioningStearic Acid
Cleansing
Dimethiconol
Emollient
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Disodium EDTA
BHT
Antioxidant
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Arctium Lappa Root Extract
Skin Conditioning
Limonene
Perfuming
Coumarin
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Water, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Butylene Glycol, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Isohexadecane, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Beheneth-25 Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Tocopheryl Acetate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Linoleamidopropyl Pg-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate, Parfum, Imperata Cylindrica Root Extract, Stearic Acid, Dimethiconol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Disodium EDTA, BHT, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Arctium Lappa Root Extract, Limonene, Coumarin, Linalool
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Petrolatum
Emollient
Isopropyl Isostearate
Emollient
Isohexadecane
EmollientNiacinamide
Smoothing
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Hydrogenated Shea Butter
Skin Conditioning
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Dimethicone
Emollient
C13-14 Isoparaffin
Emollient
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Dimethiconol
Emollient
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Laureth-7
EmulsifyingStearic Acid
Cleansing
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Disodium EDTA
Polyacrylamide
PEG-100 Stearate
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Glycerin, Petrolatum, Isopropyl Isostearate, Isohexadecane, Niacinamide, Stearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Hydrogenated Shea Butter, Panthenol, Dimethicone, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Caprylyl Glycol, Dimethiconol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Cetearyl Alcohol, Laureth-7, Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Behenyl Alcohol, Disodium EDTA, Polyacrylamide, PEG-100 Stearate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Phenoxyethanol
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 AlcoholCetearyl Glucoside is a sugar-based emulsifier. It is usually made by combining cetearyl alcohol and glucose.
Belonging to the aklyl polyglucoside (APG) family, Cetearyl Glucoside has a sugar "head" that loves water and a fatty "tail" that loves oil. This means it can shuffle oil and water into a stable and smooth emulsion.
Typical use levels are between 1-5% and this ingredient is considered to be non-irritating by the CIR Expert Panel Review.
Once applied, your skin's glucoside hydrolases breaks it down to the parent fatty alcohol and glucose. This is why this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Cetearyl GlucosideDimethicone 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 DimethiconeDimethiconol is a silicone that resembles the popular dimethicone. Like other silicones, it is an emollient. Emollients create a thin film on skin to prevent moisture from escaping.
This ingredient helps to create a silky texture and improve spreadability. Due to its high molecular weight and thickness, it is often combined with cyclopentasiloxane.
Disodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).
Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAGlycerin (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 GlycerinIsohexadecane is added to enhance texture, emulsify, and to help cleanse. It is an isoparrafin. It is a component of petrolatum.
Due to its large size, Isohexadecane is not absorbed by the skin. Instead, it sits on top and acts as an emollient. Emollients help keep your skin soft and smooth by trapping moisture within.
Isohexadecane is often used in products designed to help oily skin. It is lightweight and non-greasy while helping to moisturize. When mixed with silicones, it gives a product a silky feel.
Learn more about IsohexadecanePhenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.
Stearic Acid is a fatty acid that is already found in your skin. It's one of the free fatty acids that works alongside ceramides and cholesterols to maintain your barrier.
In cosmetics, it is a multitasker:
Safety-wise, the CIR Expert Panel has concluded it to be safe in cosmetics when formulated to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing.
Free stearic acid is a C18 fatty acid that the Malassezia yeast can substrate, so this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Stearic AcidWater. 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
