What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Stearalkonium Chloride
Preservative
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningQuaternium-52
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Ceteareth-20
CleansingHydrolyzed Soy Protein
Humectant
Parfum
Masking
Citric Acid
Buffering
Tetrasodium EDTA
Methylchloroisothiazolinone
Preservative
Methylisothiazolinone
Preservative
Basic Blue 3
Basic Blue 7
Basic Orange 1
Basic Orange 31
CI 11055
Basic Red 51
Basic Yellow 87
Basic Violet 2
Basic Violet 16
CI 60725
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Cetyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Propylene Glycol, Stearalkonium Chloride, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Quaternium-52, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ceteareth-20, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Parfum, Citric Acid, Tetrasodium EDTA, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Basic Blue 3, Basic Blue 7, Basic Orange 1, Basic Orange 31, CI 11055, Basic Red 51, Basic Yellow 87, Basic Violet 2, Basic Violet 16, CI 60725
Water
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Distearoylethyl Dimonium Chloride
Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine
EmulsifyingQuaternium-91
Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein Pg-Propyl Silanetriol
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Wheat Protein Pg-Propyl Silanetriol
Skin ConditioningBertholletia Excelsa Seed Oil
Emollient
Helianthus Annuus Seed Extract
Skin Conditioning
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Cetrimonium Methosulfate
AntimicrobialCetrimonium Chloride
Antimicrobial
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Amodimethicone
Disodium EDTA
Trideceth-12
EmulsifyingCitric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Triethylene Glycol
Masking
Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Distearoylethyl Dimonium Chloride, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Quaternium-91, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein Pg-Propyl Silanetriol, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein Pg-Propyl Silanetriol, Bertholletia Excelsa Seed Oil, Helianthus Annuus Seed Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Cetrimonium Methosulfate, Cetrimonium Chloride, Butylene Glycol, Amodimethicone, Disodium EDTA, Trideceth-12, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol, Triethylene Glycol
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Cetearyl 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 AlcoholCetyl Alcohol is a fatty alcohol. Fatty Alcohols are most often used as an emollient or to thicken a product.
Its main roles are:
Though it has "alcohol" in the name, it is not related to denatured alcohol or ethyl alcohol.
The FDA allows products labeled "alcohol-free" to have fatty alcohols.
Learn more about Cetyl AlcoholCitric Acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) naturally found in citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes.
Like other AHAs, citric acid can exfoliate skin by breaking down the bonds that hold dead skin cells together. This helps reveal smoother and brighter skin underneath.
However, this exfoliating effect only happens at high concentrations (20%) which can be hard to find in cosmetic products.
Due to this, citric acid is usually included in small amounts as a pH adjuster. This helps keep products slightly more acidic and compatible with skin's natural pH.
In skincare formulas, citric acid can:
While it can provide some skin benefits, research shows lactic acid and glycolic acid are generally more effective and less irritating exfoliants.
Most citric acid used in skincare today is made by fermenting sugars (usually from molasses). This synthetic version is identical to the natural citrus form but easier to stabilize and use in formulations.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Citric 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
