What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Shea Butter Ethyl Esters
Emollient
Crambe Abyssinica Seed Oil Phytosterol Esters
Emulsifying
Distarch Phosphate
AbsorbentHydrogenated Vegetable Glycerides
EmollientGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil
Emollient
Saccharide Isomerate
Humectant
Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
Antioxidant
Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil
Emollient
PEG-75 Stearate
Glyceryl Stearate Citrate
Emollient
Ceteth-20
CleansingSteareth-20
CleansingBackhousia Citriodora Leaf Oil
Masking
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Beta-Sitosterol
Emulsion Stabilising
Serenoa Serrulata Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Tetrasodium Iminodisuccinate
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Chondrus Crispus Powder
Abrasive
Tasmannia Lanceolata Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningCitric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Citrate
BufferingTerminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Citral
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Water, Glycerin, Shea Butter Ethyl Esters, Crambe Abyssinica Seed Oil Phytosterol Esters, Distarch Phosphate, Hydrogenated Vegetable Glycerides, Glyceryl Stearate, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Saccharide Isomerate, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil, PEG-75 Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Ceteth-20, Steareth-20, Backhousia Citriodora Leaf Oil, Xanthan Gum, Allantoin, Beta-Sitosterol, Serenoa Serrulata Fruit Extract, Sodium Benzoate, Tetrasodium Iminodisuccinate, Tocopherol, Chondrus Crispus Powder, Tasmannia Lanceolata Fruit Extract, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract, Citral, Limonene, Geraniol
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Potassium Phosphate
BufferingCeramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingDimethicone
Emollient
Ceteareth-20
CleansingBehentrimonium Methosulfate
Methylparaben
Preservative
Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
EmulsifyingCholesterol
Emollient
Disodium EDTA
Dipotassium Phosphate
BufferingPropylparaben
Preservative
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPolysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate
Emulsifying
Water, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Potassium Phosphate, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Carbomer, Dimethicone, Ceteareth-20, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Methylparaben, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Cholesterol, Disodium EDTA, Dipotassium Phosphate, Propylparaben, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Phytosphingosine, Xanthan Gum, Polysorbate 20, Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate
Reviews
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 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 GlycerinWater. 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 WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum
