What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Isododecane
EmollientTheobroma Cacao Extract
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Isopropyl Palmitate
Emollient
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Glyceryl Oleate Citrate
Emulsifying
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Octyldodecanol
Emollient
Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Oenothera Biennis Flower Extract
AstringentElaeis Guineensis Oil
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSilica
Abrasive
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingCitric Acid
Buffering
Disodium EDTA
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Parfum
Masking
Benzyl Benzoate
Antimicrobial
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Coumarin
Perfuming
Tocopherol, Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Isododecane, Theobroma Cacao Extract, Butylene Glycol, Isopropyl Palmitate, Polysorbate 20, Glyceryl Oleate Citrate, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Octyldodecanol, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Sodium Hyaluronate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Oenothera Biennis Flower Extract, Elaeis Guineensis Oil, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Xanthan Gum, Silica, Sodium Hydroxide, Citric Acid, Disodium EDTA, Propylene Glycol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Parfum, Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Alcohol, Coumarin
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 an aromatic alcohol with several roles: it's a preservative, solvent, and mild fragrance component with a floral scent.
This ingredient has been deemed safe for use in cosmetic formulations at concentrations up to 5%, and up to 10% in hair dyes. You'll typically see 0.5-2% in most rinse-off or leave-on products.
As a preservative, it works by disrupting the membrane of microbial proteins. This helps keep bacteria and fungi from growing in your products.
The sensitization picture is actually quite assuring as well:of nearly 71,000 patients patch tested with benzyl alcohol, only 0.21% showed a positive reaction with most of them being weakly positive.
This led researchers to conclude that benzyl alcohol cannot be regarded as a significant contact allergen.
It is worth noting this ingredient is classified as one of the EU's regulated fragrance allergens and restricted to 1% in finished products.
Labels must also declare it in concentrations above 0.001% in leave-on products and 0.01% in rinse-off products.
At concentrations around 5%, localized redness and itching can appear as a direct irritant response and not as a true allergic reaction.
Learn more about Benzyl 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 GlycerinIsopropyl Palmitate is a lightweight emollient made by combining isopropyl alcohol and palmitic acid.
It is an emollient that leaves skin feeling smooth and silky without leaving a greasy feel.
Typical usage concentrations range from 1-5%.
Human testing shows it's non-irritating and non-sensitizing, and the EU Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) has cleared it at very high levels (79% in leave-on products).
The one thing worth knowing about its comedogenic score of 3-4 is to keep it in perspective: these ratings come from old rabbit-ear tests using 100% of pure ingredient and doesn't reflect how it behaves at low levels in a finished product.
Because it is an ester of palmitic acid (C16), it falls into the range that the Malassezia yeast can feed on and is considered not fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Isopropyl PalmitateWater. 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
