What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Hydroxyethyl Urea
Humectant
Dimethicone
Emollient
Jojoba Esters
Emollient
Petrolatum
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Distearyldimonium Chloride
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Behentrimonium Methosulfate
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Methyl Gluceth-20
Humectant
Avena Sativa Kernel Extract
Abrasive
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Zingiber Officinale Root Extract
Masking
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Skin Conditioning
Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Retinyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Stearamidopropyl Pg-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Extract
Skin Conditioning
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Steareth-21
CleansingHydrolyzed Jojoba Esters
Skin Conditioning
Diazolidinyl Urea
Preservative
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Methylparaben
Preservative
EDTA
Propylparaben
Preservative
Boswellia Serrata Gum
Masking
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantPotassium Hydroxide
BufferingWater, Glycerin, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Dimethicone, Jojoba Esters, Petrolatum, Cetyl Alcohol, Distearyldimonium Chloride, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Stearyl Alcohol, Cyclopentasiloxane, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Glyceryl Stearate, Methyl Gluceth-20, Avena Sativa Kernel Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Bisabolol, Zingiber Officinale Root Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Polysorbate 60, Retinyl Palmitate, Stearamidopropyl Pg-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Extract, Propylene Glycol, Steareth-21, Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters, Diazolidinyl Urea, Panthenol, Butylene Glycol, Methylparaben, EDTA, Propylparaben, Boswellia Serrata Gum, Dipropylene Glycol, Potassium Hydroxide
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Avena Sativa Kernel Extract is is derived from colloidal oatmeal. Besides being a healthy breakfast, oats have many benefits in skincare too.
This ingredient helps sooth, hydrate, and protect the skin. The starches in colloidal oatmeal are able to bind water, keeping the skin hydrated.
The cellulose and fiber in colloidal oatmeal help reduce inflammation. This can also help the skin feel softer.
Colloidal Oatmeal is also an antioxidant. Antioxidants protect our skin from free-radical damage.
Oatmeal also contains beneficial compounds:
This ingredient is created by mixing grounded oatmeal and a liquid base.
Learn more about Avena Sativa Kernel ExtractCetyl 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 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 DimethiconeDistearyldimonium Chloride is an antistatic agent and a surfactant.
Glycerin (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 GlycerinPetrolatum is more commonly known as petroleum jelly. It is created by mixing waxes and mineral oils.
This ingredient is effective at reducing water loss by 99%. This is because it is an occlusive. Occlusives create a hydrophobic barrier on the skin to prevent evaporation. This property makes it great for hydrating dry skin.
Pro tip: Use occlusives, such as this ingredient, on damp skin for the best results.
The quality or origin of petrolatum is only known when disclosed by the brand. Most cosmetic petrolatum has gone through several purification stages.
Another benefit of occlusives is it protects your skin against infection or allergies.
Petrolatum is fungal acne safe. It is a hydrocarbon with no fatty acid structure, so Malassezia cannot metabolize it. In-vitro studies support negligible growth stimulation as well.
It's also worth noting that petrolatum has a comedogenic rating of 0. In updated rabbit ear testing (and in human testing), petrolatum was found to be not comedogenic. This means it didn’t promote comedone formation in standard models.
Learn more about PetrolatumWater. 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
