What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Butyrospermum Parkii Oil
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
Masking
Isopropyl Palmitate
Emollient
C14-22 Alcohols
Emulsion Stabilising
Dimethicone
Emollient
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingBenzoic Acid
Masking
C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingC20-22 Alcohols
Emulsion Stabilising
C20-22 Alkyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingCamelina Sativa Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Parfum
Masking
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingPEG-100 Stearate
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingSorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Squalane
Emollient
3-Methyl-5-(2,2,3-Trimethyl-3-Cyclopentenyl)Pent-4-En-2-Ol
Perfuming
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingWater, Glycerin, Butyrospermum Parkii Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Isopropyl Palmitate, C14-22 Alcohols, Dimethicone, Tocopheryl Acetate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Benzoic Acid, C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside, C20-22 Alcohols, C20-22 Alkyl Phosphate, Camelina Sativa Seed Oil, Caprylyl Glycol, Parfum, Glyceryl Stearate, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, PEG-100 Stearate, Polysorbate 60, Sodium Hydroxide, Sorbitan Isostearate, Squalane, 3-Methyl-5-(2,2,3-Trimethyl-3-Cyclopentenyl)Pent-4-En-2-Ol, Xanthan Gum
Water
Skin ConditioningHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter
Emollient
Cera Alba
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingSucrose Stearate
EmollientCollagen
Moisturising
Tripeptide-29
Skin Conditioning
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Magnesium PCA
Humectant
Lonicera Caprifolium Flower Extract
Perfuming
Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningLinum Usitatissimum Seed Oil
Perfuming
Zingiber Officinale Root Extract
Masking
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Coconut Alcohol
Emollient
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Dehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Antimicrobial
Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCitric Acid
Buffering
Water, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Glyceryl Stearate, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Cera Alba, Glycerin, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Sucrose Stearate, Collagen, Tripeptide-29, Lactic Acid, Magnesium PCA, Lonicera Caprifolium Flower Extract, Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract, Linum Usitatissimum Seed Oil, Zingiber Officinale Root Extract, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Coco-Glucoside, Benzyl Alcohol, Coconut Alcohol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Tocopherol, Dehydroacetic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
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 GlycerinGlyceryl Stearate is made by reacting glycerin with stearic acid (typically sourced from plant oils like palm or coconut). It's an emulsifier, emollient, and mild occlusive.
Emulsifiers help ingredients like oil and water stay mixed so your formula stays nicely blended and uniform in texture.
This ingredient is typically used in concentrations between 1-10%. Studies have found it to be non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.
A close cousin of this ingredient is Glyceryl Stearate SE ("self-emulsifying"). This just has a small amount of sodium or potassium stearate added so it can emulsify without a co-emulsifier.
Since this ingredient is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize within the C11-C24 range.
Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.
Learn more about Glyceryl StearateWater. 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
