What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cetyl Palmitate
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Dimethicone
Emollient
Polymethylsilsesquioxane
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Sorbitol
Humectant
CI 77163
Cosmetic Colorant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
PEG-100 Stearate
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hamamelis Virginiana Water
Astringent
PEG-75 Stearate
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingEthylhexyl Hydroxystearate
Emollient
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Ceteth-20
CleansingTriethanolamine
BufferingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Steareth-20
CleansingDisodium EDTA
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
Betaine
Humectant
Chlorella Vulgaris Extract
Skin ConditioningLaminaria Saccharina Extract
Skin ProtectingGlucose
Humectant
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Zingiber Officinale Root Extract
Masking
Sanguisorba Officinalis Root Extract
CleansingCinnamomum Cassia Bark Extract
Masking
Thymus Vulgaris Flower/Leaf Extract
MaskingRetinyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Zinc Sulfate
Antimicrobial
Laminaria Ochroleuca Extract
Skin Conditioning
Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Bleaching
Urtica Dioica Extract
AstringentEquisetum Arvense Extract
AstringentBetula Alba Leaf Extract
AstringentCitric Acid
Buffering
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Cinnamal
Perfuming
Pyridoxine Hcl
Skin ConditioningWater, Glycerin, Cetyl Palmitate, Stearic Acid, Butylene Glycol, Palmitic Acid, Tocopherol, Dimethicone, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Glyceryl Stearate, Sorbitol, CI 77163, Phenoxyethanol, PEG-100 Stearate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hamamelis Virginiana Water, PEG-75 Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Carbomer, Ethylhexyl Hydroxystearate, Allantoin, Panthenol, Ceteth-20, Triethanolamine, Caprylyl Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Propylene Glycol, Steareth-20, Disodium EDTA, Myristic Acid, Betaine, Chlorella Vulgaris Extract, Laminaria Saccharina Extract, Glucose, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Zingiber Officinale Root Extract, Sanguisorba Officinalis Root Extract, Cinnamomum Cassia Bark Extract, Thymus Vulgaris Flower/Leaf Extract, Retinyl Palmitate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Sodium Benzoate, Zinc Sulfate, Laminaria Ochroleuca Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Urtica Dioica Extract, Equisetum Arvense Extract, Betula Alba Leaf Extract, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Cinnamal, Pyridoxine Hcl
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Carbomer is a high-molecular weight polymer of acrylic acid. It is used to form gels and thicken formulas.
Due to its large molecular size, carbomer has minimal skin penetration and is considered an inert ingredient.
A high amount of carbomer can cause pilling or balling up of products. Don't worry, most products contain 1% or less of carbomer.
Learn more about CarbomerGlycerin (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 StearateTriethanolamine (TEA) is an emulsifier and pH adjuster. It is created using ethylene oxide and ammonia. This gives Triethanolamine a nitrogen core and a similar scent to ammonia.
As an emulsifier, it prevents ingredients from separating and enhances texture by adding volume to a product.
PH adjusters are common in cosmetic products. The pH of a product can affect the effectiveness of other ingredients. A product with a high pH may also irritate the skin.
If you are looking for the tea leaf ingredient, click here.
Learn more about TriethanolamineWater. 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
