What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningMacadamia Integrifolia Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate
Emollient
Glycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Isomalt
HumectantTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Glycerin
Humectant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Isopropyl Myristate
Emollient
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSodium Cetearyl Sulfate
Cleansing
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Alcohol
Antimicrobial
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingDisodium EDTA
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
Humectant
Pantolactone
Humectant
Ascorbyl Palmitate
Antioxidant
Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate
Skin Conditioning
Citric Acid
Buffering
Ascorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Phytol
Emollient
Water, Macadamia Integrifolia Seed Oil, Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate, Glycine Soja Oil, Butylene Glycol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Isomalt, Tocopheryl Acetate, Glycerin, Panthenol, Phenoxyethanol, Isopropyl Myristate, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate, Pentylene Glycol, Alcohol, Sodium Hydroxide, Disodium EDTA, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Pantolactone, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Citric Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Phytol
Water
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Ethylhexanoate
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Lauryl Laurate
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Tapioca Starch
Ascorbyl Glucoside
Antioxidant
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Citrus Grandis Peel Oil
Masking
Glycogen
HumectantHippophae Rhamnoides Oil
Emollient
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Flower Oil
Astringent
Parfum
Masking
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Citrus Nobilis Peel Oil
Masking
Citrus Tangerina Peel Oil
Masking
Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Diglucosyl Gallic Acid
Ammonium Bicarbonate
BufferingGlucose
Humectant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialSodium Hydroxide
BufferingCitral
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Water, Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate, Glycerin, Lauryl Laurate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Tapioca Starch, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Hydroxyacetophenone, Carbomer, Phenoxyethanol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Citrus Grandis Peel Oil, Glycogen, Hippophae Rhamnoides Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Flower Oil, Parfum, Tocopherol, Citrus Nobilis Peel Oil, Citrus Tangerina Peel Oil, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Diglucosyl Gallic Acid, Ammonium Bicarbonate, Glucose, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Sodium Hydroxide, Citral, Limonene, Linalool
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 CarbomerCetearyl 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 AlcoholCetearyl Ethylhexanoate is derived from cetearyl alcohol and sorbic acid.
It is an emollient and helps hydrate the skin. Emollients form a barrier on the skin to prevent water from escaping.
Cetearyl Glucoside is a sugar-based emulsifier. It is usually made by combining cetearyl alcohol and glucose.
Belonging to the aklyl polyglucoside (APG) family, Cetearyl Glucoside has a sugar "head" that loves water and a fatty "tail" that loves oil. This means it can shuffle oil and water into a stable and smooth emulsion.
Typical use levels are between 1-5% and this ingredient is considered to be non-irritating by the CIR Expert Panel Review.
Once applied, your skin's glucoside hydrolases breaks it down to the parent fatty alcohol and glucose. This is why this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Cetearyl GlucosideGlycerin (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 GlycerinPhenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.
Sodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.
In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.
Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.
"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.
Learn more about Sodium HydroxideWater. 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
