What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Methylpropanediol
SolventButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexyl Stearate
Emollient
Dicaprylyl Ether
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate Citrate
Emollient
Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides
Emollient
Cocoglycerides
Emollient
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Glycyrrhiza Inflata Root Extract
Skin Conditioning
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Pantolactone
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingMaltodextrin
Absorbent
Trisodium EDTA
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Methylpropanediol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Ethylhexyl Stearate, Dicaprylyl Ether, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides, Cocoglycerides, Panthenol, Glycyrrhiza Inflata Root Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Tocopherol, Pantolactone, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Ethylhexylglycerin, Carbomer, Maltodextrin, Trisodium EDTA, Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Ethylhexyl Stearate mainly acts as an emollient that helps hydate skin. It can also be used to reduce the greasiness of oils in a formula.
Because this ingredient contains a C18 fatty acid chain, it may not be Malassezia/fungal acne safe. This is because the Malassezia yeast potentially feeds on C11-C24 fatty acids.
This ingredient is an ester of 2-ethylhexyl alcohol and stearic acid.
Learn more about Ethylhexyl StearateGlycerin (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 Citrate is a citric acid ester of glyceryl stearate.
It is an emulsifier, emollient, and a surfactant.
Emulsifiers help stabilize a product. It does this by preventing certain ingredients from separating. Common ingredients include oils and water, which do not mix naturally. Emulsifiers have properties that help keep ingredients such as these together.
Emollients help soothe and soften the skin. They do this by creating a protective film on your skin. This barrier helps trap moisture and keeps your skin hydrated. Emollients may be effective at treating dry or itchy skin.
Surfactants help gather oils, dirt, and other pollutants from the skin. This helps them to be easily rinsed away.
Learn more about Glyceryl Stearate CitratePhenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.
On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).
You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.
Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.
Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.
Learn more about PhenoxyethanolVitis Vinifera Seed Oil comes from the grape vine. Grape seeds are a byproduct of creating grape juice or wine.
The components of grape seeds have many skin benefits. Research has found it to be antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory. It also contains many potent antioxidants such as Vitamin E , Vitamin C, proanthocyanidins, polyphenols, flavonoids, and anthocyanins. Proanthocyanidin has been shown to help even out skin tone.
Antioxidants help fight free-radical molecules. Free-radical molecules are capable of damaging our cells and other genetic material. Antioxidants help stabilize free-radicals by donating extra electrons. Grape seed extract may help reduce the signs of aging.
The antimicrobial properties of grape seed may help treat acne. However, more research is needed to support this claim.
Grape seed has also been found to help absorb UV rays. Grape seed extract should not replace your sunscreen.
The fatty acids of grape seed oil give it emollient properties. Emollients help soothe and soften your skin by creating a film. This film traps moisture within, keeping your skin hydrated.
Learn more about Vitis Vinifera Seed OilWater. 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
