What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningC12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialGlycerin
Humectant
Ethylhexyl Stearate
Emollient
Glycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Myristyl Myristate
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate Citrate
Emollient
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingParfum
Masking
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Linalool
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Water, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Glycerin, Ethylhexyl Stearate, Glycine Soja Oil, Cetyl Alcohol, Myristyl Myristate, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Glyceryl Stearate, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Xanthan Gum, Parfum, Phenoxyethanol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Linalool, Geraniol, Benzyl Alcohol
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Alcohol
Antimicrobial
Glycerin
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Myristyl Myristate
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Stearate Citrate
Emollient
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder
Skin Conditioning
Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter
Emollient
Parfum
Masking
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingBisabolol
Antioxidant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingP-Anisic Acid
Masking
Lecithin
Emollient
Benzyl Salicylate
Perfuming
Citral
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Water, Glycine Soja Oil, Alcohol, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Myristyl Myristate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Parfum, Xanthan Gum, Bisabolol, Tocopherol, Sodium Hydroxide, P-Anisic Acid, Lecithin, Benzyl Salicylate, Citral, Linalool
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 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 CitrateGlycine Soja Oil is a plant-derived oil from soybean seeds. Like other oils, it is rich in essential fatty acids (mostly linoleic and oleic) that support skin hydration and barrier function.
The fatty acids are able to integrate into the lipid matrix of the stratum corneum to help soften skin and reduce water loss.
On top of that, soybean oil is rich in vitamins like vitamin E, a potent antioxidant.
Research on soybean's active components also point to anti-inflammatory, collagen-stimulating, antioxidant activity, and protection against UV-induced oxidative damage.
Most of this research applies to the broader soybean plant and not just the oil fraction alone.
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe due to the oleic acid content.
Learn more about Glycine Soja OilLinalool is a fragrance and helps add scent to products. It's derived from common plants such as cinnamon, mint, citrus, and lavender.
Like Limonene, this ingredient oxidizes when exposed to air. Oxidized linalool can cause allergies and skin sensitivity.
This ingredient has a scent that is floral, spicy tropical, and citrus-like.
Learn more about LinaloolMyristyl Myristate is a waxy ester made by combining myristyl alcohol and myristic acid (both from plant oils from coconut or palm).
It's a non-greasy emollient that melts right around skin temperature. It gives products a soft and velvet feel and helps improve how a cream spreads.
Safety-wise, it's deemed safe to use in cosmetics by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel. Dermal animal testing found it to be non-toxic and non-irritating.
This ingredient has a comedogenic reputation; it's important to know comedogenic ratings come from outdated rabbit ear tests. Rabbit ears are way more sensitive than human skin and prone to clogging. How likely a formula will clog pores depends on the overall formulation rather than a few comedogenic ingredients.
Because this ingredient is an ester of Myristic acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. Myristic acid is a C14 fatty acid that sits in the C11-24 range that feeds the Malassezia yeast.
Learn more about Myristyl MyristateParfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.
Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.
For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.
The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.
For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.
One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.
Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.
Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.
The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.
Learn more about ParfumWater. 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
