What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningDibutyl Adipate
EmollientGlycerin
Humectant
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialZinc Oxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate
UV Filter
Polyglyceryl-6 Stearate
Emollient
Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexyl Triazone
UV Absorber
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Sodium Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonate
UV Absorber
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-6 Behenate
Emulsion Stabilising
Zinc PCA
Humectant
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Sodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Sulfate
CI 42090
Cosmetic ColorantCI 10316
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Dibutyl Adipate, Glycerin, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Zinc Oxide, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate, Polyglyceryl-6 Stearate, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Ethylhexyl Triazone, Glyceryl Stearate, Sodium Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonate, Behenyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Tocopheryl Acetate, Xanthan Gum, Allantoin, Caprylyl Glycol, Polyglyceryl-6 Behenate, Zinc PCA, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Sulfate, CI 42090, CI 10316
Water
Skin ConditioningDimethicone
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Hydrogenated Polyisobutene
EmollientAlcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate
Emulsion StabilisingIsopropyl Lauroyl Sarcosinate
Skin ConditioningOctyldodecanol
Emollient
Acrylonitrile/Methyl Methacrylate/Vinylidene Chloride Copolymer
Capryloyl Glycine
CleansingCapryloyl Salicylic Acid
Exfoliating
Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Skin Conditioning
Disodium EDTA
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Perlite
Absorbent
Phenylethyl Resorcinol
Antioxidant
Poloxamer 338
EmulsifyingSilica
Abrasive
Silica Silylate
Emollient
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingSodium Polyacrylate
Absorbent
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingZinc PCA
Humectant
Parfum
Masking
Water, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Alcohol Denat., Butylene Glycol, Glyceryl Stearate, Salicylic Acid, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Isopropyl Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Octyldodecanol, Acrylonitrile/Methyl Methacrylate/Vinylidene Chloride Copolymer, Capryloyl Glycine, Capryloyl Salicylic Acid, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Disodium EDTA, PEG-100 Stearate, Perlite, Phenylethyl Resorcinol, Poloxamer 338, Silica, Silica Silylate, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Polyacrylate, Stearyl Alcohol, Xanthan Gum, Zinc PCA, Parfum
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 GumZinc PCA is a clever two-in-one molecule: the zinc salt of pyrrolidone carboxylic acid (PCA).
Think of it as two useful things bonded together; the PCA half is one of your skin's own natural moisturizing factors (NMF) so it helps hold water in the upper layers. On the other hand, the zinc half does the heavy lifting on oil and bacteria.
The zinc part slows down an enzyme that turns testosterone into DHT, the hormone that tells your oil glands to pump out more sebum. Less of that signal means less oil. It also gently fights acne-causing bacteria and soothes redness/irritation.
This is why Zinc PCA often shows up in products for oily, breakout-prone skin and greasy scalps.
One lab study also hinted it might have a small anti-aging perk because it seemed to protect collagen from UVA damage and even helped the skin make a bit more of it. That last bit is still early research done in a dish and not real skin, so take it as a nice bonus rather than a promise for now.
As for scar healing, the picture is more "maybe" than a firm yes. Zinc itself plays a real role in wound repair because it is a cofactor for the enzymes involved in collagen building, calming inflammation, and helping new skin cells cover a wound. Lower zinc levels are also linked to slower healing.
Most of the scar healing research is on zinc oxide or oral zinc rather than zinc PCA specifically, with a focus on healing fresh wounds instead of scars that are already there.
Direct evidence that zinc PCA improves the look of established scars is still limited at this time. Though it would be fair to say zinc PCA supports the general skin-repair environment thanks to its zinc content .
This ingredient is water-soluble and plays nicely with other actives like niacinamide and salicylic acid. It works best at mildly acidic formulas (~4-6 pH) and is effective at low levels. Around 0.1% is enough to be active and finished products commonly use it anywhere up to 4%.
Overall, this is a well-tolerated, low-drama multitasker that suits oily and acne-prone skin.
Learn more about Zinc PCA
