What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningRicinus Communis Seed Oil
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Santalum Album Oil
Masking
Cetearyl Olivate
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Cyamopsis Tetragonoloba Gum
Emulsion StabilisingHydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingCitric Acid
Buffering
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Sodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningSodium Hydroxide
BufferingWater
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Behentrimonium Chloride
Preservative
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Quaternium-91
Mangifera Indica Seed Butter
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Cetrimonium Methosulfate
AntimicrobialButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Polyquaternium-11
Polyquaternium-7
Panax Ginseng Extract
Antioxidant
Polyquaternium-10
Sodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningTheobroma Grandiflorum Seed Butter
Skin Conditioning
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Saccharide Isomerate
Humectant
Linum Usitatissimum Seed Extract
Perfuming
Salvia Hispanica Seed Extract
EmollientParfum
Masking
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPg-Hydroxyethylcellulose Cocodimonium Chloride
Lactobacillus/Tomato Fruit Ferment Extract
Skin ConditioningOryza Sativa Extract
Absorbent
Keratin Amino Acids
Skin ConditioningLeuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Antimicrobial
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Citrate
BufferingAcyl Coenzyme A Desaturase
Skin ConditioningWater, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Chloride, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Quaternium-91, Mangifera Indica Seed Butter, Phenoxyethanol, Cetrimonium Methosulfate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Polyquaternium-11, Polyquaternium-7, Panax Ginseng Extract, Polyquaternium-10, Sodium Gluconate, Theobroma Grandiflorum Seed Butter, Tocopheryl Acetate, Saccharide Isomerate, Linum Usitatissimum Seed Extract, Salvia Hispanica Seed Extract, Parfum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Pg-Hydroxyethylcellulose Cocodimonium Chloride, Lactobacillus/Tomato Fruit Ferment Extract, Oryza Sativa Extract, Keratin Amino Acids, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Acyl Coenzyme A Desaturase
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Cetearyl 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 AlcoholCitric Acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) naturally found in citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes.
Like other AHAs, citric acid can exfoliate skin by breaking down the bonds that hold dead skin cells together. This helps reveal smoother and brighter skin underneath.
However, this exfoliating effect only happens at high concentrations (20%) which can be hard to find in cosmetic products.
Due to this, citric acid is usually included in small amounts as a pH adjuster. This helps keep products slightly more acidic and compatible with skin's natural pH.
In skincare formulas, citric acid can:
While it can provide some skin benefits, research shows lactic acid and glycolic acid are generally more effective and less irritating exfoliants.
Most citric acid used in skincare today is made by fermenting sugars (usually from molasses). This synthetic version is identical to the natural citrus form but easier to stabilize and use in formulations.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Citric AcidThis is the synthetic salt of gluconic acid, a form of PHA and mild exfoliant.
It is mainly used to stabilize oil and butter formulations from going bad. Sodium gluconate is a humectant, pH regulator, and chelating agent.
Chelating agents help neutralize unwanted metals from affecting the formulation.
Sodium gluconate is water-soluble.
Learn more about Sodium GluconateWater. 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
