What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningUrea
Buffering
Glycerin
Humectant
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Ceteareth-20
CleansingCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Garcinia Indica Seed Butter
Skin Conditioning
Mangifera Indica Seed Butter
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningParfum
Masking
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Zinc Oxide
Cosmetic Colorant
BHT
Antioxidant
Disodium EDTA
Imidazolidinyl Urea
Preservative
Polyacrylate-13
Polyisobutene
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Cholesterol
Emollient
Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
EmulsifyingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingWater, Urea, Glycerin, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Ceteareth-20, Cetearyl Alcohol, Garcinia Indica Seed Butter, Mangifera Indica Seed Butter, Butylene Glycol, Cetyl Alcohol, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Parfum, Tocopheryl Acetate, Stearic Acid, Zinc Oxide, BHT, Disodium EDTA, Imidazolidinyl Urea, Polyacrylate-13, Polyisobutene, Polysorbate 20, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Phytosphingosine, Cholesterol, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum
Water
Skin ConditioningUrea
Buffering
Isopropyl Palmitate
Emollient
Cetyl Acetate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Petrolatum
Emollient
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Stearyl Acetate
EmollientMethylparaben
Preservative
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Oleyl Acetate
EmollientPropylparaben
Preservative
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingMyristic Acid
Cleansing
Acetylated Lanolin Alcohol
Emollient
Arachidic Acid
Cleansing
Ethyl Acetate
Perfuming
Cyclohexane
SolventWater, Urea, Isopropyl Palmitate, Cetyl Acetate, PEG-100 Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Petrolatum, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Stearyl Acetate, Methylparaben, Polysorbate 60, Oleyl Acetate, Propylparaben, Carbomer, Myristic Acid, Acetylated Lanolin Alcohol, Arachidic Acid, Ethyl Acetate, Cyclohexane
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 AlcoholStearic Acid is a fatty acid that is already found in your skin. It's one of the free fatty acids that works alongside ceramides and cholesterols to maintain your barrier.
In cosmetics, it is a multitasker:
Safety-wise, the CIR Expert Panel has concluded it to be safe in cosmetics when formulated to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing.
Free stearic acid is a C18 fatty acid that the Malassezia yeast can substrate, so this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Stearic AcidUrea is also called carbamide and is the diamide of carbonic acid. In cosmetics, urea is used to hydrate the skin. It also provides exfoliation in higher concentrations.
As a humectant, urea helps draw moisture from the air and from deep within the skin. This helps hydrate your skin. Studies show urea is an effective moisturizer for dry skin conditions. 40% urea is typical in medications for treating eczema and other skin conditions.
Urea has the strongest exfoliation effect in concentrations higher than 10%. It is a keratolytic agent, meaning it breaks down the keratin protein in the top layer of skin. This helps remove dead skin cells and flaking skin.
In medicine, urea has been shown to help increase the potency of other ingredients, such as fungal treatments.
Humans and animals use urea to metabolize nitrogen-containing compounds. Urea is highly soluble in water. Once dissolved, it is neither acidic nor alkaline.
Urea is actually one of the more well-studied and well-supported ingredients out there if you have eczema.
Clinical trials have shown that urea creams in the 5 - 10% range can:
Higher concentrations (20 -30%) can also help with thickened, scaly patches but is also more likely to sting on active flares.
Skip urea if you have rosacea. The AAD (American Academy of Dermatology) lists it alongside alcohol, menthol, and fragrance as a potential irritant for rosacea-prone skin. Urea's keratolytic and penetration-enhancing properties can trigger stinging, burning, and redness.
As always, your skin is unique, so definitely check in with your dermatologist.
Learn more about UreaWater. 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
