What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Isopropyl Palmitate
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Caprae Lac
Skin ConditioningSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
C13-15 Alkane
SolventCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingCaprylhydroxamic Acid
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingSodium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Water, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, Isopropyl Palmitate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Caprae Lac, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, C13-15 Alkane, Caprylyl Glycol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Carbomer, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Panthenol, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Squalane
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Jojoba Esters
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides
Emollient
Octyldodecanol
Emollient
Olus Oil
Emollient
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingIrvingia Gabonensis Kernel Butter
Skin Conditioning
Euphorbia Cerifera Cera
Astringent
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Linum Usitatissimum Seed Extract
Perfuming
Hydrolyzed Rice Bran Protein
Skin ConditioningLinum Usitatissimum Seed Oil
Perfuming
Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil
Emollient
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Biotin
AntiseborrhoeicCetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Citrate
BufferingParfum
Masking
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingChlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Sorbic Acid
Preservative
Water, Glycerin, Squalane, Butylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Jojoba Esters, Cetearyl Alcohol, Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides, Octyldodecanol, Olus Oil, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Irvingia Gabonensis Kernel Butter, Euphorbia Cerifera Cera, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Centella Asiatica Extract, Linum Usitatissimum Seed Extract, Hydrolyzed Rice Bran Protein, Linum Usitatissimum Seed Oil, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Niacinamide, Biotin, Cetearyl Glucoside, Behenyl Alcohol, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Isostearate, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Parfum, Xanthan Gum, Tocopherol, Sodium Hydroxide, Chlorphenesin, Sodium Benzoate, Sorbic Acid
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid or alcohol, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolCetearyl 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 AlcoholGlycerin (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 GlycerinSodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.
In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.
Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.
"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.
Learn more about Sodium HydroxideWater. 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
