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 ConditioningVitis Vinifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Caprylhydroxamic Acid
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Propanediol
Solvent
Glycerin
Humectant
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Spondias Mombin Pulp Extract
Skin ConditioningMangifera Indica Pulp Extract
Skin ConditioningMusa Sapientum Pulp Extract
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Potassium Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Isosorbide Dicaprylate
Skin ConditioningCereus Grandiflorus Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingPolyisobutene
Caprylyl Glucoside
CleansingMyristyl Myristate
Emollient
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingDisodium EDTA
Ascorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Water, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, 1,2-Hexanediol, Propanediol, Glycerin, Persea Gratissima Oil, Spondias Mombin Pulp Extract, Mangifera Indica Pulp Extract, Musa Sapientum Pulp Extract, Cetearyl Alcohol, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Isosorbide Dicaprylate, Cereus Grandiflorus Flower Extract, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Panthenol, Glyceryl Stearate, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Polyisobutene, Caprylyl Glucoside, Myristyl Myristate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Xanthan Gum, Disodium EDTA, Ascorbic Acid
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Caprylhydroxamic Acid is a chelating agent that helps cosmetics stay fresh, stable, and consistent over time.
Chelating agents help prevent metal ions from binding to other ingredients. This helps prevent unwanted reactions and effects from using the product. It also helps prevent the growth of unwanted microbes in products that contain water.
Caprylhydroxamic Acid is often used with natural antimicrobial products as an alternative to preservatives.
Learn more about Caprylhydroxamic AcidCetearyl 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 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 StearatePanthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It is found naturally in our skin and hair.
There are two forms of panthenol: D and L.
D-panthenol is also known as dexpanthenol. Most cosmetics use dexpanthenol or a mixture of D and L-panthenol.
Panthenol is famous due to its ability to go deeper into the skin's layers. Using this ingredient has numerous pros (and no cons):
Like hyaluronic acid, panthenol is a humectant. Humectants are able to bind and hold large amounts of water to keep skin hydrated.
This ingredient works well for wound healing. It works by increasing tissue in the wound and helps close open wounds.
Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.
This ingredient is also referred to as pro-vitamin B5.
Learn more about PanthenolJojoba oil is one of the most well-studied plant-derived ingredients in cosmetics. It is an emollient with a special structure.
Because it is made up of 97-98% wax esters, it closely mirrors the linear monoesters found in human sebum. This makes it skin compatible, non-greasy, and lightweight.
Unlike other plant oils, jojoba wax doesn't easily penetrate skin. It mostly works in the uppermost layers as an emollient. This just means it forms a light barrier on the skin to help retain moisture.
Formulations with jojoba esters up to 90% reduced transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and increased barrier recovery by 81% (outperforming bisabolol at 47%).
Besides barrier support, the science also suggests jojoba to have anti-inflammatory effects and potential applications for skin infections, aging, and wound healing.
Fun fact: Indigenous cultures have used jojoba as a moisturizer and to help treat burns for centuries.
Due to its fatty acid content, Jojoba oil may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Simmondsia Chinensis Seed OilWater. 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
