What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningParaffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantCetyl Ethylhexanoate
EmollientStearic Acid
Cleansing
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Beeswax
Emulsion Stabilising
Hydrogenated Polydecene
EmollientCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Sorbitan Stearate
Emulsifying
PEG-100 Stearate
Dimethicone
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingArginine
Masking
Beta-Glucan
Skin Conditioning
Hippophae Rhamnoides Extract
MaskingMangifera Indica Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningLycium Chinense Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Schisandra Chinensis Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Disodium EDTA
Adenosine
Skin Conditioning
Parfum
Masking
CI 19140
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Paraffinum Liquidum, Glycerin, Dipropylene Glycol, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Stearic Acid, Niacinamide, Beeswax, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Sorbitan Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Dimethicone, Phenoxyethanol, Carbomer, Arginine, Beta-Glucan, Hippophae Rhamnoides Extract, Mangifera Indica Fruit Extract, Lycium Chinense Fruit Extract, Schisandra Chinensis Fruit Extract, Allantoin, Disodium EDTA, Adenosine, Parfum, CI 19140
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Hydrogenated Didecene
Skin ConditioningAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Trehalose
Humectant
Hamamelis Virginiana Extract
Antiseborrhoeic
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
Humectant
Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer
HumectantPvm/Ma Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingHydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion Stabilising2,3-Butanediol
HumectantCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
C14-22 Alcohols
Emulsion Stabilising
C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningMelia Azadirachta Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningCoccinia Indica Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningSolanum Melongena Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningOcimum Sanctum Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningCurcuma Longa Root Extract
Masking
Corallina Officinalis Extract
Skin Conditioning
Salvia Sclarea Extract
AntiseborrhoeicLavandula Angustifolia Flower Extract
Cleansing
Hyacinthus Orientalis Extract
Skin ConditioningChamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Centaurea Cyanus Flower Extract
Astringent
Borago Officinalis Extract
Emollient
Disodium EDTA
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingTromethamine
BufferingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingGlutathione
Malachite Extract
Antioxidant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningWater, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Hydrogenated Didecene, Allantoin, Trehalose, Hamamelis Virginiana Extract, Panthenol, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Pvm/Ma Copolymer, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, 2,3-Butanediol, Cetearyl Alcohol, C14-22 Alcohols, C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside, Pentylene Glycol, Sorbitan Isostearate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract, Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Salvia Sclarea Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia Flower Extract, Hyacinthus Orientalis Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Centaurea Cyanus Flower Extract, Borago Officinalis Extract, Disodium EDTA, Carbomer, Tromethamine, Xanthan Gum, Glutathione, Malachite Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Allantoin is a soothing ingredient known for its protective and moisturizing properties; it's basically a quiet workhorse ingredient you can find in a huge range of cosmetics.
Though it can be derived from the comfrey plant, allantoin is produced synthetically for cosmetic products to ensure purity.
Research shows it can encourage your skin cells to turn over and renew by stimulating keratinocyte and fibroblast proliferation.
It also has mild keratolytic properties to help loosen and shed dead skin cells without being harsh.
Studies also suggest allantoin can help calm inflammation by dialing down some of the chemical signals your skin sends out when it is irritated.
This ingredient is typically used in the 0.1-0.5% range, and the FDA recognizes it as a skin protectant in OTC products up to 2%.
Overall, allantoin is a wonderful addition to most routines; it is stable across a wide pH range (~4-8), works well with other ingredients, and is considered non-sensitizing/non-irritating.
Fun fact: Allantoin is naturally occurring in comfrey root, beets, chamomile, and wheat sprouts. Our bodies even produce it as a byproduct of uric acid metabolism.
Learn more about AllantoinCarbomer 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 AlcoholDisodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).
Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAGlycerin (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 GlycerinWater. 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
