What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningMyristic Acid
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingCocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Rosa Damascena Flower Water
Masking
Salvia Officinalis Leaf Extract
CleansingHamamelis Virginiana Water
Astringent
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Hydrastis Canadensis Extract
MaskingHydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingTetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Extract
MaskingSodium Acetate
BufferingIsopropyl Alcohol
Solvent
Parfum
Masking
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Linalool
Perfuming
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Benzoic Acid
Masking
Water, Myristic Acid, Glycerin, Stearic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Rosa Damascena Flower Water, Salvia Officinalis Leaf Extract, Hamamelis Virginiana Water, Tocopherol, Allantoin, Hydrastis Canadensis Extract, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Potassium Sorbate, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Extract, Sodium Acetate, Isopropyl Alcohol, Parfum, Phenoxyethanol, Linalool, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Benzoic Acid
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Glycerin (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 GlycerinHydroxyethylcellulose is used to improve the texture of products. It is created from a chemical reaction involving ethylene oxide and alkali-cellulose. Cellulose is a sugar found in plant cell walls and help give plants structure.
This ingredient helps stabilize products by preventing ingredients from separating. It can also help thicken the texture of a product.
This ingredient can also be found in pill medicines to help our bodies digest other ingredients.
Learn more about HydroxyethylcelluloseStearic 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 AcidWater. 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
