What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Hydrolyzed Collagen
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-6 Palmitate/Succinate
Emulsifying
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingTetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Sorbitan Caprylate
EmulsifyingPropanediol
Solvent
Benzoic Acid
Masking
Water, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Butylene Glycol, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Polyglyceryl-6 Palmitate/Succinate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tocopherol, Xanthan Gum, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Sorbitan Caprylate, Propanediol, Benzoic Acid
Water
Skin ConditioningPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Isoamyl Laurate
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingEctoin
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Jojoba Esters
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Camellia Seed Oil
Inonotus Obliquus Extract
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Microcrystalline Cellulose
AbsorbentXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCellulose Gum
Emulsion StabilisingCitric Acid
Buffering
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Sodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningHelianthus Annuus Seed Wax
Skin Conditioning
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-3 PCA
EmollientWater, Pentylene Glycol, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Isoamyl Laurate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Ectoin, Glyceryl Stearate, Jojoba Esters, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Camellia Seed Oil, Inonotus Obliquus Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Sodium Hyaluronate, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Xanthan Gum, Cellulose Gum, Citric Acid, Tocopherol, Sodium Gluconate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Wax, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Polyglyceryl-3 PCA
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Cetearyl 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 AlcoholCoco-Caprylate/Caprate is created from fatty coconut alcohol, caprylic acid, and capric acid.
It is a lightweight emollient. Emollients create a thin barrier on the skin to trap moisture in. This helps keep your skin hydrated and soft.
Once applied, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate is absorbed quickly and leaves a silky feel.
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Coco-Caprylate/CaprateGlycerin (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 StearateSodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.
In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.
Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.
You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium HyaluronateTocopherol (also known as Vitamin E) is a common antioxidant used to help protect the skin from free-radicals and strengthen the skin barrier. It's also fat soluble - this means our skin is great at absorbing it.
Vitamin E also helps keep your natural skin lipids healthy. Your lipid skin barrier naturally consists of lipids, ceramides, and fatty acids. Vitamin E offers extra protection for your skin’s lipid barrier, keeping your skin healthy and nourished.
Another benefit is a bit of UV protection. Vitamin E helps reduce the damage caused by UVB rays. (It should not replace your sunscreen). Combining it with Vitamin C can decrease sunburned cells and hyperpigmentation after UV exposure.
You might have noticed Vitamin E + C often paired together. This is because it is great at stabilizing Vitamin C. Using the two together helps increase the effectiveness of both ingredients.
There are often claims that Vitamin E can reduce/prevent scarring, but these claims haven't been confirmed by scientific research.
Learn more about TocopherolWater. 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 WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum
