What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Behentrimonium Methosulfate
Amodimethicone
Parfum
Masking
Behentrimonium Chloride
Preservative
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Isopropyl Alcohol
Solvent
Limonene
Perfuming
Trideceth-6
EmulsifyingChlorhexidine Dihydrochloride
Antimicrobial
Hexyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Coumarin
Perfuming
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Cetrimonium Chloride
Antimicrobial
Linalool
Perfuming
Amyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Zinc PCA
Humectant
Biotin
AntiseborrhoeicSafflower Glucoside
Geraniol
Perfuming
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Sodium Citrate
BufferingWater, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Amodimethicone, Parfum, Behentrimonium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Isopropyl Alcohol, Limonene, Trideceth-6, Chlorhexidine Dihydrochloride, Hexyl Cinnamal, Coumarin, Benzyl Alcohol, Cetrimonium Chloride, Linalool, Amyl Cinnamal, Zinc PCA, Biotin, Safflower Glucoside, Geraniol, Tocopherol, Sodium Citrate
Water
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Behentrimonium Chloride
Preservative
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Parfum
Masking
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein Pg-Propyl Silanetriol
Skin ConditioningHibiscus Rosa-Sinensis Flower Extract
HumectantSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Mangifera Indica Seed Butter
Skin Conditioning
Melia Azadirachta Seed Oil
Emollient
Brassica Campestris Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Lauroyl Hydrolyzed Silk
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
Antioxidant
Glycerin
Humectant
Glycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingTriethyl Citrate
Masking
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Benzoic Acid
Masking
Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Chloride, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Parfum, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein Pg-Propyl Silanetriol, Hibiscus Rosa-Sinensis Flower Extract, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Mangifera Indica Seed Butter, Melia Azadirachta Seed Oil, Brassica Campestris Seed Oil, Panthenol, Sodium Lauroyl Hydrolyzed Silk, Tocopherol, Glycerin, Glycine Soja Oil, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Triethyl Citrate, Caprylyl Glycol, 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.
This ingredient is a preservative and often used for it's anti-static properties. You'll most likely see this ingredient in hair conditioners.
It does not cause irritation or sensitization in leave-on products at 1-5%.
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 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 GlycerinParfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.
Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.
For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.
The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.
For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.
One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.
Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.
Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.
The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.
Learn more about ParfumTocopherol (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 Water
