What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPetrolatum
Emollient
Paraffin
Skin ConditioningIsopropyl Myristate
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Sorbitan Sesquioleate
Emulsifying
Lanolin Alcohol
Emollient
Magnesium Sulfate
Parfum
Masking
Anise Alcohol
Perfuming
Citronellol
Perfuming
Cinnamyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
2-Bromo-2-Nitropropane-1,3-Diol
Preservative
PEG-3 Dioleate
EmulsifyingGeraniol
Perfuming
Benzyl Benzoate
Antimicrobial
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantBHT
Antioxidant
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Paraffin is a solid wax that pulls its weight as an emollient, occlusive, and consistency-booster.
It softens skin and lays down a protective film to slow water loss and gives products a stable body and structure.
The cosmetic grade stuff is highly refined with a solid safety record. The CIR Expert Panel has repeatedly reaffirmed this ingredient to be safe in current practices of use and concentration.
The worry about carcinogenic compounds only applies to industrial grades, not the purified version used in skincare.
Despite its reputation, the highly reformed form is non-comedogenic and doesn't penetrate deeply into skin.
The good news for fungal-acne prone folks: the Malassezia yeast feeds on fatty acids and lipids and paraffin doesn't contain any of these (so there's nothing for the yeast to metabolize). This ingredient is considered fungal acne safe.
Learn more about ParaffinWater. 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
