What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Hydrogenated Polyisobutene
EmollientDimethicone
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingChlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Aminomethyl Propanol
BufferingAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Disodium EDTA
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5
Skin Conditioning
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Ascorbyl Glucoside
Antioxidant
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Humectant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningWater, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Niacinamide, Butylene Glycol, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Dimethicone, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Carbomer, Chlorphenesin, Aminomethyl Propanol, Allantoin, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Hyaluronate, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Tocopheryl Acetate, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Ethylhexylglycerin
Water
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
Solvent
Glycerin
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Hydrogenated Polydecene
EmollientCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate
EmollientPentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate
Emollient
C12-16 Alcohols
EmollientMethyl Trimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Diglycerin
Humectant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Polymethylsilsesquioxane
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingHydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingPolyisobutene
Synthetic Beeswax
Emulsion Stabilising
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSorbitan Oleate
Emulsifying
Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside
CleansingCeramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Phytate
Myristyl Alcohol
Emollient
Lauryl Alcohol
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Sea Water
HumectantPachyrhizus Erosus Root Extract
Skin ConditioningStearic Acid
Cleansing
Ceramide Ns
Skin Conditioning
Cholesterol
Emollient
Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide As
Skin Conditioning
Copper Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Acetyl Hexapeptide-8
Humectant
Ceramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Water, Propanediol, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, C12-16 Alcohols, Methyl Trimethicone, Pentylene Glycol, Cetearyl Alcohol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Diglycerin, Panthenol, Palmitic Acid, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Stearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Polyisobutene, Synthetic Beeswax, Hydroxyacetophenone, Xanthan Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sorbitan Oleate, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Ceramide NP, Sodium Phytate, Myristyl Alcohol, Lauryl Alcohol, Tocopherol, Sea Water, Pachyrhizus Erosus Root Extract, Stearic Acid, Ceramide Ns, Cholesterol, Phytosphingosine, Ceramide AP, Ceramide As, Copper Tripeptide-1, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Ceramide EOP
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.
Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.
Learn more about Butylene GlycolCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride (aka MCT Oil) is a lightweight emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping to prevent moisture loss.
Though it behaves like an oil, it is not technically one due to its chemical composition. One perk of this ingredient is that it is very stable, resistant to oxidation, and unlikely to go rancid.
In practice, that translates to a long shelf life and a consistently elegant skin feel.
While there is an assumption Caprylic Triglyceride can clog pores due to it being derived from coconut oil, there is no research supporting this. Just patch test if you have concerns.
Fractionated coconut oil and MCT Oil are both listed as Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride according to INCI. This is because INCI names are based on the ingredient’s final chemical composition and not its marketing name or source.
This ingredient is treated as the gold standard fungal acne safe oil. Even though it is coconut derived, the problematic lauric acid is stripped out.
This leaves just caprylic (C8) and capric (C10) acid. These chain lengths actually trend antifungal; a 2020 study found caprylic acid was enough to disrupt Malassezia furfur cell membrane, with a caprylic acid derivative damaging membrane structures at concentrations as low as 0.2%.
Learn more about Caprylic/Capric TriglycerideCetearyl 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.
A 2019 study has also observed Malassezia growth in the presence of this ingredient, confirming it to be not-fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Cetearyl AlcoholEthylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about EthylhexylglycerinGlycerin (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
