What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Ethylhexyl Palmitate
Emollient
Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate
Antioxidant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Cetearyl Olivate
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Curcuma Longa Root Extract
Masking
Acetyl Tetrapeptide-5
Humectant
Anhydroxylitol
Humectant
Camellia Sinensis Seed Oil
Humectant
Resveratrol
Antioxidant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Xylitylglucoside
Humectant
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Glucose
Humectant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Fraxinus Excelsior Bark Extract
Skin ConditioningXylitol
Humectant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Silanetriol
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Antimicrobial
Potassium Citrate
BufferingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Glycerin, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Cetearyl Olivate, Niacinamide, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-5, Anhydroxylitol, Camellia Sinensis Seed Oil, Resveratrol, Butylene Glycol, Xylitylglucoside, Cetearyl Glucoside, Glucose, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sorbitan Olivate, Sorbitan Isostearate, Fraxinus Excelsior Bark Extract, Xylitol, Tocopherol, Silanetriol, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Potassium Citrate, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol
Water
Skin ConditioningMyristyl Myristate
Emollient
Squalane
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Isoamyl Laurate
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Arachidyl Alcohol
Emollient
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ribose
HumectantCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Arachidyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingRetinyl Linoleate
Skin Conditioning
Polyacrylamide
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
C13-14 Isoparaffin
Emollient
Disodium EDTA
Laureth-7
EmulsifyingDaucus Carota Sativa Extract
Perfuming
Gleditsia Triacanthos Seed Extract
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Water, Myristyl Myristate, Squalane, Glycerin, Isoamyl Laurate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behenyl Alcohol, Arachidyl Alcohol, Persea Gratissima Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Ribose, Caprylyl Glycol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Arachidyl Glucoside, Retinyl Linoleate, Polyacrylamide, Allantoin, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Disodium EDTA, Laureth-7, Daucus Carota Sativa Extract, Gleditsia Triacanthos Seed Extract, Tocopherol, Citric 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.
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.
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 AlcoholCetearyl Glucoside is a sugar-based emulsifier. It is usually made by combining cetearyl alcohol and glucose.
Belonging to the aklyl polyglucoside (APG) family, Cetearyl Glucoside has a sugar "head" that loves water and a fatty "tail" that loves oil. This means it can shuffle oil and water into a stable and smooth emulsion.
Typical use levels are between 1-5% and this ingredient is considered to be non-irritating by the CIR Expert Panel Review.
Once applied, your skin's glucoside hydrolases breaks it down to the parent fatty alcohol and glucose. This is why this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Cetearyl GlucosideGlycerin (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 GlycerinPhenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.
Tocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.
You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.
Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.
It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.
This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.
This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.
In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.
Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.
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
