What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Glycerin
Humectant
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Water
Skin ConditioningGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Chenopodium Quinoa Husk Powder
Cosmetic ColorantPrunus Amygdalus Dulcis Shell Powder
Abrasive
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingBenzoic Acid
Masking
Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil
Emollient
Dehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Avena Sativa Kernel Oil
Skin Conditioning
Triticum Vulgare Germ Oil
Emollient
Epilobium Angustifolium Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Hydroxide
BufferingSodium Metabisulfite
Antioxidant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Coco-Glucoside, Water, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Chenopodium Quinoa Husk Powder, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Shell Powder, Phenoxyethanol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Benzoic Acid, Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil, Dehydroacetic Acid, Avena Sativa Kernel Oil, Triticum Vulgare Germ Oil, Epilobium Angustifolium Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Metabisulfite, Tocopherol
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Glycerin (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 GlycerinStearic Acid is a fatty acid that is already found in your skin. It's one of the free fatty acids that works alongside ceramides and cholesterols to maintain your barrier.
In cosmetics, it is a multitasker:
Safety-wise, the CIR Expert Panel has concluded it to be safe in cosmetics when formulated to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing.
Free stearic acid is a C18 fatty acid that the Malassezia yeast can substrate, so this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Stearic AcidWater. 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
