What's inside
What's inside
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Alcohol Denat.
AntimicrobialAmbroxide
PerfumingBenzyl Salicylate
PerfumingCitrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil
MaskingCitrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil
MaskingCitrus Nobilis Peel Oil
MaskingMethylcyclopentadecenone
MaskingDimethylcyclohexylethoxy Isobutylpropanoate
MaskingDipropylene Glycol
HumectantEthylene Brassylate
MaskingOxacyclohexadecenone
MaskingMethyldihydrojasmonate
MaskingMethyl Dihydroxy-Dimethylbenzoate
PerfumingMethylbenzyl Acetate
MaskingTetramethyl Acetyloctahydronaphthalenes
MaskingAlcohol Denat., Ambroxide, Benzyl Salicylate, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Citrus Nobilis Peel Oil, Methylcyclopentadecenone, Dimethylcyclohexylethoxy Isobutylpropanoate, Dipropylene Glycol, Ethylene Brassylate, Oxacyclohexadecenone, Methyldihydrojasmonate, Methyl Dihydroxy-Dimethylbenzoate, Methylbenzyl Acetate, Tetramethyl Acetyloctahydronaphthalenes
Water
Skin ConditioningAlcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial2,4-Dimethyl-4,4a,5,9b-Tetrahydroindeno-1,3-Dioxin
PerfumingDodecahydro-Tetramethylnaphthofuran
Perfuming3-Methyl-4-(2,4,6-Trimethyl-3-Cyclohexenyl)-3-Buten-2-One
PerfumingCitronellol
PerfumingCitrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil
MaskingDimethylcyclohexylethoxy Isobutylpropanoate
MaskingDipropylene Glycol
HumectantEthyl Linalool
MaskingEthylene Brassylate
MaskingLinalool
PerfumingMethylcyclopentadecenone
MaskingMethyldihydrojasmonate
MaskingMethylenedioxyphenyl Methylpropanal
PerfumingWater, Alcohol Denat., 2,4-Dimethyl-4,4a,5,9b-Tetrahydroindeno-1,3-Dioxin, Dodecahydro-Tetramethylnaphthofuran, 3-Methyl-4-(2,4,6-Trimethyl-3-Cyclohexenyl)-3-Buten-2-One, Citronellol, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil, Dimethylcyclohexylethoxy Isobutylpropanoate, Dipropylene Glycol, Ethyl Linalool, Ethylene Brassylate, Linalool, Methylcyclopentadecenone, Methyldihydrojasmonate, Methylenedioxyphenyl Methylpropanal
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Alcohol Denat. is an alcohol with a denaturant property. It is created by mixing ethanol with other additives.
The "denat" part just means "denatured"; common denaturants include Denatonium Benzoate, t-butyl alcohol, and Diethyl Phthalate. This step makes the alcohol undrinkable (and lets brand skip taxes related to beverage alcohol).
This ingredient gets a bad rep because it is irritating and drying due to its astringent property. Astringents draw out natural oils in tissue to constrict pores and dry out your skin.
However, alcohol denat. is not all that bad.
Due to its low molecular weight, alcohol denat. tends to evaporate quickly. One study on pig skin found half of applied alcohol evaporated in 10 seconds and less than 3% stayed on skin.
This also helps other ingredients become better absorbed upon application.
Studies are conflicted about whether this ingredient causes skin dehydration. One study from 2005 found adding emollients to propanol-based sanitizer decreased skin dryness and irritation. Another study found irritation only occurs if your skin is already damaged.
Small amounts of alcohol are generally tolerated by oily skin or people who live in humid environments.
The rule of thumb is this ingredient will probably not affect your skin much if it is near the end of an ingredients list.
One thing to note:
People with ALDH2 (aldehyde dehydrogenase 2) deficiency may experience skin irritation from continued alcohol use. About 8% of the world's population have this deficiency.
The Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has determined denatured alcohols to be safe for use in concentrations between 0.05% and 12% (depending on which denaturant is used).
Also...
This ingredient has antimicrobial and solvent properties.
The antimicrobial property helps preserve products and increase their shelf life. As a solvent, it helps dissolve other ingredients.
Look for formulas that contain glycerin, hyaluronic acid, or panthenol if you want to offset any drying effect.
This ingredient will trip away your skin's natural oils/lipids that help it lock in moisture. This can worsen dryness, trigger eczema flare-ups, and aggravate rosacea.
Be sure to patch test any product with this ingredient if you have dry or sensitive skin, eczema, or rosacea.
Learn more about Alcohol Denat.Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil is the oil from the bergamot orange and is primarily used as a fragrance. It has a "fresh" and "bright orange" scent.
The main aroma compounds found in this ingredient are limonene (~27-52%), linalool (~2-22%), and linalyl acetate (~27-40%). These are known EU fragrance allergens.
The term '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.
When used topically, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil is a photosensitizer due to the furanocoumarin content. Furanocoumarins absorb UV-A and cause phytophotodermatitis; this can look like redness, blistering, and lasting brown pigmentation on sun-exposed skin.
Due to this, this ingredient is capped at 0.4% in leave-on products applied to sun exposed skin.
Many modern formulas used a "furanocoumarin-free" version that sidesteps the phototoxicity issue, but still contains the fragrance allergens.
Learn more about Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit OilWe don't have a description for Dimethylcyclohexylethoxy Isobutylpropanoate yet.
Dipropylene Glycol is a synthetically created humectant, stabilizer, and solvent.
This ingredient helps:
Dipropylene glycol is technically an alcohol, but it belongs to the glycol family (often considered part of the ‘good’ alcohols). This means it is hydrating and gentle on skin unlike drying solvent alcohols like denatured alcohol.
As a masking agent, Dipropylene Glycol can be used to cover the smell of other ingredients. However, it does not have a scent.
Studies show Dipropylene Glycol is considered safe to use in skincare.
Learn more about Dipropylene GlycolWe don't have a description for Ethylene Brassylate yet.
We don't have a description for Methylcyclopentadecenone yet.
We don't have a description for Methyldihydrojasmonate yet.