What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Hippophae Rhamnoides Water
Masking
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Olivate
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingBetaine
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Elaeis Guineensis Kernel Oil
Emollient
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Beeswax
Emulsion Stabilising
Elaeis Guineensis Oil
Emollient
Ethyl Hexanediol
SolventAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Arginine
Masking
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCitrus Limon Peel Oil
Masking
Limonene
Perfuming
Citral
Perfuming
Hippophae Rhamnoides Water, Butylene Glycol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Betaine, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Elaeis Guineensis Kernel Oil, Panthenol, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Dimethicone, Beeswax, Elaeis Guineensis Oil, Ethyl Hexanediol, Allantoin, Arginine, Xanthan Gum, Carbomer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Citrus Limon Peel Oil, Limonene, Citral
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingGlycolic Acid
Buffering
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Behentrimonium Methosulfate
Surfactant
Triethyl Citrate
Masking
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
EmulsifyingCholesterol
Emollient
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Disodium EDTA
Hydroxypropyl Guar
Emulsion StabilisingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPhytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Benzoic Acid
Masking
Water, Glycerin, Sodium Hydroxide, Glycolic Acid, Lactic Acid, Salicylic Acid, Niacinamide, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Carbomer, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Triethyl Citrate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Cholesterol, Chlorphenesin, Disodium EDTA, Hydroxypropyl Guar, Caprylyl Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Phytosphingosine, Benzoic 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.
Carbomer is a high-molecular weight polymer of acrylic acid. It is used to form gels and thicken formulas.
Due to its large molecular size, carbomer has minimal skin penetration and is considered an inert ingredient.
A high amount of carbomer can cause pilling or balling up of products. Don't worry, most products contain 1% or less of carbomer.
Learn more about CarbomerCetearyl 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 AlcoholGlycerin (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 GlycerinXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum
