What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate
Emulsifying
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Cholesterol
Emollient
Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Oleic Acid
Emollient
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingTromethamine
Buffering1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Caprylhydroxamic Acid
Water, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Niacinamide, Ceramide NP, Cholesterol, Phytosphingosine, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Stearic Acid, Oleic Acid, Lactic Acid, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Panthenol, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum, Tromethamine, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Caprylhydroxamic Acid
Water
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
Solvent
Dicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientGlycerin
Humectant
Cocos Nucifera Fruit Water
Skin Conditioning
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Prunus Avium Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Glutamic Acid
Humectant
Arginine
Masking
Histidine
Humectant
Tyrosine
MaskingAlanine
Masking
Lysine
Skin ConditioningSerine
Masking
Aspartic Acid
Masking
Leucine
Skin ConditioningPhenylalanine
Masking
Threonine
Proline
Skin Conditioning
Valine
MaskingGlycine
Buffering
Isoleucine
Skin ConditioningHexapeptide-11
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Saccharide Isomerate
Humectant
Ascorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Saccharomyces/Magnesium Ferment
Saccharomyces/Silicon Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Saccharomyces/Copper Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Antimicrobial
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientCetearyl Olivate
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingGlyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer
HumectantCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingCitric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Citrate
BufferingCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
CI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Propanediol, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Glycerin, Cocos Nucifera Fruit Water, Pentylene Glycol, Prunus Avium Fruit Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Ceramide NP, Glutamic Acid, Arginine, Histidine, Tyrosine, Alanine, Lysine, Serine, Aspartic Acid, Leucine, Phenylalanine, Threonine, Proline, Valine, Glycine, Isoleucine, Hexapeptide-11, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Saccharide Isomerate, Ascorbic Acid, Tocopheryl Acetate, Saccharomyces/Magnesium Ferment, Saccharomyces/Silicon Ferment, Saccharomyces/Copper Ferment, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Tocopherol, Glyceryl Caprylate, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Hydroxyacetophenone, Butylene Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Carbomer, Sodium Hydroxide, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, CI 77491
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 CarbomerCeramide NP (formerly known as Ceramide 3) is one of the skin's naturally occurring lipids.
Since ceramides are the major lipid components of the skin, they are crucial for maintaining skin barrier and hydration. Ceramide NP most closely mirrors the dominant kind in human skin amongst ceramide subtypes.
This ceramide works by slotting into gaps within the stratum corneum's lipid matrix to limit trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) and shield the skin against external irritants.
A study with 312 patients found that using a ceramide-containing routine for 4 weeks reduced the severity of atopic dermatitis by over 61%.
Another clinical study in subjects aged 60 and older found that a ceramide body wash and moisturizer improved skin dryness and itchy skin in 15 days.
Overall, ceramides are considered non-irritating and safety tests have found little to no observable adverse effects from using this ingredient.
Ceramide NP is usually sourced from plants (like soybean or rice bran), or produced synthetically.
Learn more about Ceramide NPCetearyl 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.
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 GlycerinHydroxyacetophenone is antioxidant with skin conditioning and soothing properties. It also boosts the efficiency of preservatives.
Though naturally occuring in Norwegian spruce needles, this ingredient is usually synthetically created.
This ingredient is not irritating or sensitizing. Recent research also suggests it may have skin-brightening effects through tyrosinase inhibition.
Learn more about HydroxyacetophenoneWater. 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 WaterXanthan 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
