What's inside
What's inside
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Behentrimonium Methosulfate
Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine
EmulsifyingRicinus Communis Seed Oil
Masking
Cetrimonium Chloride
Antimicrobial
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil
Masking
Urtica Dioica Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningMelissa Officinalis Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningMentha Piperita Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningEquisetum Arvense Leaf Extract
AstringentYucca Schidigera Leaf/Root/Stem Extract
CleansingRosmarinus Officinalis Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract
MaskingMentha Piperita Oil
Masking
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Wheat Protein
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCitric Acid
Buffering
Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Glycerin, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, Cetrimonium Chloride, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil, Urtica Dioica Leaf Extract, Melissa Officinalis Leaf Extract, Mentha Piperita Leaf Extract, Equisetum Arvense Leaf Extract, Yucca Schidigera Leaf/Root/Stem Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Mentha Piperita Oil, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Citric Acid
Water
Skin ConditioningAlthaea Officinalis Root
Skin ConditioningUlmus Davidiana Root Extract
Skin Conditioning
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Behentrimonium Methosulfate
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Orbignya Oleifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Ricinus Communis Seed Oil
Masking
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Propanediol
Solvent
Glycerin
Humectant
Honey
Humectant
Polydiallyl Phthalate
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Sorbic Acid
Preservative
Caesalpinia Spinosa Gum
Skin ConditioningWater, Althaea Officinalis Root, Ulmus Davidiana Root Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Orbignya Oleifera Seed Oil, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Propanediol, Glycerin, Honey, Polydiallyl Phthalate, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Sorbic Acid, Caesalpinia Spinosa Gum
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Behentrimonium Methosulfate is an ammonium salt. It is mainly used to prevent static in haircare products as a surfactant.
Surfactants have differing ends: one side is hydrophilic while the other end is hydrophobic.
Surfactants also help your cleansers remove pollutants more easily from the skin.
Learn more about Behentrimonium MethosulfateCetearyl 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 GlycerinThis ingredient is also known as olive oil. It has been used in skincare for centuries and science largely backs up its reputation as a nourishing emollient.
The main components of olive oil are oleic acid (55-83%), linoleic acid (3.5-20%), and palmitic acid (7-20%). Oleic acid promotes skin regeneration and helps regulate inflammatory responses.
Squalene is also naturally present in olive oil and exhibits moisturizing and antioxidant properties.
The polyphenols in olive oil also show anti-aging promise; one clinical study found a measurable improvement in skin appearance after 30 days of topical serum use.
Just be aware that applying olive oil directly to skin can weaken the barrier and cause redness. One study with volunteers found even people without sensitive skin experienced a significant reduction in stratum corneum integrity and induced mild erythema.
It's best to use this ingredient as part of a carefully crafted formula (instead of putting it on skin directly from the bottle).
Because it has a 2-3 on the comedogenic scale, it is a moderate risk for acne-prone skin. However, the overall formulation of a product matters more than a few ingredients with comedogenic ratings.
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe because of the oleic and palmitic acid content. These fall within the C11-24 fatty acid range that the Malassezia yeast can metabolize to grow.
Overall, olive oil is a well-studied and nourishing skincare ingredient.
Learn more about Olea Europaea Fruit OilPhenoxyethanol 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.
Ricinus Communis Seed Oil is the INCI name for castor oil.
Castor Oil helps moisturize the skin. It is rich in a fatty acid called ricinoleic acid. This fatty acid helps prevent moisture loss on the skin. This helps keep your skin soft and hydrated. Ricinoleic acid also has anti-inflammatory and pain reducing properties.
Besides hydrating the skin, castor oil is also used to hydrate hair. By keeping the hair shaft moisturized, breakage is decreased. More studies are needed to show castor oil's effective on stimulating hair growth.
Castor oil is created by cold-pressing castor seeds and then purifying the oil with heat. It was used in Ancient Egypt as fuel in lamps and to help treat eye irritation.
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.
Learn more about Ricinus Communis Seed OilWater. 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
