What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine
Skin Conditioning
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane
UV Absorber
Ethylhexyl Triazone
UV Absorber
Octocrylene
UV Absorber
Ethylhexyl Salicylate
UV Absorber
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingCetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Dicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Inulin
Skin Conditioning
Lecithin
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Potassium Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingWater
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Squalane
Emollient
Triethanolamine
BufferingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingBis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Ethylhexyl Triazone, Octocrylene, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Cetearyl Glucoside, Cetearyl Alcohol, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Glycerin, Hydroxyacetophenone, Inulin, Lecithin, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Water, Sodium Hyaluronate, Squalane, Triethanolamine, Xanthan Gum
Zinc Oxide 22.75%
Cosmetic Colorant
Adansonia Digitata Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Citrullus Lanatus Seed Oil
Emollient
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Disodium EDTA
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningGluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Soy Protein
Humectant
Iron Oxides
Isostearic Acid
Cleansing
Octyldodecanol
Emollient
PEG-30 Dipolyhydroxystearate
Emulsifying
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Polyglyceryl-3 Polyricinoleate
Emulsifying
Proline
Skin Conditioning
Water
Skin ConditioningRice Amino Acids
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Sodium Chloride
MaskingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingZinc Oxide 22.75%, Adansonia Digitata Seed Extract, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Citrullus Lanatus Seed Oil, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Gluconolactone, Glycerin, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Iron Oxides, Isostearic Acid, Octyldodecanol, PEG-30 Dipolyhydroxystearate, Phenoxyethanol, Polyglyceryl-3 Polyricinoleate, Proline, Water, Rice Amino Acids, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Chloride, Xanthan Gum
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Cetearyl 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 AlcoholCetearyl Glucoside is a sugar-based emulsifier. It is usually made by combining cetearyl alcohol and glucose.
Belonging to the aklyl polyglucoside (APG) family, Cetearyl Glucoside has a sugar "head" that loves water and a fatty "tail" that loves oil. This means it can shuffle oil and water into a stable and smooth emulsion.
Typical use levels are between 1-5% and this ingredient is considered to be non-irritating by the CIR Expert Panel Review.
Once applied, your skin's glucoside hydrolases breaks it down to the parent fatty alcohol and glucose. This is why this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Cetearyl GlucosideEthylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about EthylhexylglycerinGlycerin (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 GlycerinPhenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.
On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).
You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.
Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.
Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.
Learn more about PhenoxyethanolWater. 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
