What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCoco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Vitis Vinifera Fruit Water
Skin ConditioningButyrospermum Parkii Butter Extract
Skin Conditioning
Candelilla/Jojoba/Rice Bran Polyglyceryl-3 Esters
Emulsifying
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Palmitoyl Grape Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate
EmulsifyingSaccharide Isomerate
Humectant
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPotassium Sorbate
Preservative
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingLimonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Vitis Vinifera Juice
Antioxidant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Phytate
Geraniol
Perfuming
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingSodium Benzoate
Masking
Sodium Citrate
BufferingParfum
Masking
Citral
Perfuming
Water, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Glycerin, Vitis Vinifera Fruit Water, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Extract, Candelilla/Jojoba/Rice Bran Polyglyceryl-3 Esters, Glyceryl Stearate, Palmitoyl Grape Seed Extract, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Saccharide Isomerate, Caprylyl Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Potassium Sorbate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Limonene, Linalool, Vitis Vinifera Juice, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Citric Acid, Sodium Phytate, Geraniol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Citrate, Parfum, Citral
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Ethylhexyl Palmitate
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Hydrogenated Poly(C6-14 Olefin)
Emollient1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Trehalose
Humectant
Cetyl Ethylhexanoate
EmollientCetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Beta-Sitosterol
Emulsion Stabilising
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingArginine
Masking
Euphorbia Cerifera Wax
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Phytosterols
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningDisodium EDTA
Propanediol
Solvent
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Ectoin
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
Masking
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Lactococcus Ferment Lysate
Skin Conditioning
Bifida Ferment Lysate
Skin Conditioning
Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Polyglutamic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Vinyldimethicone
Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Panthenol, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Glyceryl Stearate, Hydrogenated Poly(C6-14 Olefin), 1,2-Hexanediol, Trehalose, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Cetearyl Glucoside, Beta-Sitosterol, Carbomer, Arginine, Euphorbia Cerifera Wax, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Phytosterols, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium EDTA, Propanediol, Tocopherol, Ectoin, Ceramide NP, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Allantoin, Lactococcus Ferment Lysate, Bifida Ferment Lysate, Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Polyglutamic Acid, Vinyldimethicone
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.
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 GlycerinGlyceryl Stearate is made by reacting glycerin with stearic acid (typically sourced from plant oils like palm or coconut). It's an emulsifier, emollient, and mild occlusive.
Emulsifiers help ingredients like oil and water stay mixed so your formula stays nicely blended and uniform in texture.
This ingredient is typically used in concentrations between 1-10%. Studies have found it to be non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.
A close cousin of this ingredient is Glyceryl Stearate SE ("self-emulsifying"). This just has a small amount of sodium or potassium stearate added so it can emulsify without a co-emulsifier.
Since this ingredient is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize within the C11-C24 range.
Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.
Learn more about Glyceryl StearateSodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.
In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.
Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.
You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium HyaluronateTocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.
You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.
Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.
It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.
This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.
This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.
In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.
Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.
Learn more about TocopherolWater. 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
