What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Extract
Skin Conditioning
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Persea Gratissima Oil Unsaponifiables
Skin Conditioning
Dimethicone
Emollient
Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate
Cleansing
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingPalmitoyl Grape Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningPotassium Sorbate
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Carboxymethyl Betaglucan
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Geraniol
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Plant Ash
Water, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Glyceryl Stearate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Persea Gratissima Oil Unsaponifiables, Dimethicone, Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate, Caprylyl Glycol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Palmitoyl Grape Seed Extract, Potassium Sorbate, Parfum, Sodium Hydroxide, Carbomer, Sodium Carboxymethyl Betaglucan, Tocopherol, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool, Plant Ash
Water
Skin ConditioningButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Methylpropanediol
SolventCocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Olivate
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract
Astringent
Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract
Antioxidant
Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Bleaching
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialChamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Extract
Skin Conditioning
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Zanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningPulsatilla Koreana Extract
Skin ConditioningUsnea Barbata Extract
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingArginine
Masking
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingAdenosine
Skin Conditioning
Water, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Methylpropanediol, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Pentylene Glycol, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Centella Asiatica Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Extract, 1,2-Hexanediol, Zanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit Extract, Pulsatilla Koreana Extract, Usnea Barbata Extract, Butylene Glycol, Carbomer, Arginine, Xanthan Gum, Adenosine
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Extract is from the fruit of the Shea Tree. It is an effective skin hydrator and emollient.
Shea butter is rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants help fight free-radicals, or molecules that may harm the body. It is also full of fatty acids including stearic acid and linoleic acid. These acids help replenish the skin and keep skin moisturized.
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 GlycerinWater. 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
