What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Isopropyl Myristate
Emollient
Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil
Masking
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
C12-15 Alkyl Lactate
EmollientDimethicone
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
DMDM Hydantoin
Preservative
Triethanolamine
BufferingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Tetrasodium EDTA
Acetyl Tetrapeptide-5
Humectant
Water, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Butylene Glycol, Isopropyl Myristate, Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, C12-15 Alkyl Lactate, Dimethicone, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Propylene Glycol, DMDM Hydantoin, Triethanolamine, Carbomer, Phenoxyethanol, Tetrasodium EDTA, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-5
Galactomyces Ferment Filtrate
Humectant
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Niacinamide
Smoothing
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Vegetable Oil
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Caffeine
Skin Conditioning
Dimethicone
Emollient
Bifida Ferment Filtrate
Skin Conditioning
Lactobacillus Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate
Skin Conditioning
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Sorbitan Stearate
Emulsifying
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Polyacrylate-13
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingArginine
Masking
Polyisobutene
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Adenosine
Skin Conditioning
Disodium EDTA
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
Parfum
Masking
Galactomyces Ferment Filtrate, Ceramide AP, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Alcohol, Niacinamide, 1,2-Hexanediol, Glyceryl Stearate, Vegetable Oil, Glycerin, Polysorbate 60, Caffeine, Dimethicone, Bifida Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus Ferment, Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate, PEG-100 Stearate, Palmitic Acid, Sorbitan Stearate, Stearic Acid, Butylene Glycol, Polyacrylate-13, Caprylyl Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Carbomer, Arginine, Polyisobutene, Polysorbate 20, Adenosine, Disodium EDTA, Myristic Acid, Parfum
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.
Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.
Learn more about Butylene GlycolCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride (aka MCT Oil) is a lightweight emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping to prevent moisture loss.
Though it behaves like an oil, it is not technically one due to its chemical composition. One perk of this ingredient is that it is very stable, resistant to oxidation, and unlikely to go rancid.
In practice, that translates to a long shelf life and a consistently elegant skin feel.
While there is an assumption Caprylic Triglyceride can clog pores due to it being derived from coconut oil, there is no research supporting this. Just patch test if you have concerns.
Fractionated coconut oil and MCT Oil are both listed as Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride according to INCI. This is because INCI names are based on the ingredient’s final chemical composition and not its marketing name or source.
This ingredient is treated as the gold standard fungal acne safe oil. Even though it is coconut derived, the problematic lauric acid is stripped out.
This leaves just caprylic (C8) and capric (C10) acid. These chain lengths actually trend antifungal; a 2020 study found caprylic acid was enough to disrupt Malassezia furfur cell membrane, with a caprylic acid derivative damaging membrane structures at concentrations as low as 0.2%.
Learn more about Caprylic/Capric TriglycerideCarbomer 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 AlcoholDimethicone is a type of synthetic silicone created from natural materials such as quartz. It is also known as polydimethylsiloxane.
What it does:
Dimethicone comes in different viscosities:
Depending on the viscosity, dimethicone has different properties.
Ingredients lists don't always show which type is used, so we recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the viscosity.
This ingredient is unlikely to cause irritation because it does not get absorbed into skin. However, people with silicone allergies should be careful about using this ingredient.
Note: Dimethicone may contribute to pilling. This is because it is not oil or water soluble, so pilling may occur when layered with products. When mixed with heavy oils in a formula, the outcome is also quite greasy.
Learn more about DimethiconeGlyceryl 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 Stearate
