What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ceteareth-20
CleansingBehentrimonium Methosulfate
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate
Emulsifying
Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
EmulsifyingPotassium Phosphate
BufferingDisodium EDTA
Dipotassium Phosphate
BufferingCeramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Cholesterol
Emollient
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Ceramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Water, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Niacinamide, Cetearyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Phenoxyethanol, Ceteareth-20, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Caprylyl Glycol, Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Potassium Phosphate, Disodium EDTA, Dipotassium Phosphate, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Phytosphingosine, Cholesterol, Xanthan Gum, Carbomer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ceramide EOP
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Antimicrobial
Propanediol
Solvent
Cera Alba
Emollient
Rosa Centifolia Flower Water
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Cetyl Palmitate
Emollient
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSodium Phytate
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Oryza Sativa Extract
Absorbent
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Actinidia Chinensis Fruit Extract
EmollientOctyldodecyl Myristate
EmollientFragaria Vesca Fruit Extract
AstringentCalendula Officinalis Flower Extract
Masking
Zea Mays Starch
Absorbent
Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Levulinate
Skin ConditioningWater, Glycerin, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Propanediol, Cera Alba, Rosa Centifolia Flower Water, Cetearyl Glucoside, Cetyl Palmitate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Phytate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Oryza Sativa Extract, Tocopherol, Actinidia Chinensis Fruit Extract, Octyldodecyl Myristate, Fragaria Vesca Fruit Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Zea Mays Starch, Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid, Sodium Levulinate
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 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 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
