What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Hydrocortisone
Water
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Ceteareth-20
CleansingIsopropyl Myristate
Emollient
Cyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Isostearyl Neopentanoate
Emollient
Cetyl Palmitate
Emollient
PEG-40 Stearate
Emulsifying
Potassium Lactate
BufferingCeramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Ceramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingNiacinamide
Smoothing
Dimethicone/Vinyltrimethylsiloxysilicate Crosspolymer
Dimethyl Mea
BufferingAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Methylparaben
Preservative
Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
EmulsifyingSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Cholesterol
Emollient
Avena Sativa Kernel Extract
Abrasive
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Citric Acid
Buffering
Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingMaltodextrin
Absorbent
Chrysanthemum Parthenium Extract
Skin ConditioningEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningHydrocortisone, Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Ceteareth-20, Isopropyl Myristate, Cyclopentasiloxane, Benzyl Alcohol, Isostearyl Neopentanoate, Cetyl Palmitate, PEG-40 Stearate, Potassium Lactate, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Potassium Sorbate, Ceramide EOP, Carbomer, Niacinamide, Dimethicone/Vinyltrimethylsiloxysilicate Crosspolymer, Dimethyl Mea, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Methylparaben, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Benzoate, Cholesterol, Avena Sativa Kernel Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Citric Acid, Phytosphingosine, Xanthan Gum, Maltodextrin, Chrysanthemum Parthenium Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin
Hydrocortisone 1%
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Dimethicone
Emollient
Petrolatum
Emollient
Jojoba Esters
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Distearyldimonium Chloride
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Steareth-2
EmulsifyingSteareth-21
CleansingPolysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Stearamidopropyl Pg-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate
Methyl Gluceth-20
Humectant
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Retinyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
EDTA
PPG-12/Smdi Copolymer
EmollientPotassium Hydroxide
BufferingBeta-Glucan
Skin Conditioning
Menthyl Lactate
Masking
Diazolidinyl Urea
Preservative
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Methylparaben
Preservative
BHT
Antioxidant
Propylparaben
Preservative
Hydrocortisone 1%, Water, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Petrolatum, Jojoba Esters, Cetyl Alcohol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Stearyl Alcohol, Distearyldimonium Chloride, Cetearyl Alcohol, Steareth-2, Steareth-21, Polysorbate 60, Stearamidopropyl Pg-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate, Methyl Gluceth-20, Propylene Glycol, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Retinyl Palmitate, Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters, Glyceryl Stearate, EDTA, PPG-12/Smdi Copolymer, Potassium Hydroxide, Beta-Glucan, Menthyl Lactate, Diazolidinyl Urea, Benzyl Alcohol, Methylparaben, BHT, Propylparaben
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice comes from leaves of the aloe plant. Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice is best known for helping to soothe sunburns. It is also anti-inflammatory, moisturizing, antiseptic, and can help heal wounds.
Aloe is packed with good stuff including Vitamins A, C, and E. These vitamins are antioxidants, which help fight free-radicals and the damage they may cause. Free-radicals are molecules that may damage your skin cells, such as pollution.
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice also contains sugars. These sugars come in the form of monosaccharides and polysaccharides, folic acid, and choline. These sugars are able to help bind moisture to skin.
It also contains minerals such as calcium, 12 anthraquinones, fatty acids, amino acids, and Vitamin B12.
Learn more about Aloe Barbadensis Leaf JuiceBenzyl Alcohol is most commonly used as a preservative. It also has a subtle, sweet smell. Small amounts of Benzyl Alcohol is not irritating and safe to use in skincare products. Most Benzyl Alcohol is derived from fruits such as apricots.
Benzyl Alcohol has both antibacterial and antioxidant properties. These properties help lengthen the shelf life of products. Benzyl Alcohol is a solvent and helps dissolve other ingredients. It can also improve the texture and spreadability.
Alcohol comes in many different forms. Different types of alcohol will have different effects on skin. This ingredient is an astringent alcohol.
Using high concentrations of these alcohols are drying on the skin. They may strip away your skin's natural oils and even damage your skin barrier. Astringent alcohols may also irritate skin.
Other types of astringent alcohols include:
According to the National Rosacea Society based in the US, you should be mindful of products with these alcohols in the top half of ingredients.
Any type of sanitizing product will have high amounts of alcohol to help kill bacteria and viruses.
Learn more about Benzyl AlcoholCetearyl 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 GlycerinMethylparaben is a preservative and is a paraben. It is used to prevent the growth of fungus, mold, and other harmful bacteria. Parabens are chemicals used as preservatives in both cosmetics and food.
Methylparaben can be synthetically created. It can also be found naturally in some fruits, such as blueberries.
Oftentimes, Methylparaben is combined with other parabens to help increase the shelf life.
The safety of Methylparaben is currently being studied. While ongoing studies are looking into the safety of parabens, the results have been very mixed. Some studies have not found Methylparaben to be harmful.
Learn more about MethylparabenWater. 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 WaterHydrocortisone is the name for the hormone cortisol when used in medication.
It is medication and not technically a cosmetic ingredient. Most countries allow topical creams to contain up between 0.05 - 2.5% (depending on the country) of hydrocortisone without a prescription. Higher amounts usually require a prescription from a professional.
Hydrocortisone can help relieve rashes, eczema, itching, and other inflammation induced skin conditions.
We recommend speaking with a professional about using this ingredient.
Learn more about Hydrocortisone
