What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Behentrimonium Chloride
Preservative
Quaternium-80
Propanediol
Solvent
Keratin Amino Acids
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Silk
Humectant
Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil
Emollient
Hydrolyzed Ceratonia Siliqua Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Linoleamidopropyl Pg-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate
PEG-8 Methyl Ether Dimethicone
Cleansing
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Hexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingCitric Acid
Buffering
Polyquaternium-7
Zea Mays Starch
Absorbent
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Parfum
Masking
Citral
Perfuming
Citronellol
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Hexyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Hydroxycitronellal
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Chloride, Quaternium-80, Propanediol, Keratin Amino Acids, Hydrolyzed Silk, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Hydrolyzed Ceratonia Siliqua Seed Extract, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Linoleamidopropyl Pg-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate, PEG-8 Methyl Ether Dimethicone, Panthenol, Potassium Sorbate, Hexylene Glycol, Citric Acid, Polyquaternium-7, Zea Mays Starch, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Glycerin, Parfum, Citral, Citronellol, Geraniol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Hydroxycitronellal, Limonene, Linalool
Water
Skin ConditioningC13-15 Alkane
SolventCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Squalane
Emollient
Behentrimonium Chloride
Preservative
Hydrolyzed Ceratonia Siliqua Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningMoringa Oleifera Seed Extract
Skin Conditioning
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Zea Mays Starch
Absorbent
Polyquaternium-7
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
Antioxidant
Disodium EDTA
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPotassium Sorbate
Preservative
Disodium Phosphate
BufferingSodium Benzoate
Masking
Citric Acid
Buffering
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, C13-15 Alkane, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Squalane, Behentrimonium Chloride, Hydrolyzed Ceratonia Siliqua Seed Extract, Moringa Oleifera Seed Extract, Bisabolol, Zea Mays Starch, Polyquaternium-7, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Tocopherol, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Potassium Sorbate, Disodium Phosphate, Sodium Benzoate, Citric Acid, Phenoxyethanol
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
This ingredient is a preservative and often used for it's anti-static properties. You'll most likely see this ingredient in hair conditioners.
It does not cause irritation or sensitization in leave-on products at 1-5%.
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 AlcoholCitric Acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) naturally found in citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes.
Like other AHAs, citric acid can exfoliate skin by breaking down the bonds that hold dead skin cells together. This helps reveal smoother and brighter skin underneath.
However, this exfoliating effect only happens at high concentrations (20%) which can be hard to find in cosmetic products.
Due to this, citric acid is usually included in small amounts as a pH adjuster. This helps keep products slightly more acidic and compatible with skin's natural pH.
In skincare formulas, citric acid can:
While it can provide some skin benefits, research shows lactic acid and glycolic acid are generally more effective and less irritating exfoliants.
Most citric acid used in skincare today is made by fermenting sugars (usually from molasses). This synthetic version is identical to the natural citrus form but easier to stabilize and use in formulations.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Citric AcidGlycerin (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 GlycerinThis ingredient is derived from guar gum. It is a skin conditioning agent that creates a thin, breathable film to reduce water loss during cleansing.
This leaves the skin feeling soft rather than stripped and also contributes to a creamier lather.
Due to the large molecule size, this ingredient is unlikely to penetrate skin.
Learn more about Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium ChlorideWe don't have a description for Hydrolyzed Ceratonia Siliqua Seed Extract yet.
Phenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.
Polyquaternium-7 is a light to clear colored liquid. It is commonly found in haircare products for its film-forming and anti-static properties.
According to a manufacturer, it is a non-paraben and specially developed for negatively charged surfactant systems. This makes it a great hairstyle holder and helps to improve wet hair detangling without adding buildup.
Potassium Sorbate is a preservative used to prevent yeast and mold in products. It is commonly found in both cosmetic and food products.
This ingredient comes from potassium salt derived from sorbic acid. Sorbic acid is a natural antibiotic and effective against fungus.
Both potassium sorbate and sorbic acid can be found in baked goods, cheeses, dried meats, dried fruit, ice cream, pickles, wine, yogurt, and more.
You'll often find this ingredient used with other preservatives.
Learn more about Potassium SorbateWater. 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 WaterZea Mays Starch is starch made from corn. You might know this as cornstarch . It is used to thicken a product. It can replace talc as an absorbent.
The pH of cornstarch is 5.92.
Cornstarch is a common food ingredient used to thicken soups or to make corn syrup.
Learn more about Zea Mays Starch
