What's inside
What's inside
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Cyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Cyclotetrasiloxane
Emollient
Dimethiconol
Emollient
Keratin Amino Acids
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Silk
Humectant
Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil
Emollient
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Ceratonia Siliqua Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningZea Mays Starch
Absorbent
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningPolyquaternium-7
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Hexyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Butylphenyl Methylpropional
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Citronellol
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Citral
Perfuming
Cyclopentasiloxane, Cyclotetrasiloxane, Dimethiconol, Keratin Amino Acids, Hydrolyzed Silk, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Glycerin, Hydrolyzed Ceratonia Siliqua Seed Extract, Zea Mays Starch, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Polyquaternium-7, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum, Hexyl Cinnamal, Linalool, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Geraniol, Citronellol, Limonene, Citral
Water
Skin ConditioningPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Phenyl Trimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Isostearyl Palmitate
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialEthylhexyl Salicylate
UV Absorber
Sorbitan Oleate
Emulsifying
Parfum
Masking
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingMyristamidopropyl Pg-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate
Skin ConditioningAminomethyl Propanol
BufferingSteardimonium Hydroxypropyl Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Linalool
Perfuming
Hexyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Citronellol
Perfuming
Water, Propylene Glycol, Persea Gratissima Oil, Phenyl Trimethicone, Glycerin, Isostearyl Palmitate, Glyceryl Stearate, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Sorbitan Oleate, Parfum, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Myristamidopropyl Pg-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate, Aminomethyl Propanol, Steardimonium Hydroxypropyl Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Butylene Glycol, Linalool, Hexyl Cinnamal, Citronellol
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate is a lightweight emollient made by combinig benzoic acid with fatty alcohols that are 12-15 carbons long.
In cosmetics, it plays several roles:
The Cosmetic Review Expert Panel has concluded the alkyl benzoate group to be safe as used in cosmetics; it wasn't found to be a skin irritant and unlikely to be absorbed due to its low water solubility.
This report recorded almost 1000 reported uses with concentrations up to 59% in leave-on products but your cosmetics will typically use 0.5-15% depending on the product.
It's often called a "SPF booster": this is because it keeps UV filters properly dissolved and evenly distributed to support a sunscreen's performance. It doesn't actually raise SPF on its own.
Overall, this ingredient is well tolerated.
This ingredient is fungal acne safe because it is an ester of benzoic acid.
Think of this ingredient as two parts stuck together: an oily part and an acid part. Malassezia only gets a meal when it can snip off a fatty acid to eat. With C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, the acid part is benzoic acid, which isn't a fatty acid and which the yeast can't use as food.
Benzoic acid is actually used as a preservative to stop yeast from growing.
The oily part is a blend of C12-15 fatty alcohols but fatty alcohols in this size range can support only a little Malassezia growth (mostly for one species of Malassezia as well).
In the ingredient, those alcohols stay locked inside the molecule. The yeast can only reach them by snipping the benzoate bond, and that type of bond is harder for it to cut than a normal fatty bond.
So not much gets released. And whatever does get snipped comes packaged with benzoic acid, which discourages yeast growth.
Learn more about C12-15 Alkyl BenzoateCitronellol is used to add fragrance/parfum to a product. It is often derived from plants such as roses. In fact, it can be found in many essential oils including geranium, lavender, neroli, and more. The scent of Citronellol is often described as "fresh, grassy, and citrus-like".
Since the Citronellol molecule is already unstable, Citronellol becomes irritating on the skin when exposed to air.
Citronellol is a modified terpene. Terpenes are unsaturated hydrocarbons found in plants. They make up the primary part of essential oils.
Citronellol is not able to be absorbed into deeper layers of the skin. It has low permeability,
Citronellol is also a natural insect repellent.
Learn more about CitronellolGlycerin (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 GlycerinHexyl Cinnamal is a fragrance ingredient with a similar scent to jasmine. It can be naturally found in chamomile essential oil.
This ingredient is a known EU allergen and may sensitize the skin. The EU requires this ingredient to be listed separately on an ingredients list.
Hexyl Cinnamal is not water soluble but is soluble in oils.
Learn more about Hexyl CinnamalLinalool is a fragrance and helps add scent to products. It's derived from common plants such as cinnamon, mint, citrus, and lavender.
Like Limonene, this ingredient oxidizes when exposed to air. Oxidized linalool can cause allergies and skin sensitivity.
This ingredient has a scent that is floral, spicy tropical, and citrus-like.
Learn more about LinaloolParfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.
Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.
For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.
The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.
For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.
One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.
Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.
Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.
The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.
Learn more about ParfumPhenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.
On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).
You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.
Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.
Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.
Learn more about Phenoxyethanol
