What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningParaffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Cetyl Ethylhexanoate
EmollientBeeswax
Emulsion Stabilising
Phytosteryl/Octyldodecyl Lauroyl Glutamate
Skin ConditioningGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Ceteth-20
CleansingCetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Methylparaben
Preservative
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSorbeth-30 Tetraoleate
Emulsifying
Propylparaben
Preservative
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingPEG-45 Stearate
EmulsifyingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Trehalose
Humectant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Disodium EDTA
Water, Paraffinum Liquidum, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Beeswax, Phytosteryl/Octyldodecyl Lauroyl Glutamate, Glyceryl Stearate, Ceteth-20, Cetyl Alcohol, Methylparaben, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum, Sorbeth-30 Tetraoleate, Propylparaben, Potassium Hydroxide, PEG-45 Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Trehalose, Tocopherol, Disodium EDTA
Water
Skin ConditioningParaffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Triethanolamine
BufferingPalmitic Acid
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Equisetum Arvense Extract
AstringentHumulus Lupulus Extract
AntimicrobialPanax Ginseng Root Extract
Emollient
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialGlycerin
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingParfum
Masking
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Benzoic Acid
Masking
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Limonene
Perfuming
Benzyl Benzoate
Antimicrobial
Coumarin
Perfuming
Citral
Perfuming
Water, Paraffinum Liquidum, Butylene Glycol, Triethanolamine, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Centella Asiatica Extract, Equisetum Arvense Extract, Humulus Lupulus Extract, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, Stearyl Alcohol, Carbomer, Parfum, Phenoxyethanol, Benzoic Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Limonene, Benzyl Benzoate, Coumarin, Citral
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 GlycolCarbomer 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 CarbomerGlycerin (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 GlycerinGlyceryl 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 StearateParaffinum Liquidum is a highly-refined cosmetic-grade mineral oil. It is also known as liquid paraffin.
Despite its controversial reputation, the science is pretty clear: it's one of the most well-studied and effective moisturizing ingredients out there.
As an occlusive, it forms a protective layer on the skin that locks in moisture and prevents transepidermal water loss (TEWL). This makes it especially great for compromised skin barriers.
The "it clogs your pores" myth has been around for decades; a study found that industrial-grade mineral oil may be comedogenic but cosmetic-grade mineral oil is not (these two are very, very different).
A 2017 review concluded that cosmetic use of mineral oils and waxes does not present a risk to consumers due to absorption.
Mineral oil got a bad rap from the old rabbit ear studies. When tested on actual human skin, cosmetic-grade mineral oil showed no comedogenic activity. The rating of 0 is a correction of outdated science.
Mineral oil is an inert substance with no fatty acids so there's nothing to feed Malassezia. This ingredient is fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Paraffinum LiquidumPhenoxyethanol 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.
Water. 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 Water
