What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAlumina
Abrasive
Glycolic Acid
Buffering
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Isopropyl Myristate
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil
Emollient
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingPEG-20 Stearate
Emulsifying
Potassium Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Disodium EDTA
Water
Skin ConditioningAlumina
Abrasive
Glycerin
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glycolic Acid
Buffering
Hydrated Silica
Abrasive
Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Squalane
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Cetearyl Olivate
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingSorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Garnet Powder
Abrasive
Quartz
Abrasive
Ascorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Ziziphus Jujuba Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningTerminalia Ferdinandiana Seed Oil
Antioxidant
Olea Europaea Leaf Extract
Perfuming
Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
Masking
Citrus Aurantifolia Oil
Cleansing
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil
Masking
Citrus Limon Peel Oil
Masking
Citrus Nobilis Oil
Masking
Lavandula Hybrida Oil
Emollient
Vetiveria Zizanoides Root Oil
Masking
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientSodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingCitric Acid
Buffering
Phenethyl Alcohol
MaskingXylitol
Humectant
Caprylic Acid
CleansingCaprylhydroxamic Acid
Galactoarabinan
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Levan
Skin ProtectingDehydroxanthan Gum
Emulsion StabilisingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Citral
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Water, Alumina, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycolic Acid, Hydrated Silica, Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil, Squalane, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetearyl Olivate, Sodium Hydroxide, Sorbitan Olivate, Garnet Powder, Quartz, Ascorbic Acid, Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract, Ziziphus Jujuba Seed Extract, Terminalia Ferdinandiana Seed Oil, Olea Europaea Leaf Extract, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Citrus Aurantifolia Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Citrus Limon Peel Oil, Citrus Nobilis Oil, Lavandula Hybrida Oil, Vetiveria Zizanoides Root Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Glyceryl Caprylate, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Citric Acid, Phenethyl Alcohol, Xylitol, Caprylic Acid, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Galactoarabinan, Decyl Glucoside, Levan, Dehydroxanthan Gum, Caprylyl Glycol, Citral, Limonene
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Alumina is another name for the compound aluminum oxide. It is a white powder used as a thickener, absorbent, and abrasive.
As an absorbent, alumina can give a mattifying effect. It is used in mineral sunscreens to help coat nano-sized filters, such as titanium dioxide. By increasing the size of the UV filters, these ingredients stay on the skin for a longer time. By coating small sized ingredients, alumina helps thicken a product.
Alumina may be used as an abrasive, or exfoliant.
Alumina is naturally occurring in the mineral corundum. Certain varieties of corundum create rubies and sapphires. Corundum is also the crystalline form of alumina.
Learn more about AluminaThis ingredient is also known as shea butter. It is a plant-derived extract from the nuts of the Africa shea tree and one of the most well-studied emollients.
Because it has a high concentration of fatty acids (primarily oleic, stearic, and linoleic) it is able to form a protective barrier on the skin's surface. This helps seal in moisture and prevents transepidermal water loss (TEWL).
In vitro research found an increase in skin hydration by 58% and a decrease in TEWL by 37.8% after 24 hours of applying this ingredient (pretty impressive for a single ingredient!).
Besides hydration, shea butter also contains triterpenes that have anti-inflammatory potential. In particule, lupeol cinnamate has shown the highest anti-inflammatory activity in vivo.
Shea butter also contains vitamins A and E which may contribute to antioxidant activity.
While Shea Butter has an SPF rating of about 3-4, it is not a sunscreen replacement.
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe because its fatty acids fall within the C11-C24 range that the Malassezia yeast can metabolize.
Learn more about Butyrospermum Parkii ButterCetearyl 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 GlycerinGlycolic Acid is arguably the most famous alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) with tons of research backing its benefits.
It is found naturally in sugar cane but the form used in skincare is usually synthetic for purity and stability.
Glycolic acid removes the top layer of dead skin cells to allow newer and fresher ones to emerge.
AHAs work by breaking down the structural “glue” that holds old skin cells in place. When that buildup is gone, your skin can renew itself more efficiently.
Research also shows glycolic acid stimulates collagen production, helping to firm and thicken the skin over time. This is one of its biggest advantages over other AHAs.
Overall, glycolic acid helps with:
Fun fact: Glycolic acid boosts skin hydration by helping it produce molecules that increase hyaluronic acid naturally.
To work best, glycolic acid products should have a pH between 3-4 (that’s where exfoliation is most effective but still gentle on skin).
The pH and concentration of a product are key to its effectiveness:
It is normal to feel a slight stinging sensation when using glycolic acid. This usually fades as your skin adjusts.
Because glycolic acid has the smallest molecular size in the AHA family, it can penetrate deeper, which enhances its effectiveness but also makes it more likely to irritate sensitive skin.
If your skin is very sensitive or prone to rosacea, glycolic acid may be too strong; in that case, try milder options like lactic acid or a PHA instead.
Recent studies suggest glycolic acid might even help protect against UV damage. But don’t skip sunscreen! Freshly exfoliated skin is more sensitive to the sun.
Glycolic acid is a skincare superstar. It smooths, brightens, hydrates, and firms the skin. Unless you’re highly sensitive, it’s well worth adding to your routine.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Glycolic AcidSodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.
In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.
Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.
"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.
Learn more about Sodium HydroxideWater. 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
