What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningParaffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Petrolatum
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil
Emollient
Urea
Buffering
Lanolin Alcohol
Emollient
Triethanolamine
BufferingCucumis Sativus Fruit Extract
Emollient
Hordeum Vulgare Extract
EmollientPropylene Glycol Dicaprate
EmollientHelianthus Annuus Seedcake
Abrasive
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Trisodium EDTA
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
CI 17200
Cosmetic ColorantCI 19140
Cosmetic ColorantCI 15985
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Paraffinum Liquidum, Glycerin, Petrolatum, Stearic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil, Urea, Lanolin Alcohol, Triethanolamine, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Hordeum Vulgare Extract, Propylene Glycol Dicaprate, Helianthus Annuus Seedcake, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Pentylene Glycol, Trisodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, CI 17200, CI 19140, CI 15985
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycolic Acid
Buffering
Glycerin
Humectant
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialStearic Acid
Cleansing
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate/Acrylamide Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Retinyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Lavandula Angustifolia Flower Extract
Cleansing
Salvia Officinalis Leaf Extract
CleansingVitis Vinifera Seed Extract
Antimicrobial
Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Bleaching
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Sorbitan Stearate
Emulsifying
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingMagnesium Aluminum Silicate
Absorbent
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingIsohexadecane
EmollientPolysorbate 80
Emulsifying
PEG-100 Stearate
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Dehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Water, Glycolic Acid, Glycerin, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Stearic Acid, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Sodium Hydroxide, Glyceryl Stearate, Dimethicone, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate/Acrylamide Copolymer, Panthenol, Allantoin, Retinyl Palmitate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Lavandula Angustifolia Flower Extract, Salvia Officinalis Leaf Extract, Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Cetyl Alcohol, Sorbitan Stearate, Xanthan Gum, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Isohexadecane, Polysorbate 80, PEG-100 Stearate, Chlorphenesin, Dehydroacetic Acid, Benzyl Alcohol, Propylene Glycol
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Glycerin (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 StearateStearic Acid is a fatty acid that is already found in your skin. It's one of the free fatty acids that works alongside ceramides and cholesterols to maintain your barrier.
In cosmetics, it is a multitasker:
Safety-wise, the CIR Expert Panel has concluded it to be safe in cosmetics when formulated to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing.
Free stearic acid is a C18 fatty acid that the Malassezia yeast can substrate, so this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Stearic AcidWater. 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
