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 ConditioningCyclohexasiloxane
Emollient
Alcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Glycerin
Humectant
Propanediol
Solvent
Dimethicone
Emollient
Zea Mays Germ Oil
Emollient
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Ascorbyl Glucoside
Antioxidant
Triethanolamine
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Glyceryl Linoleate
Emollient
Polyperfluoromethylisopropyl Ether
Skin ConditioningPolyacrylamide
Dimethiconol
Emollient
Glyceryl Oleate
Emollient
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingCetyl Alcohol
Emollient
C13-14 Isoparaffin
Emollient
Parfum
Masking
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingGlycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Caffeine
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Castanea Sativa Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningBenzophenone-4
UV Absorber
Menthol
Masking
Limonene
Perfuming
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Laureth-7
EmulsifyingHydrolyzed Soy Protein
Humectant
Potassium Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingDisodium EDTA
Glyceryl Linolenate
Emollient
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Juice
Skin ConditioningCitrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Extract
MaskingCitrus Limon Juice
Skin Conditioning
Linalool
Perfuming
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSodium Benzoate
Masking
Citral
Perfuming
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
CI 42090
Cosmetic ColorantCI 14700
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Cyclohexasiloxane, Alcohol Denat., Glycerin, Propanediol, Dimethicone, Zea Mays Germ Oil, Panthenol, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Triethanolamine, Phenoxyethanol, Glyceryl Linoleate, Polyperfluoromethylisopropyl Ether, Polyacrylamide, Dimethiconol, Glyceryl Oleate, Carbomer, Cetyl Alcohol, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Parfum, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Glycine Soja Oil, Caffeine, Tocopherol, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Castanea Sativa Seed Extract, Benzophenone-4, Menthol, Limonene, PEG-100 Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Pentylene Glycol, Laureth-7, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Disodium EDTA, Glyceryl Linolenate, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Juice, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Extract, Citrus Limon Juice, Linalool, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Benzoate, Citral, Potassium Sorbate, CI 42090, CI 14700
Reviews
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 StearatePentylene Glycol (1,2-pentanediol) is a multitasking little diol with three main roles in a formula:
Research on alkanediols (the family pentylene glycol belongs to) show they work by disrupting microbial cell membranes. This disruption helps the primary preservative system in a product work more effectively at lower doses.
On the safety side, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be safe as used in current cosmetic practices + concentrations.
Typical use levels in a formula run about 1-5%.
Learn more about Pentylene GlycolPhenoxyethanol 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 PhenoxyethanolTriethanolamine (TEA) is an emulsifier and pH adjuster. It is created using ethylene oxide and ammonia. This gives Triethanolamine a nitrogen core and a similar scent to ammonia.
As an emulsifier, it prevents ingredients from separating and enhances texture by adding volume to a product.
PH adjusters are common in cosmetic products. The pH of a product can affect the effectiveness of other ingredients. A product with a high pH may also irritate the skin.
If you are looking for the tea leaf ingredient, click here.
Learn more about TriethanolamineWater. 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
