What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCopernicia Cerifera Wax
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Polyisobutene
Silica
Abrasive
Acrylates Copolymer
Aminomethyl Propanediol
BufferingVp/Eicosene Copolymer
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Lauroyl Lysine
Skin Conditioning
Pantethine
EmollientMelanin
Skin ProtectingPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningHydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingCalcium Aluminum Borosilicate
Pvp
Emulsion StabilisingAcacia Senegal Gum
MaskingIsostearic Acid
Cleansing
Simethicone
Emollient
Dimethicone PEG-8 Polyacrylate
Surfactant
Urea
Buffering
Glycerin
Humectant
Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
Antioxidant
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
Cleansing
PEG-8 Dimethicone
Emulsifying
Disodium EDTA
Sorbic Acid
Preservative
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Sodium Dehydroacetate
Preservative
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Mica
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77492
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77499
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77400
Cosmetic ColorantCI 42090
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantCI 19140
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77288
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77289
Cosmetic ColorantCI 75470
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77163
Cosmetic Colorant
CI 77007
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77000
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Copernicia Cerifera Wax, Stearic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, Polyisobutene, Silica, Acrylates Copolymer, Aminomethyl Propanediol, Vp/Eicosene Copolymer, Sodium Hyaluronate, Lauroyl Lysine, Pantethine, Melanin, Panthenol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Pvp, Acacia Senegal Gum, Isostearic Acid, Simethicone, Dimethicone PEG-8 Polyacrylate, Urea, Glycerin, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, PEG-8 Dimethicone, Disodium EDTA, Sorbic Acid, Chlorphenesin, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Phenoxyethanol, Mica, CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499, CI 77400, CI 42090, CI 77891, CI 19140, CI 77288, CI 77289, CI 75470, CI 77163, CI 77007, CI 77000
Water
Skin ConditioningCera Alba
Emollient
Synthetic Beeswax
Emulsion Stabilising
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Copernicia Cerifera Cera
Emollient
Dimer Dilinoleyl Dimer Dilinoleate
EmollientStearic Acid
Cleansing
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Ethylhexyl Polyhydroxystearate
EmollientPolyglyceryl-6 Polyricinoleate
Emulsifying
Jojoba Esters
Emollient
Acacia Senegal Gum
MaskingPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCaprylhydroxamic Acid
Arginine
Masking
Lauric Acid
Cleansing
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
Arachidic Acid
Cleansing
Oleic Acid
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Water, Cera Alba, Synthetic Beeswax, Glyceryl Stearate, Glycerin, Copernicia Cerifera Cera, Dimer Dilinoleyl Dimer Dilinoleate, Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Ethylhexyl Polyhydroxystearate, Polyglyceryl-6 Polyricinoleate, Jojoba Esters, Acacia Senegal Gum, Panthenol, Benzyl Alcohol, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Hydroxide, Xanthan Gum, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Arginine, Lauric Acid, Myristic Acid, Arachidic Acid, Oleic Acid, Tocopherol
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Acacia Senegal Gum has skin soothing, thickening, and formulation stabilizing properties. It comes from the Acacia tree that is native to sub-Saharan Africa.
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 StearatePanthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It is found naturally in our skin and hair.
There are two forms of panthenol: D and L.
D-panthenol is also known as dexpanthenol. Most cosmetics use dexpanthenol or a mixture of D and L-panthenol.
Panthenol is famous due to its ability to go deeper into the skin's layers. Using this ingredient has numerous pros (and no cons):
Like hyaluronic acid, panthenol is a humectant. Humectants are able to bind and hold large amounts of water to keep skin hydrated.
This ingredient works well for wound healing. It works by increasing tissue in the wound and helps close open wounds.
Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.
This ingredient is also referred to as pro-vitamin B5.
Learn more about PanthenolStearic 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
