What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCitrullus Lanatus Seed Oil
Emollient
Squalane
Emollient
Triolein
Skin Conditioning
Musa Sapientum Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Betaine
Humectant
Cetearyl Olivate
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Crambe Abyssinica Seed Oil Phytosterol Esters
Emulsifying
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Jojoba Esters
Emollient
Selaginella Lepidophylla Extract
EmollientCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetyl Palmitate
Emollient
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Nicotiana Benthamiana Hexapeptide-40 Sh-Polypeptide-76
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Salix Alba Bark Extract
Astringent
Genipa Americana Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningSorbitan Palmitate
Emulsifying
Sorbitan Oleate
Emulsifying
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCitric Acid
Buffering
Water, Citrullus Lanatus Seed Oil, Squalane, Triolein, Musa Sapientum Leaf Extract, Glycerin, Betaine, Cetearyl Olivate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Crambe Abyssinica Seed Oil Phytosterol Esters, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Jojoba Esters, Selaginella Lepidophylla Extract, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Palmitate, Sorbitan Olivate, Nicotiana Benthamiana Hexapeptide-40 Sh-Polypeptide-76, Butylene Glycol, Salix Alba Bark Extract, Genipa Americana Fruit Extract, Sorbitan Palmitate, Sorbitan Oleate, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil
Emollient
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
C14-22 Alcohols
Emulsion Stabilising
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Zinc Oxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Humulus Lupulus Extract
AntimicrobialSodium Bicarbonate
Abrasive
Dicalcium Phosphate Dihydrate
Abrasive
Magnesium Chloride
CI 77820
Cosmetic ColorantC12-20 Alkyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingCetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Water, Glycerin, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil, Persea Gratissima Oil, C14-22 Alcohols, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Allantoin, Tocopherol, Zinc Oxide, Humulus Lupulus Extract, Sodium Bicarbonate, Dicalcium Phosphate Dihydrate, Magnesium Chloride, CI 77820, C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside, Cetearyl Glucoside
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Cetearyl 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 GlycerinWater. 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
