What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantCocos Nucifera Oil
MaskingCetearyl Alcohol
EmollientHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
EmollientButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingAspergillus/Rice Ferment Extract
HumectantPersea Gratissima Oil
Skin ConditioningStearic Acid
CleansingCaprylhydroxamic Acid
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningGlyceryl Caprylate
EmollientPolyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Phytate
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingMaltodextrin
AbsorbentWater, Glycerin, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Cetearyl Glucoside, Aspergillus/Rice Ferment Extract, Persea Gratissima Oil, Stearic Acid, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Glyceryl Caprylate, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Sodium Phytate, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Maltodextrin
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantIsopropyl Palmitate
EmollientCetearyl Alcohol
EmollientCeteareth-20
CleansingPanthenol
Skin ConditioningNiacinamide
SmoothingTocopheryl Acetate
AntioxidantDimethicone
EmollientPersea Gratissima Oil
Skin ConditioningHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
EmollientPantolactone
HumectantGlyceryl Stearate
EmollientSodium Benzoate
MaskingBenzyl Alcohol
PerfumingCitric Acid
Buffering
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 GlycerinHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil is a plant oil derived from the seeds of a sunflower.
It is rich in fatty acids, primarily linoleic acid and oleic acid. This gives it emollient and skin conditioning properties.
The reason this ingredient is so effective is because it forms a thin film on the skin that reduces transepidermal water loss (TEWL) while supplying linoleic acid to the stratum corneum to improve barrier strength.
The high linoleic acid content is particularly noteworthy for acne-prone skin.
Research suggests that acne-prone skin tends to be deficient in linoleic acid in sebum. Topical application may help replenish this to support a healthier follicular environment and less comedone-promoting sebum.
One randomized study found sunflower seed oil preserved skin barrier integrity in adult volunteers with and without atopic dermatitis (outperforming olive oil).
This ingredient is well-studied, gentle, and an effective emollient suitable for most skin types.
On fungal acne: This ingredient may not be Fungal acne (Malassezia folliculitis) safe. This is because it contains fatty acids with carbon chain lengths in the C11-C24 range.
Learn more about Helianthus Annuus Seed OilPersea Gratissima Oil is also known as avocado oil.
Avocado Oil has antioxidant properties. It is mostly made up of the glycerides of fatty acids. About 67% of these fatty acids is made up of oleic acid. Palmitic acid and linoleic acid are also present.
These fatty acids help hydrate and soften the skin. It may increase collagen content in the skin. Collagen helps keep your skin plump and firm. This ingredient helps reduce inflammation and has not shown to clog pores.
This ingredient may not be fungal-acne safe due to its high fatty acid content.
Avocados also have B vitamins, vitamin K, vitamin C, vitamin E, and potassium.
Learn more about Persea Gratissima OilWater. 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