What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearates
Emollient
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingBrassica Oleracea Italica Seed Oil
Emollient
Curcuma Longa Root Extract
Masking
Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
Antioxidant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Zingiber Officinale Root Extract
Masking
Hamamelis Virginiana Extract
Antiseborrhoeic
Sodium Dehydroacetate
Preservative
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Antimicrobial
Water, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearates, Stearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Phosphate, Brassica Oleracea Italica Seed Oil, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Xanthan Gum, Glyceryl Stearate, Zingiber Officinale Root Extract, Hamamelis Virginiana Extract, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Water
Skin ConditioningKaolin
Abrasive
Ethylhexyl Stearate
Emollient
Glycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
Antioxidant
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate
Cleansing
Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil
Perfuming
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Lavandula Hybrida Oil
Emollient
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingLinalool
Perfuming
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Limonene
Perfuming
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingWater, Kaolin, Ethylhexyl Stearate, Glycine Soja Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Glycerin, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Lavandula Hybrida Oil, Xanthan Gum, Linalool, Tocopherol, Limonene, Ethylhexylglycerin, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Sodium Hydroxide
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 StearateThis tea tree oil comes from the leaves of the Tea Tree plant. Tea tree oil has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties.
According to the book Journal of Profiles of Drug Substances, tea tree helps in reducing acne-causing bacteria such as Propionibacterium acnes. This is due to the Terpinen components of tea tree oil.
Tea tree may cause sensitivity and irritation for some people. This oil naturally contains fragrance such as linalool and limonene.
However, research shows irritation usually occurs when using pure tea tree oil and not in cosmetic products.
Tea tree oil was found to help relieve the symptoms of psoriasis in one study.
Tea tree oil is toxic when ingested. Another study showed it to caused damage to the nervous system of dogs and cats when applied to their skin or given orally.
Learn more about Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf 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 WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum
