What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Hydrocortisone 1%
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Dimethicone
Emollient
Petrolatum
Emollient
Jojoba Esters
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Distearyldimonium Chloride
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Steareth-2
EmulsifyingSteareth-21
CleansingChamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Retinyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters
Skin Conditioning
Beta-Glucan
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Menthyl Lactate
Masking
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Methyl Gluceth-20
Humectant
Stearamidopropyl Pg-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate
PPG-12/Smdi Copolymer
EmollientPotassium Hydroxide
BufferingDiazolidinyl Urea
Preservative
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Methylparaben
Preservative
BHT
Antioxidant
Propylparaben
Preservative
EDTA
Hydrocortisone 1%, Water, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Petrolatum, Jojoba Esters, Cetyl Alcohol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Stearyl Alcohol, Distearyldimonium Chloride, Cetearyl Alcohol, Steareth-2, Steareth-21, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Retinyl Palmitate, Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters, Beta-Glucan, Glyceryl Stearate, Menthyl Lactate, Polysorbate 60, Methyl Gluceth-20, Stearamidopropyl Pg-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate, PPG-12/Smdi Copolymer, Potassium Hydroxide, Diazolidinyl Urea, Propylene Glycol, Benzyl Alcohol, Methylparaben, BHT, Propylparaben, EDTA
Hydrocortisone 1%
Alcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Avena Sativa Kernel Extract
Abrasive
Dextrin
AbsorbentDimethicone
Emollient
Disodium EDTA
Glycerin
Humectant
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingIsohexadecane
EmollientMaltodextrin
Absorbent
Menthyl Lactate
Masking
Methyl Gluceth-20
Humectant
Methylparaben
Preservative
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
PPG-3 Benzyl Ether Myristate
EmollientPropylparaben
Preservative
Sodium Citrate
BufferingWater
Skin ConditioningHydrocortisone 1%, Alcohol Denat., Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Avena Sativa Kernel Extract, Dextrin, Dimethicone, Disodium EDTA, Glycerin, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Isohexadecane, Maltodextrin, Menthyl Lactate, Methyl Gluceth-20, Methylparaben, Polysorbate 60, PPG-3 Benzyl Ether Myristate, Propylparaben, Sodium Citrate, Water
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice comes from leaves of the aloe plant. Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice is best known for helping to soothe sunburns. It is also anti-inflammatory, moisturizing, antiseptic, and can help heal wounds.
Aloe is packed with good stuff including Vitamins A, C, and E. These vitamins are antioxidants, which help fight free-radicals and the damage they may cause. Free-radicals are molecules that may damage your skin cells, such as pollution.
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice also contains sugars. These sugars come in the form of monosaccharides and polysaccharides, folic acid, and choline. These sugars are able to help bind moisture to skin.
It also contains minerals such as calcium, 12 anthraquinones, fatty acids, amino acids, and Vitamin B12.
Learn more about Aloe Barbadensis Leaf JuiceDimethicone is a type of synthetic silicone created from natural materials such as quartz. It is also known as polydimethylsiloxane.
What it does:
Dimethicone comes in different viscosities:
Depending on the viscosity, dimethicone has different properties.
Ingredients lists don't always show which type is used, so we recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the viscosity.
This ingredient is unlikely to cause irritation because it does not get absorbed into skin. However, people with silicone allergies should be careful about using this ingredient.
Note: Dimethicone may contribute to pilling. This is because it is not oil or water soluble, so pilling may occur when layered with products. When mixed with heavy oils in a formula, the outcome is also quite greasy.
Learn more about DimethiconeGlycerin (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 GlycerinMenthyl lactate is an ester of menthol and lactic acid. It is often used as a cooling agent and fragrance.
When applied topically, this ingredient leaves a refreshing sensation like menthol, but is less irritating.
Methyl Gluceth-20 is a humectant. Humectants help draw moisture from the air to your skin.
It is created by combining polyethylene glycol with glucose.
Methylparaben is a synthetic preservative and one of the most widely used in the world. It has a simple, but important job: prevent your products from going bad by stopping bacteria, yeast, and mold from growing.
Typical use levels are low, often 0.1-0.3%.
This is also one of the most heavily studied preservatives out there and major regulatory bodies have repeatedly given it the green light.
In 2023, the EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) confirmed that this ingredient is safe up to 0.4% on its own, of up to 0.8% when mixed with other paraben esters.
Here's the science behind the noise behind parabens/hormones as well:
Methylparaben shows very weak estrogen-like activity in vitro tests (more than 1,000x weaker than your body's own estradiol). In vivo (live-organism) studies don't support a meaningful endocrine-disrupting effect either.
You get a stronger estrogenic effect from eating tofu, actually.
It's also a low sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon; they usually happen on damage or broken skin.
There is a caveat: France has proposed to formally re-examine its endocrine classification in 2025 so the regulatory conversation isn't fully closed as of yet.
But as it stands today, this ingredient is considered safe at permitted levels.
Learn more about MethylparabenPolysorbate 60 is used to help stabilize products. It is a surfactant and emulsifier. These properties help keep ingredients together in a product. Surfactants help reduce surface tension between ingredients with different states, such as liquids and solids. Emulsifiers help prevent oils and waters from separating.
Polysorbate 60 is sorbitol-based and created from the ethoxylation of sorbitan. Ethoxylation is a chemical reaction used to add ethylene oxide. Sorbitan is a the dehydrated version of sorbitol, a sugar found in fruits.
In this case, the 60 comes from reacting 60 units of ethylene oxide with sorbitan.
Polysorbates are commonly used in medicine and foods.
Learn more about Polysorbate 60Propylparaben is a preservative and one of the most widely used members of the paraben family (it's been used in cosmetics for over a century now).
It works by disrupting microbial cell membranes and enzymes, and is a broad-spectrum protector that works exceptionally well against molds, yeasts, and gram-positive bacteria.
You'll likely see it paired with methylparaben to cover the full range (including gram-negative bacteria).
This ingredient is effective at low concentrations (~0.2-0.5%) and stable across a wide pH range (4.5-7.5 pH). It's effectiveness drops off above pH 8 and it can lose potency when combined with non-ionic surfactants like polysorbate 80 due to micellization.
The regulatory bodies have concluded this ingredient to be safe as used in cosmetics. The EU has capped it at 0.14% and combined parabens are not to exceed 0.8%.
While parabens do cross the stratum corneum, only about 1% remains for absorption into the body. This is because most of it is metabolized within living skin.
Learn more about PropylparabenWater. 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 WaterHydrocortisone is the name for the hormone cortisol when used in medication.
It is medication and not technically a cosmetic ingredient. Most countries allow topical creams to contain up between 0.05 - 2.5% (depending on the country) of hydrocortisone without a prescription. Higher amounts usually require a prescription from a professional.
Hydrocortisone can help relieve rashes, eczema, itching, and other inflammation induced skin conditions.
We recommend speaking with a professional about using this ingredient.
Learn more about Hydrocortisone
