What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Cetyl Ethylhexanoate
EmollientCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetearyl Olivate
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Elaeis Guineensis Oil
Emollient
Betaine
Humectant
Elaeis Guineensis Kernel Oil
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingBeeswax
Emulsion Stabilising
Cyclohexasiloxane
Emollient
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Skin Conditioning
Limonene
Perfuming
Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil
Masking
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingLinalool
Perfuming
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantHydroxypropyl Bislauramide Mea
EmollientHydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Citral
Perfuming
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Ceramide Ns
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide As
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Cholesterol
Emollient
Ceramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Elaeis Guineensis Oil, Betaine, Elaeis Guineensis Kernel Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Beeswax, Cyclohexasiloxane, Ethylhexylglycerin, Panthenol, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Limonene, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil, Xanthan Gum, Linalool, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ceramide NP, Dipropylene Glycol, Hydroxypropyl Bislauramide Mea, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Citral, Glyceryl Stearate, Ceramide Ns, Ceramide As, Ceramide AP, Cholesterol, Ceramide EOP
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Paraffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Snail Secretion Filtrate
Skin Conditioning
Hippophae Rhamnoides Extract
MaskingChaenomeles Sinensis Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Sorbitan Stearate
Emulsifying
Dimethicone
Emollient
Polyacrylate-13
Polyisobutene
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingTriethanolamine
BufferingDisodium EDTA
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Methylparaben
Preservative
Propylparaben
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Water, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Paraffinum Liquidum, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Snail Secretion Filtrate, Hippophae Rhamnoides Extract, Chaenomeles Sinensis Fruit Extract, Butylene Glycol, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Stearate, Dimethicone, Polyacrylate-13, Polyisobutene, Polysorbate 20, Sorbitan Isostearate, Carbomer, Triethanolamine, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Parfum
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.
Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.
Learn more about Butylene GlycolCetearyl 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 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 StearateWater. 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
