What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
No benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Dimethicone
Emollient
Cetyl Ethylhexanoate
EmollientIsopentyldiol
Humectant
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Behentrimonium Chloride
Preservative
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine
EmulsifyingSorbitol
Humectant
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantDimethiconol
Emollient
Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
Amodimethicone
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Maltitol
HumectantParfum
Masking
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Trideceth-10
CleansingSodium Gluconate
ChelatingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningAnthemis Nobilis Flower Water
Masking
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Propanediol
Solvent
Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil
Emollient
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Camellia Japonica Seed Oil
Emollient
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Oryza Sativa Bran Oil
Emollient
Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Biotin
AntiseborrhoeicTripeptide-13
Skin Conditioning
Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil
Emollient
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Laminaria Japonica Extract
Skin Protecting
Sodium Metaphosphate
BufferingAvena Sativa Peptide
Skin Conditioning
Arginine
Masking
Serine
Masking
Glutamic Acid
Humectant
Threonine
Leucine
Skin ConditioningProline
Skin Conditioning
Aspartic Acid
Masking
Isoleucine
Skin ConditioningGlycine
Buffering
Soluble Collagen
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Phenylalanine
Masking
Alanine
Masking
Tyrosine
MaskingLysine
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
Humectant
Histidine
Humectant
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Caffeine
Skin Conditioning
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Valine
MaskingSodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Humectant
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Methionine
Skin ConditioningCystine
MaskingTryptophan
MaskingCeramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein
Skin ConditioningCeramide Ns
Skin Conditioning
Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Cholesterol
Emollient
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide As
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Water, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Isopentyldiol, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Chloride, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Sorbitol, Dipropylene Glycol, Dimethiconol, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Amodimethicone, Lactic Acid, Maltitol, Parfum, Caprylyl Glycol, Trideceth-10, Sodium Gluconate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Water, 1,2-Hexanediol, Propanediol, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Camellia Japonica Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Oryza Sativa Bran Oil, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Biotin, Tripeptide-13, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tocopherol, Laminaria Japonica Extract, Sodium Metaphosphate, Avena Sativa Peptide, Arginine, Serine, Glutamic Acid, Threonine, Leucine, Proline, Aspartic Acid, Isoleucine, Glycine, Soluble Collagen, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Phenylalanine, Alanine, Tyrosine, Lysine, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Histidine, Hyaluronic Acid, Caffeine, Panthenol, Niacinamide, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Butylene Glycol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Valine, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Stearic Acid, Methionine, Cystine, Tryptophan, Ceramide NP, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, Ceramide Ns, Phytosphingosine, Cholesterol, Ceramide AP, Ceramide As, Ceramide EOP
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
This ingredient is a preservative and often used for it's anti-static properties. You'll most likely see this ingredient in hair conditioners.
It does not cause irritation or sensitization in leave-on products at 1-5%.
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.
A 2019 study has also observed Malassezia growth in the presence of this ingredient, confirming it to be not-fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Cetearyl AlcoholWater. 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
