What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Paraffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Petrolatum
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Sodium Polyacrylate
Absorbent
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningAminomethyl Propanol
BufferingCeramide Ng
Skin Conditioning
Citric Acid
Buffering
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingWater
Skin ConditioningSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Polyglyceryl-4 Oleate
Emulsifying
Dicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientGlycerin
Humectant
Propanediol
Solvent
Squalane
Emollient
C13-15 Alkane
SolventMagnesium Sulfate
Polyglyceryl-3 Polyricinoleate
Emulsifying
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Disteardimonium Hectorite
StabilisingDisodium Lauriminodipropionate Tocopheryl Phosphates
CleansingHydrogenated Polydecene
EmollientDibutyl Adipate
EmollientEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
Antioxidant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Cholesterol
Emollient
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Tetraacetylphytosphingosine
Skin ConditioningSilver
Cosmetic ColorantXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCeramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Glycosphingolipids
EmollientWater, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Panthenol, Polyglyceryl-4 Oleate, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Glycerin, Propanediol, Squalane, C13-15 Alkane, Magnesium Sulfate, Polyglyceryl-3 Polyricinoleate, Phenoxyethanol, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Disodium Lauriminodipropionate Tocopheryl Phosphates, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Dibutyl Adipate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Ceramide NP, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Ceramide AP, Cholesterol, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Phytosphingosine, Stearic Acid, Pentylene Glycol, Tetraacetylphytosphingosine, Silver, Xanthan Gum, Ceramide EOP, Glycosphingolipids
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Ethylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about EthylhexylglycerinGlycerin (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 StearatePhenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.
Stearic Acid is a fatty acid that is already found in your skin. It's one of the free fatty acids that works alongside ceramides and cholesterols to maintain your barrier.
In cosmetics, it is a multitasker:
Safety-wise, the CIR Expert Panel has concluded it to be safe in cosmetics when formulated to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing.
Free stearic acid is a C18 fatty acid that the Malassezia yeast can substrate, so this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Stearic AcidWater. 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
