What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningDimethicone
Emollient
Ceteareth-20
CleansingPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Glycereth-26
Humectant
Parfum
Masking
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil
Emollient
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
PEG-20 Stearate
Emulsifying
Disodium EDTA
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Triethanolamine
BufferingBenzyl Benzoate
Antimicrobial
Linalool
Perfuming
Diazolidinyl Urea
Preservative
Methylisothiazolinone
Preservative
CI 19140
Cosmetic ColorantCI 16035
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Dimethicone, Ceteareth-20, Propylene Glycol, Glycerin, Glycereth-26, Parfum, Cetearyl Alcohol, Carbomer, Glyceryl Stearate, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Persea Gratissima Oil, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Panthenol, PEG-20 Stearate, Disodium EDTA, Tocopheryl Acetate, Triethanolamine, Benzyl Benzoate, Linalool, Diazolidinyl Urea, Methylisothiazolinone, CI 19140, CI 16035
Water
Skin ConditioningPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Phenyl Trimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Isostearyl Palmitate
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialEthylhexyl Salicylate
UV Absorber
Sorbitan Oleate
Emulsifying
Parfum
Masking
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingMyristamidopropyl Pg-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate
Skin ConditioningAminomethyl Propanol
BufferingSteardimonium Hydroxypropyl Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Linalool
Perfuming
Hexyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Citronellol
Perfuming
Water, Propylene Glycol, Persea Gratissima Oil, Phenyl Trimethicone, Glycerin, Isostearyl Palmitate, Glyceryl Stearate, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Sorbitan Oleate, Parfum, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Myristamidopropyl Pg-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate, Aminomethyl Propanol, Steardimonium Hydroxypropyl Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Butylene Glycol, Linalool, Hexyl Cinnamal, Citronellol
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 StearateLinalool is a fragrance and helps add scent to products. It's derived from common plants such as cinnamon, mint, citrus, and lavender.
Like Limonene, this ingredient oxidizes when exposed to air. Oxidized linalool can cause allergies and skin sensitivity.
This ingredient has a scent that is floral, spicy tropical, and citrus-like.
Learn more about LinaloolParfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.
Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.
For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.
The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.
For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.
One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.
Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.
Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.
The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.
Learn more about ParfumThis ingredient is also known as Avocado oil. It's the cold-pressed oil from the flesh of the avocado fruit packed with fatty acids (mostly oleic acid).
The rich fatty acid profile allows it to function as a skin conditioning agent and emollient; it helps soften and smooth skin while reducing water loss.
Preclinical research has found that topical avocado oil increased collagen synthesis and reduced inflammation during wound healing, giving it some skin-repairing credibility.
The unsaponifiable fraction of the oil is also interesting: studies on avocado unsaponifiables showed that it helped skin produce more collagen and other structural compounds that support healing.
The CIR Expert Panel has found this ingredient to be non-irritating in formulations.
It's a great ingredient for dry or compromised skin. Just know it may not be fungal acne safe. This is because the oleic acid content falls within the range that Malassezia can use as a food source.
Learn more about Persea Gratissima OilPropylene Glycol is a synthetic, colorless, odorless liquid that has been a staple in cosmetics for decades. It is a skin conditioning agent, humectant, and solvent.
As a humectant, it draw water to the skin to reduce flaking and restore suppleness. It's also a solvent that helps dissolve other actives and keeps formulas stable across temperature changes.
The CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be nontoxic and clinical studies show no sensitization at cosmetic use concentrations.
True allergic reactions are quite rare: a 15-year retrospective study of 6,751 patients found only 0.31% had a positive reaction (and less than half were considered clinically relevant).
It seemed that when sensitization does occur, it's most commonly linked to topical medication (like corticosteroids) and not cosmetics. Allergic contact dermatitis also appears largely limited to individuals with underlying skin conditions.
Overall, propylene glycol is a well-studied ingredient that most people can tolerate without issue.
Learn more about Propylene GlycolWater. 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
