What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Petrolatum
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Behentrimonium Chloride
Preservative
Isopropyl Palmitate
Emollient
Cetyl-Pg Hydroxyethyl Palmitamide
Skin ConditioningIsopropyl Alcohol
Solvent
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Benzalkonium Chloride
Antimicrobial
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil
Masking
Avena Sativa Meal Extract
SoothingEucalyptus Globulus Leaf Extract
Perfuming
Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
EmulsifyingCeramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Cholesterol
Emollient
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPolyacrylic Acid
Emulsion StabilisingCeramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Limonene
Perfuming
Water, Glycerin, Petrolatum, Cetearyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Behentrimonium Chloride, Isopropyl Palmitate, Cetyl-Pg Hydroxyethyl Palmitamide, Isopropyl Alcohol, Butylene Glycol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Benzalkonium Chloride, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Avena Sativa Meal Extract, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Extract, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Phytosphingosine, Cholesterol, Xanthan Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Polyacrylic Acid, Ceramide EOP, Limonene
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Paraffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Sorbitol
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Emulsifying Wax Nf
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Lecithin
Emollient
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingCeteareth-20
CleansingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Sodium Citrate
BufferingTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Citric Acid
Buffering
Avena Sativa Kernel Oil
Skin Conditioning
Titanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Water, Glycerin, Paraffinum Liquidum, Cetyl Alcohol, Sorbitol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Emulsifying Wax Nf, Palmitic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Stearic Acid, Cetearyl Alcohol, Lecithin, Carbomer, Sodium Hydroxide, Ceteareth-20, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Citrate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Panthenol, Citric Acid, Avena Sativa Kernel Oil, Titanium Dioxide
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
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.
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 GlycerinWater. 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
