What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSilica
Abrasive
Glycerin
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Nylon-11
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Steareth-21
CleansingSteareth-2
EmulsifyingJojoba Esters
Emollient
Pumice
Abrasive
Hydrogenated Polydecene
EmollientSodium Lauroyl Oat Amino Acids
CleansingGelidiella Acerosa Extract
Skin ProtectingHypnea Musciformis Extract
Skin ProtectingGentiana Lutea Root Extract
Skin ConditioningPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Pearl Powder
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Acetyl Glucosamine
Skin Conditioning
PEG-32
HumectantPEG-6
HumectantAmmonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingButylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingParfum
Masking
Tetrasodium EDTA
Methylchloroisothiazolinone
Preservative
Water, Silica, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Nylon-11, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Steareth-21, Steareth-2, Jojoba Esters, Pumice, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Sodium Lauroyl Oat Amino Acids, Gelidiella Acerosa Extract, Hypnea Musciformis Extract, Gentiana Lutea Root Extract, Pentylene Glycol, Pearl Powder, Bisabolol, Acetyl Glucosamine, PEG-32, PEG-6, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Coco-Glucoside, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Hydroxide, Parfum, Tetrasodium EDTA, Methylchloroisothiazolinone
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Isostearyl Neopentanoate
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Dimethicone
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Acetyl Hexapeptide-8
Humectant
Acetyl Octapeptide-3
Humectant
Aminopropyl Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Skin Conditioning
Algae Extract
EmollientSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12
Skin Conditioning
Sigesbeckia Orientalis Extract
Skin ConditioningLactis Proteinum
Skin ConditioningDipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate
Skin Conditioning
Acetyl Glucosamine
Skin Conditioning
Caffeine
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Glycine Soja Seed Extract
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Isohexadecane
EmollientPetrolatum
Emollient
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Glycereth-26
Humectant
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingTromethamine
BufferingGlyceryl Polymethacrylate
PEG-8
HumectantPolysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Hexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingPolysorbate 80
Emulsifying
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingAcrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSorbitan Oleate
Emulsifying
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Sodium Citrate
BufferingDisodium EDTA
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Water, Glycerin, Isostearyl Neopentanoate, Butylene Glycol, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Dimethicone, Cetearyl Alcohol, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Acetyl Octapeptide-3, Aminopropyl Ascorbyl Phosphate, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Algae Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12, Sigesbeckia Orientalis Extract, Lactis Proteinum, Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate, Acetyl Glucosamine, Caffeine, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Glycine Soja Seed Extract, Cetearyl Glucoside, Tocopheryl Acetate, Isohexadecane, Petrolatum, Caprylyl Glycol, Glycereth-26, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Tromethamine, Glyceryl Polymethacrylate, PEG-8, Polysorbate 20, Hexylene Glycol, Polysorbate 80, Carbomer, Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer, Sorbitan Oleate, Cetyl Alcohol, Sodium Citrate, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate
Alternatives
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Acetyl Glucosamine is an antioxidant and humectant. It is an amino acid sugar and is naturally found in our skin.
The cool thing about this ingredient? It helps the skin produce hyaluronic acid and boost hydration. It also has antioxidant benefits to protect skin cells.
When paired with niacinamide, Acetyl Glucosamine has been shown to be effective at reducing discoloration.
Learn more about Acetyl GlucosamineAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer is a synthetic polymer. It is used to thicken, emulsify, and improve the texture of products.
As an emulsifier, it helps stabilize oil-in-water emulsions to give products an elegant feel when applied.
It can also form a thin protective film on skin. One study found that a formula using this polymer helped slow down how quickly other ingredients (like DEET) were absorbed through skin.
A 2024 study of over 1,300 patients confirmed that sensitization to this ingredient is rare. It is also non-mutagenic and has a clean track record.
Learn more about Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate CrosspolymerButylene 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 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
