What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCarthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
Masking
Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
Antioxidant
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Glycerin
Humectant
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil
Emollient
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Equisetum Arvense Extract
AstringentChamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Aloe Barbadensis Extract
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Stearate Citrate
Emollient
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningWater, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Stearic Acid, Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Tocopheryl Acetate, Glyceryl Stearate, Polysorbate 60, Glycerin, Allantoin, Panthenol, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil, Persea Gratissima Oil, Equisetum Arvense Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Extract, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Cetearyl Glucoside, Polysorbate 20, Xanthan Gum, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin
Colloidal Oatmeal 1%
Absorbent
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Arctium Lappa Root Extract
Skin Conditioning
Arctostaphylos Uva-Ursi Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Chamomilla Recutita Flower
Skin Conditioning
Coco-Caprylate
Emollient
Coptis Chinensis Root Extract
Antioxidant
Dimethicone
Emollient
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningFagara Zanthoxyloides Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate Citrate
Emollient
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Antimicrobial
Melia Azadirachta Leaf
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Water
Skin ConditioningSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingStearic Acid
Cleansing
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Colloidal Oatmeal 1%, Allantoin, Arctium Lappa Root Extract, Arctostaphylos Uva-Ursi Leaf Extract, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Glucoside, Cetyl Alcohol, Chamomilla Recutita Flower, Coco-Caprylate, Coptis Chinensis Root Extract, Dimethicone, Ethylhexylglycerin, Fagara Zanthoxyloides Fruit Extract, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Melia Azadirachta Leaf, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Water, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Stearic Acid, Stearyl Alcohol, Tocopheryl Acetate
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Allantoin is a soothing ingredient known for its protective and moisturizing properties; it's basically a quiet workhorse ingredient you can find in a huge range of cosmetics.
Though it can be derived from the comfrey plant, allantoin is produced synthetically for cosmetic products to ensure purity.
Research shows it can encourage your skin cells to turn over and renew by stimulating keratinocyte and fibroblast proliferation.
It also has mild keratolytic properties to help loosen and shed dead skin cells without being harsh.
Studies also suggest allantoin can help calm inflammation by dialing down some of the chemical signals your skin sends out when it is irritated.
This ingredient is typically used in the 0.1-0.5% range, and the FDA recognizes it as a skin protectant in OTC products up to 2%.
Overall, allantoin is a wonderful addition to most routines; it is stable across a wide pH range (~4-8), works well with other ingredients, and is considered non-sensitizing/non-irritating.
Fun fact: Allantoin is naturally occurring in comfrey root, beets, chamomile, and wheat sprouts. Our bodies even produce it as a byproduct of uric acid metabolism.
Learn more about AllantoinCetearyl Glucoside is a sugar-based emulsifier. It is usually made by combining cetearyl alcohol and glucose.
Belonging to the aklyl polyglucoside (APG) family, Cetearyl Glucoside has a sugar "head" that loves water and a fatty "tail" that loves oil. This means it can shuffle oil and water into a stable and smooth emulsion.
Typical use levels are between 1-5% and this ingredient is considered to be non-irritating by the CIR Expert Panel Review.
Once applied, your skin's glucoside hydrolases breaks it down to the parent fatty alcohol and glucose. This is why this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Cetearyl GlucosideCetyl Alcohol is a fatty alcohol. Fatty Alcohols are most often used as an emollient or to thicken a product.
Its main roles are:
Though it has "alcohol" in the name, it is not related to denatured alcohol or ethyl alcohol.
The FDA allows products labeled "alcohol-free" to have fatty alcohols.
Learn more about Cetyl AlcoholEthylhexylglycerin 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 StearateGlyceryl Stearate Citrate is a citric acid ester of glyceryl stearate.
It is an emulsifier, emollient, and a surfactant.
Emulsifiers help stabilize a product. It does this by preventing certain ingredients from separating. Common ingredients include oils and water, which do not mix naturally. Emulsifiers have properties that help keep ingredients such as these together.
Emollients help soothe and soften the skin. They do this by creating a protective film on your skin. This barrier helps trap moisture and keeps your skin hydrated. Emollients may be effective at treating dry or itchy skin.
Surfactants help gather oils, dirt, and other pollutants from the skin. This helps them to be easily rinsed away.
Learn more about Glyceryl Stearate CitratePhenoxyethanol 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 AcidTocopheryl Acetate is AKA Vitamin E. It is an antioxidant and protects your skin from free radicals. Free radicals damage the skin by breaking down collagen.
One study found using Tocopheryl Acetate with Vitamin C decreased the number of sunburned cells.
Tocopheryl Acetate is commonly found in both skincare and dietary supplements.
Learn more about Tocopheryl AcetateWater. 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
