What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningParaffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Sorbitol
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Potassium Lauryl Phosphate
SurfactantDimethicone
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningParfum
Masking
Methylparaben
Preservative
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingFructose
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Phosphatidylcholine
EmulsifyingCeramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Phytosterols
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingHydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Avena Sativa Kernel Extract
Abrasive
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
CI 19140
Cosmetic ColorantCI 15985
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Paraffinum Liquidum, Sorbitol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Stearic Acid, Potassium Lauryl Phosphate, Dimethicone, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Parfum, Methylparaben, Xanthan Gum, Fructose, Butylene Glycol, Phosphatidylcholine, Ceramide NP, Phytosterols, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Hydroxyacetophenone, Avena Sativa Kernel Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, CI 19140, CI 15985
Glycerin
Humectant
Urea
Buffering
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Glucoside
Humectant
Cyclomethicone
Emollient
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Methylpropanediol
SolventOctyldodecanol
Emollient
Dicaprylyl Ether
Emollient
Tapioca Starch
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides
Emollient
Arginine Hcl
Skin ConditioningSodium PCA
Humectant
Dimethiconol
Emollient
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Carnitine
Cleansing
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Mannitol
Humectant
Serine
Masking
Sucrose
Humectant
Citrulline
Skin ConditioningGlycogen
HumectantAlanine
Masking
Threonine
Glutamic Acid
Humectant
Sodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Cetearyl Sulfate
Cleansing
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin, Urea, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Glucoside, Cyclomethicone, Sodium Lactate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Methylpropanediol, Octyldodecanol, Dicaprylyl Ether, Tapioca Starch, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides, Arginine Hcl, Sodium PCA, Dimethiconol, Lactic Acid, Carnitine, Ceramide NP, Mannitol, Serine, Sucrose, Citrulline, Glycogen, Alanine, Threonine, Glutamic Acid, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate, 1,2-Hexanediol
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Ceramide NP (formerly known as Ceramide 3) is one of the skin's naturally occurring lipids.
Since ceramides are the major lipid components of the skin, they are crucial for maintaining skin barrier and hydration. Ceramide NP most closely mirrors the dominant kind in human skin amongst ceramide subtypes.
This ceramide works by slotting into gaps within the stratum corneum's lipid matrix to limit trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) and shield the skin against external irritants.
A study with 312 patients found that using a ceramide-containing routine for 4 weeks reduced the severity of atopic dermatitis by over 61%.
Another clinical study in subjects aged 60 and older found that a ceramide body wash and moisturizer improved skin dryness and itchy skin in 15 days.
Overall, ceramides are considered non-irritating and safety tests have found little to no observable adverse effects from using this ingredient.
Ceramide NP is usually sourced from plants (like soybean or rice bran), or produced synthetically.
Learn more about Ceramide NPCetearyl 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.
A 2019 study has also observed Malassezia growth in the presence of this ingredient, confirming it to be not-fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Cetearyl Alcohol
