What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Petrolatum
Emollient
Paraffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
PEG-100 Stearate
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Ethylhexyl Palmitate
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ammonium Polyacrylate
StabilisingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingDisodium EDTA
Polysorbate 80
Emulsifying
Squalane
Emollient
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Skin Conditioning
Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil
Humectant
Adansonia Digitata Oil
Emollient
Water, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Petrolatum, Paraffinum Liquidum, Stearic Acid, PEG-100 Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Phenoxyethanol, Ammonium Polyacrylate, Caprylyl Glycol, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Dimethicone, Chlorphenesin, Potassium Hydroxide, Disodium EDTA, Polysorbate 80, Squalane, Niacinamide, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil, Adansonia Digitata Oil
Water
Skin ConditioningCoco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Isopropyl Palmitate
Emollient
Ceteareth-20
CleansingGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Hamamelis Virginiana Extract
Antiseborrhoeic
Dimethicone
Emollient
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Rosa Rugosa Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingDisodium EDTA
Pelargonium Graveolens Oil
Masking
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Methylisothiazolinone
Preservative
Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate
Preservative
Water, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Isopropyl Palmitate, Ceteareth-20, Glyceryl Stearate, Propylene Glycol, Hamamelis Virginiana Extract, Dimethicone, Tocopheryl Acetate, Tocopherol, Phenoxyethanol, Rosa Rugosa Flower Extract, Carbomer, Disodium EDTA, Pelargonium Graveolens Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, Methylisothiazolinone, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Carbomer is a high-molecular weight polymer of acrylic acid. It is used to form gels and thicken formulas.
Due to its large molecular size, carbomer has minimal skin penetration and is considered an inert ingredient.
A high amount of carbomer can cause pilling or balling up of products. Don't worry, most products contain 1% or less of carbomer.
Learn more about CarbomerCetearyl 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 AlcoholDimethicone is a type of synthetic silicone created from natural materials such as quartz. It is also known as polydimethylsiloxane.
What it does:
Dimethicone comes in different viscosities:
Depending on the viscosity, dimethicone has different properties.
Ingredients lists don't always show which type is used, so we recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the viscosity.
This ingredient is unlikely to cause irritation because it does not get absorbed into skin. However, people with silicone allergies should be careful about using this ingredient.
Note: Dimethicone may contribute to pilling. This is because it is not oil or water soluble, so pilling may occur when layered with products. When mixed with heavy oils in a formula, the outcome is also quite greasy.
Learn more about DimethiconeDisodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).
Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAGlyceryl 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 StearatePhenoxyethanol 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.
Water. 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
