What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil
Emollient
Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingIsohexadecane
EmollientPolysorbate 80
Emulsifying
Beta-Glucan
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Serine
Masking
Urea
Buffering
Sorbitol
Humectant
Sodium Chloride
MaskingAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Rosa Moschata Seed Oil
Emollient
Avena Sativa Kernel Flour
Abrasive
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Triethanolamine
BufferingBenzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Sorbic Acid
Preservative
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Disodium EDTA
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Sorbitan Oleate
Emulsifying
Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Cetyl Alcohol, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Isohexadecane, Polysorbate 80, Beta-Glucan, Cetearyl Glucoside, Pentylene Glycol, Sodium Lactate, Lactic Acid, Serine, Urea, Sorbitol, Sodium Chloride, Allantoin, Rosa Moschata Seed Oil, Avena Sativa Kernel Flour, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Triethanolamine, Benzyl Alcohol, Sorbic Acid, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Disodium EDTA, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sorbitan Oleate
Water
Skin ConditioningCarthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
Masking
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Ricinus Communis Seed Oil
Masking
Avena Sativa Kernel Flour
Abrasive
Glyceryl Distearate
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Distearyldimonium Chloride
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Dimethicone
Emollient
Disodium EDTA
Water, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Persea Gratissima Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, Avena Sativa Kernel Flour, Glyceryl Distearate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Distearyldimonium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Alcohol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Panthenol, Dimethicone, Disodium EDTA
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Oatmeal flour is created by grinding down the kernels of oats. Oatmeal helps sooth, hydrate, and protect the skin.
Oatmeal kernel flour has abrasive, or exfoliating, properties.
Learn all about the skin benefits of colloidal oatmeal here.
Learn more about Avena Sativa Kernel FlourBenzyl Alcohol is an aromatic alcohol with several roles: it's a preservative, solvent, and mild fragrance component with a floral scent.
This ingredient has been deemed safe for use in cosmetic formulations at concentrations up to 5%, and up to 10% in hair dyes. You'll typically see 0.5-2% in most rinse-off or leave-on products.
As a preservative, it works by disrupting the membrane of microbial proteins. This helps keep bacteria and fungi from growing in your products.
The sensitization picture is actually quite assuring as well:of nearly 71,000 patients patch tested with benzyl alcohol, only 0.21% showed a positive reaction with most of them being weakly positive.
This led researchers to conclude that benzyl alcohol cannot be regarded as a significant contact allergen.
It is worth noting this ingredient is classified as one of the EU's regulated fragrance allergens and restricted to 1% in finished products.
Labels must also declare it in concentrations above 0.001% in leave-on products and 0.01% in rinse-off products.
At concentrations around 5%, localized redness and itching can appear as a direct irritant response and not as a true allergic reaction.
Learn more about Benzyl AlcoholCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride (aka MCT Oil) is a lightweight emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping to prevent moisture loss.
Though it behaves like an oil, it is not technically one due to its chemical composition. One perk of this ingredient is that it is very stable, resistant to oxidation, and unlikely to go rancid.
In practice, that translates to a long shelf life and a consistently elegant skin feel.
While there is an assumption Caprylic Triglyceride can clog pores due to it being derived from coconut oil, there is no research supporting this. Just patch test if you have concerns.
Fractionated coconut oil and MCT Oil are both listed as Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride according to INCI. This is because INCI names are based on the ingredient’s final chemical composition and not its marketing name or source.
This ingredient is treated as the gold standard fungal acne safe oil. Even though it is coconut derived, the problematic lauric acid is stripped out.
This leaves just caprylic (C8) and capric (C10) acid. These chain lengths actually trend antifungal; a 2020 study found caprylic acid was enough to disrupt Malassezia furfur cell membrane, with a caprylic acid derivative damaging membrane structures at concentrations as low as 0.2%.
Learn more about Caprylic/Capric TriglycerideCetearyl 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 AlcoholDisodium 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 EDTAPhenoxyethanol 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.
Tocopheryl 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
