What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
HumectantCetyl Ethylhexanoate
EmollientTriethylhexanoin
MaskingGlycerin
HumectantHydrogenated Palm Oil
EmollientOlea Europaea Fruit Oil
MaskingSqualane
EmollientGlyceryl Stearate Se
EmulsifyingStearic Acid
CleansingBehenyl Alcohol
EmollientPentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningPolysorbate 60
EmulsifyingLeuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
AntimicrobialIsostearic Acid
CleansingPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingSerine
MaskingDipotassium Glycyrrhizate
HumectantPotassium Hydroxide
BufferingTocopherol
AntioxidantSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantIsostearoyl Hydrolyzed Collagen
CleansingWater, Butylene Glycol, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Triethylhexanoin, Glycerin, Hydrogenated Palm Oil, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Squalane, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Stearic Acid, Behenyl Alcohol, Pentylene Glycol, Polysorbate 60, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Isostearic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Carbomer, Serine, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Potassium Hydroxide, Tocopherol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Isostearoyl Hydrolyzed Collagen
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
HumectantGlycerin
HumectantDimethicone
EmollientPentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate
EmollientHydrogenated Poly(C6-14 Olefin)
EmollientStearic Acid
CleansingBehenyl Alcohol
EmollientPalmitic Acid
EmollientCetyl Ethylhexanoate
Emollient1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningArachidyl Alcohol
EmollientC14-22 Alcohols
Emulsion StabilisingHydroxypropyl Bispalmitamide Mea
EmollientPolyacrylate-13
Arachidyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingMannitol
HumectantC12-20 Alkyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingPolyisobutene
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientPanax Ginseng Root Water
MaskingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningAcrylates/Ammonium Methacrylate Copolymer
Polysorbate 20
EmulsifyingSorbitan Isostearate
EmulsifyingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingPerilla Ocymoides Seed Extract
AntioxidantMyristic Acid
CleansingArachidic Acid
CleansingCholesterol
EmollientBupleurum Falcatum Root Extract
Skin ConditioningAngelica Acutiloba Root Extract
Skin ConditioningOphiopogon Japonicus Root Extract
Skin ConditioningGlucose
HumectantSilica
AbrasiveGlycine Max Oil
EmollientCeramide NP
Skin ConditioningPhytosphingosine
Skin ConditioningHydrogenated Lecithin
EmulsifyingTocopherol
AntioxidantCanola Oil
EmollientRosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialWater, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Hydrogenated Poly(C6-14 Olefin), Stearic Acid, Behenyl Alcohol, Palmitic Acid, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Arachidyl Alcohol, C14-22 Alcohols, Hydroxypropyl Bispalmitamide Mea, Polyacrylate-13, Arachidyl Glucoside, Mannitol, C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside, Polyisobutene, Glyceryl Caprylate, Panax Ginseng Root Water, Ethylhexylglycerin, Acrylates/Ammonium Methacrylate Copolymer, Polysorbate 20, Sorbitan Isostearate, Carbomer, Perilla Ocymoides Seed Extract, Myristic Acid, Arachidic Acid, Cholesterol, Bupleurum Falcatum Root Extract, Angelica Acutiloba Root Extract, Ophiopogon Japonicus Root Extract, Glucose, Silica, Glycine Max Oil, Ceramide NP, Phytosphingosine, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Tocopherol, Canola Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Behenyl Alcohol is a type of fatty alcohol (these are different from the drying, solvent alcohols).
Fatty Alcohols have hydrating properties and are most often used as an emollient or to thicken a product. They are usually derived from natural fats and oils; behenyl alcohol is derived from the fats of vegetable oils.
Emollients help keep your skin soft and hydrated by creating a film that traps moisture in.
In 2000, Behenyl Alcohol was approved by the US as medicine to reduce the duration of cold sores.
Learn more about Behenyl AlcoholButylene 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 GlycolCarbomer 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 CarbomerCetyl Ethylhexanoate is an emollient ester. It comes from cetearyl alcohol and 2-ethylhexanoic acid.
Cetyl Ethylhexanoate is an emollient that adds a velvety feel to skin without being greasy or oily. Emollients help trap moisture into your skin, keeping your skin soft and hydrated.
Glycerin (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 GlycerinStearic 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 AcidTocopherol (also known as Vitamin E) is a common antioxidant used to help protect the skin from free-radicals and strengthen the skin barrier. It's also fat soluble - this means our skin is great at absorbing it.
Vitamin E also helps keep your natural skin lipids healthy. Your lipid skin barrier naturally consists of lipids, ceramides, and fatty acids. Vitamin E offers extra protection for your skin’s lipid barrier, keeping your skin healthy and nourished.
Another benefit is a bit of UV protection. Vitamin E helps reduce the damage caused by UVB rays. (It should not replace your sunscreen). Combining it with Vitamin C can decrease sunburned cells and hyperpigmentation after UV exposure.
You might have noticed Vitamin E + C often paired together. This is because it is great at stabilizing Vitamin C. Using the two together helps increase the effectiveness of both ingredients.
There are often claims that Vitamin E can reduce/prevent scarring, but these claims haven't been confirmed by scientific research.
Learn more about TocopherolWater. 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