What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningStearic Acid
Cleansing
Paraffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Ceteareth-20
CleansingGlycerin
Humectant
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
Sodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningRetinyl Acetate
Skin Conditioning
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Triethanolamine
BufferingPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Madecassoside
Antioxidant
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingAloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Disodium EDTA
Water, Stearic Acid, Paraffinum Liquidum, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ceteareth-20, Glycerin, Sodium Lactate, Sodium Gluconate, Retinyl Acetate, Propylene Glycol, Triethanolamine, Panthenol, Phenoxyethanol, Pentylene Glycol, Madecassoside, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Disodium EDTA
Benzoyl Peroxide 10%
Water
Skin ConditioningPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Sorbitol
Humectant
Polyacrylamide
C13-14 Isoparaffin
Emollient
Cyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Cyclohexasiloxane
Emollient
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingLaureth-7
EmulsifyingTriethanolamine
BufferingDisodium EDTA
Diazolidinyl Urea
Preservative
Methylparaben
Preservative
Propylparaben
Preservative
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
Masking
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Retinol
Skin Conditioning
Myristoyl Tripeptide-4
Skin Conditioning
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract
AstringentPalmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Oligopeptide
Cleansing
Chrysin
Skin ConditioningDimethicone
Emollient
Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer
HumectantSteareth-20
CleansingN-Hydroxysuccinimide
Skin ConditioningHexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
BHT
Antioxidant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Benzoyl Peroxide 10%, Water, Propylene Glycol, Glycerin, Sorbitol, Polyacrylamide, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Cyclopentasiloxane, Cyclohexasiloxane, Carbomer, Laureth-7, Triethanolamine, Disodium EDTA, Diazolidinyl Urea, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glyceryl Stearate, Polysorbate 20, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Polysorbate 60, Stearic Acid, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Stearyl Alcohol, Retinol, Myristoyl Tripeptide-4, Bisabolol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Palmitoyl Oligopeptide, Chrysin, Dimethicone, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Steareth-20, N-Hydroxysuccinimide, Hexylene Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylyl Glycol, BHT, Phenoxyethanol
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Disodium 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 EDTAGlycerin (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 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.
Propylene Glycol is a synthetic, colorless, odorless liquid that has been a staple in cosmetics for decades. It is a skin conditioning agent, humectant, and solvent.
As a humectant, it draw water to the skin to reduce flaking and restore suppleness. It's also a solvent that helps dissolve other actives and keeps formulas stable across temperature changes.
The CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be nontoxic and clinical studies show no sensitization at cosmetic use concentrations.
True allergic reactions are quite rare: a 15-year retrospective study of 6,751 patients found only 0.31% had a positive reaction (and less than half were considered clinically relevant).
It seemed that when sensitization does occur, it's most commonly linked to topical medication (like corticosteroids) and not cosmetics. Allergic contact dermatitis also appears largely limited to individuals with underlying skin conditions.
Overall, propylene glycol is a well-studied ingredient that most people can tolerate without issue.
Learn more about Propylene GlycolStearic 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 AcidTriethanolamine (TEA) is an emulsifier and pH adjuster. It is created using ethylene oxide and ammonia. This gives Triethanolamine a nitrogen core and a similar scent to ammonia.
As an emulsifier, it prevents ingredients from separating and enhances texture by adding volume to a product.
PH adjusters are common in cosmetic products. The pH of a product can affect the effectiveness of other ingredients. A product with a high pH may also irritate the skin.
If you are looking for the tea leaf ingredient, click here.
Learn more about TriethanolamineWater. 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
