What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSqualane
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Glycerin
Humectant
Cetearyl Olivate
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Jojoba Esters
Emollient
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Antimicrobial
Adenosine
Skin Conditioning
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Lactobacillus
Skin ConditioningCocos Nucifera Fruit Extract
Emollient
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCitric Acid
Buffering
Water
Skin ConditioningCetyl Ethylhexanoate
EmollientSorbitan Stearate
Emulsifying
Methyl Gluceth-20
Humectant
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Dimethicone
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate
Antioxidant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Ceteareth-20
CleansingAminomethyl Propanol
BufferingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingDisodium EDTA
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPotassium Sorbate
Preservative
Water, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Sorbitan Stearate, Methyl Gluceth-20, Polysorbate 60, Dimethicone, Tocopherol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Panthenol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ceteareth-20, Aminomethyl Propanol, Carbomer, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Potassium Sorbate
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Cetearyl 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 AlcoholWater. 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
