What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Dimethicone
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glycol Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Petrolatum
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingTriethanolamine
BufferingHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Triolein
Skin Conditioning
Disodium EDTA
Stearamide Amp
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingCI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Stearic Acid, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycol Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Petrolatum, Glyceryl Stearate, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Cetyl Alcohol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Triethanolamine, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Triolein, Disodium EDTA, Stearamide Amp, Carbomer, CI 77891
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate
EmollientDimethicone
Emollient
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Ethylhexyl Palmitate
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Caffeine
Skin Conditioning
Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate
Skin Conditioning
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Polysaccharides
Emollient
Trehalose
Humectant
PEG-10 Dimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Sucrose
Humectant
Hexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingTromethamine
BufferingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingAmmonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Disodium EDTA
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
CI 14700
Cosmetic ColorantCI 19140
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Glycerin, Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate, Dimethicone, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Butylene Glycol, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Caffeine, Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Polysaccharides, Trehalose, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Caprylyl Glycol, Sucrose, Hexylene Glycol, Tromethamine, Carbomer, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Tocopheryl Acetate, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Benzoate, CI 14700, CI 19140
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid or alcohol, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl 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 CarbomerDimethicone 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 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 StearatePeg-100 Stearate is an emollient and emulsifier. As an emollient, it helps keep skin soft by trapping moisture in. On the other hand, emulsifiers help prevent oil and water from separating in a product.
PEGS are a hydrophilic polyether compound . There are 100 ethylene oxide monomers in Peg-100 Stearate. Peg-100 Stearate is polyethylene glycol ester of stearic acid.
Phenoxyethanol 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
