What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Dimethiconol/Silsesquioxane Copolymer
Skin ConditioningBehentrimonium Chloride
Preservative
Isohexadecane
EmollientGlycerin
Humectant
Parfum
Masking
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantCetyl Palmitate
Emollient
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Sodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningPEG-7 Propylheptyl Ether
Emulsion StabilisingDisodium EDTA
Sodium Citrate
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Cetrimonium Chloride
Antimicrobial
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil
Masking
Lens Esculenta Seed Extract
Skin ProtectingHydrolyzed Cicer Seed Extract
Skin ProtectingChenopodium Quinoa Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Yeast Protein
Skin ConditioningAlpha-Isomethyl Ionone
Perfuming
Citronellol
Perfuming
Hexyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Dimethiconol/Silsesquioxane Copolymer, Behentrimonium Chloride, Isohexadecane, Glycerin, Parfum, Dipropylene Glycol, Cetyl Palmitate, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Gluconate, PEG-7 Propylheptyl Ether, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Citrate, Phenoxyethanol, Cetrimonium Chloride, Lactic Acid, Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil, Lens Esculenta Seed Extract, Hydrolyzed Cicer Seed Extract, Chenopodium Quinoa Seed Extract, Hydrolyzed Yeast Protein, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Citronellol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Limonene, Linalool
Water
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Isopropyl Myristate
Emollient
Parfum
Masking
Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine
EmulsifyingGlycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Hydroxypropyl Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
PEG-90m
Emulsion StabilisingHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Silica
Abrasive
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Skin Conditioning
Linalool
Perfuming
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Tartaric Acid
Buffering
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingCetyl Esters
Emollient
BHT
Antioxidant
Hexyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Isopropyl Myristate, Parfum, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Glycine Soja Oil, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Hydroxypropyl Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Sodium Lactate, PEG-90m, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Salicylic Acid, Silica, Polysorbate 20, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Linalool, Benzyl Alcohol, Caprylyl Glycol, Tartaric Acid, Carbomer, Cetyl Esters, BHT, Hexyl Cinnamal
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 AlcoholGlycerin (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 GlycerinHexyl Cinnamal is a fragrance ingredient with a similar scent to jasmine. It can be naturally found in chamomile essential oil.
This ingredient is a known EU allergen and may sensitize the skin. The EU requires this ingredient to be listed separately on an ingredients list.
Hexyl Cinnamal is not water soluble but is soluble in oils.
Learn more about Hexyl CinnamalLinalool is a fragrance and helps add scent to products. It's derived from common plants such as cinnamon, mint, citrus, and lavender.
Like Limonene, this ingredient oxidizes when exposed to air. Oxidized linalool can cause allergies and skin sensitivity.
This ingredient has a scent that is floral, spicy tropical, and citrus-like.
Learn more about LinaloolParfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.
Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.
For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.
The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.
For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.
One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.
Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.
Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.
The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.
Learn more about ParfumWater. 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
