What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAlumina
Abrasive
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Parfum
Masking
Menthone Glycerin Acetal
Refreshing
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Disodium EDTA
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Magnesium Oxide
AbsorbentPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract
Antimicrobial
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Citral
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Water, Alumina, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Xanthan Gum, Phenoxyethanol, Lactic Acid, Parfum, Menthone Glycerin Acetal, Allantoin, Disodium EDTA, Tocopheryl Acetate, Magnesium Oxide, Propylene Glycol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Citral, Limonene
Water
Skin ConditioningAlumina
Abrasive
Paraffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Dimethicone
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Solum Diatomeae
Abrasive
Diatomaceous Earth
Abrasive
Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate
Emulsion StabilisingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Methylparaben
Preservative
Butylparaben
Masking
Epilobium Angustifolium Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract
Skin ConditioningDisodium EDTA
Hydrolyzed Algin
Water, Alumina, Paraffinum Liquidum, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, PEG-100 Stearate, Stearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Solum Diatomeae, Diatomaceous Earth, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Butylparaben, Epilobium Angustifolium Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Disodium EDTA, Hydrolyzed Algin
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Alumina (aka aluminum oxide) is an inorganic mineral powder refined from bauxite that works as a quiet workhorse in a formula.
It shows up often as an abrasive, absorbent, anticaking, bulking, and viscosity-controlling agent.
One of its most common jobs is acting as a pigment carrier and dispersant.
Alumina platelets are often blended with inorganic sunscreens like Titanium Dioxide (or with colorants) and then coated with a silicone such as Triethoxycaprylylsilane so the pigment spreads evenly and smoothly.
In makeup, it can also double as a light-diffusing powder or oil absorber to keep formulas from looking greasy.
The Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has concluded alumina to be safe in present practices of use and concentration.
They note it's a stable, oxidized compound and scientific research has failed to establish links to health issues.
Concentrations vary depending on the product:
Learn more about AluminaDisodium 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 one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.
On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).
You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.
Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.
Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.
Learn more about PhenoxyethanolWater. 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
