What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Betaine
Humectant
Cyclohexasiloxane
Emollient
Squalane
Emollient
Pentaerythrityl Distearate
Emulsifying
Methylpropanediol
SolventNiacinamide
Smoothing
Dicaprylyl Ether
Emollient
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingCeramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantHydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Mannitol
Humectant
Zea Mays Starch
Absorbent
Microcrystalline Cellulose
AbsorbentEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil
Masking
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Adenosine
Skin Conditioning
Dextrin
AbsorbentTheobroma Cacao Seed Extract
Antioxidant
Disodium EDTA
Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Salvia Officinalis Oil
Masking
Gardenia Florida Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningPogostemon Cablin Leaf Oil
Masking
Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil
Masking
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Cholesterol
Emollient
Ceramide As
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide Ns
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Water, Glycerin, Betaine, Cyclohexasiloxane, Squalane, Pentaerythrityl Distearate, Methylpropanediol, Niacinamide, Dicaprylyl Ether, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Cetearyl Glucoside, Cetearyl Alcohol, Panthenol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Ceramide NP, Dipropylene Glycol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Mannitol, Zea Mays Starch, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Ethylhexylglycerin, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Allantoin, Adenosine, Dextrin, Theobroma Cacao Seed Extract, Disodium EDTA, Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract, Salvia Officinalis Oil, Gardenia Florida Fruit Extract, Pogostemon Cablin Leaf Oil, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil, Tocopherol, Glyceryl Stearate, Ceramide AP, Cholesterol, Ceramide As, Ceramide Ns, Ceramide EOP
Water
Skin ConditioningAluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate
Absorbent
Glycerin
Humectant
Isodecyl Neopentanoate
EmollientPPG-15 Stearyl Ether
EmollientCetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Dimethicone
Emollient
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Ascophyllum Nodosum Extract
Skin ConditioningBHT
Antioxidant
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Ceteareth-33
CleansingDisodium EDTA
CI 17200
Cosmetic ColorantRetinal
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Dextran Sulfate
Gel Forming
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingWater, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Glycerin, Isodecyl Neopentanoate, PPG-15 Stearyl Ether, Cetyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Dimethicone, 1,2-Hexanediol, Ascophyllum Nodosum Extract, BHT, Caprylyl Glycol, Ceteareth-33, Disodium EDTA, CI 17200, Retinal, Sodium Dextran Sulfate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hydroxide, Tocopheryl Acetate, Xanthan Gum
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.
It is a:
- Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
- Emollient, helping to soften skin
- Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
- Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives
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.
A 2019 study has also observed Malassezia growth in the presence of this ingredient, confirming it to be not-fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Cetearyl AlcoholDisodium 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 StearateWater. 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
