What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate
Antioxidant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Glycerin
Humectant
Propylheptyl Caprylate
EmollientCetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Sodium PCA
Humectant
PEG-75 Stearate
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Evodia Rutaecarpa Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningErgothioneine
Antioxidant
Ceteth-20
CleansingSteareth-20
CleansingP-Anisic Acid
Masking
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingLactic Acid
Buffering
Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate, Niacinamide, Glycerin, Propylheptyl Caprylate, Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Sodium PCA, PEG-75 Stearate, Caprylyl Glycol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Tocopherol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Evodia Rutaecarpa Fruit Extract, Ergothioneine, Ceteth-20, Steareth-20, P-Anisic Acid, Xanthan Gum, Lactic Acid
Water
Skin ConditioningDicaprylyl Ether
Emollient
Cetearyl Isononanoate
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Distarch Phosphate
AbsorbentMicrocrystalline Cellulose
AbsorbentZinc PCA
Humectant
Inulin
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate
EmulsifyingCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cellulose Gum
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Inulin Lauryl Carbamate
Emulsion StabilisingFructose
Humectant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCitric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingBiosaccharide Gum-1
Humectant
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientSodium Levulinate
Skin ConditioningSodium Anisate
AntimicrobialTocopherol
Antioxidant
Maris Sal
Skin ConditioningWater, Dicaprylyl Ether, Cetearyl Isononanoate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glyceryl Stearate, Glycerin, Distarch Phosphate, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Zinc PCA, Inulin, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cellulose Gum, Xanthan Gum, Cetearyl Glucoside, Inulin Lauryl Carbamate, Fructose, Ethylhexylglycerin, Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Glyceryl Caprylate, Sodium Levulinate, Sodium Anisate, Tocopherol, Maris Sal
Reviews
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 GlycolCetearyl 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 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 StearateTocopherol (also known as Vitamin E) is a common antioxidant used to help protect the skin from free-radicals and strengthen the skin barrier. It's also fat soluble - this means our skin is great at absorbing it.
Vitamin E also helps keep your natural skin lipids healthy. Your lipid skin barrier naturally consists of lipids, ceramides, and fatty acids. Vitamin E offers extra protection for your skin’s lipid barrier, keeping your skin healthy and nourished.
Another benefit is a bit of UV protection. Vitamin E helps reduce the damage caused by UVB rays. (It should not replace your sunscreen). Combining it with Vitamin C can decrease sunburned cells and hyperpigmentation after UV exposure.
You might have noticed Vitamin E + C often paired together. This is because it is great at stabilizing Vitamin C. Using the two together helps increase the effectiveness of both ingredients.
There are often claims that Vitamin E can reduce/prevent scarring, but these claims haven't been confirmed by scientific research.
Learn more about TocopherolWater. 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 WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum
