What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Phenyl Trimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexyl Palmitate
Emollient
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
Cleansing
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingSorbitol
Humectant
Tetrasodium EDTA
Proline
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Parfum
Masking
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Dehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Water, Glycerin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Phenyl Trimethicone, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Benzyl Alcohol, Sodium Lactate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium PCA, Sodium Hydroxide, Sorbitol, Tetrasodium EDTA, Proline, Sodium Hyaluronate, Parfum, Chlorphenesin, Potassium Sorbate, Dehydroacetic Acid
Water
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
Solvent
Cetyl Ethylhexanoate
EmollientButylene Glycol
Humectant
Methyl Trimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Hydrogenated Poly(C6-14 Olefin)
EmollientC14-22 Alcohols
Emulsion Stabilising
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Squalane
Emollient
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Betaine
Humectant
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Arachidyl Alcohol
Emollient
C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingHydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSilica
Abrasive
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingBehenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientArachidyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingTromethamine
BufferingDisodium EDTA
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Arginine
Masking
Aspartic Acid
Masking
Glutamic Acid
Humectant
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Zinc PCA
Humectant
Gluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Glucose
Humectant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Water, Propanediol, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Butylene Glycol, Methyl Trimethicone, Glycerin, Hydrogenated Poly(C6-14 Olefin), C14-22 Alcohols, 1,2-Hexanediol, Squalane, Niacinamide, Stearic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, Betaine, Palmitic Acid, Arachidyl Alcohol, C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Silica, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Behenyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Caprylate, Arachidyl Glucoside, Tromethamine, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Sorbitan Isostearate, Arginine, Aspartic Acid, Glutamic Acid, Hyaluronic Acid, Zinc PCA, Gluconolactone, Glucose, Tocopherol
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Glycerin (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 StearateStearic Acid is a fatty acid that is already found in your skin. It's one of the free fatty acids that works alongside ceramides and cholesterols to maintain your barrier.
In cosmetics, it is a multitasker:
Safety-wise, the CIR Expert Panel has concluded it to be safe in cosmetics when formulated to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing.
Free stearic acid is a C18 fatty acid that the Malassezia yeast can substrate, so this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Stearic AcidWater. 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
