What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantIsopropyl Palmitate
EmollientZea Mays Starch
AbsorbentGlyceryl Stearate
EmollientPEG-100 Stearate
Cetyl Alcohol
EmollientParfum
MaskingCitrus Nobilis Peel Oil
MaskingCitrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil
MaskingSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
EmollientButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin ConditioningTheobroma Cacao Seed Butter
EmollientTocopheryl Acetate
AntioxidantMagnesium Sulfate
Ascorbic Acid
AntioxidantDimethicone
EmollientStearic Acid
CleansingMagnesium Aluminum Silicate
AbsorbentXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingDisodium EDTA
Phenoxyethanol
PreservativeEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSodium Hydroxide
BufferingSodium Chloride
MaskingChlorphenesin
AntimicrobialBenzyl Alcohol
PerfumingAluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate
AbsorbentWater, Glycerin, Isopropyl Palmitate, Zea Mays Starch, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Parfum, Citrus Nobilis Peel Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Tocopheryl Acetate, Magnesium Sulfate, Ascorbic Acid, Dimethicone, Stearic Acid, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Xanthan Gum, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Chloride, Chlorphenesin, Benzyl Alcohol, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate
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 GlycerinChances are, you eat sodium chloride every day. Sodium Chloride is also known as table salt. This ingredient has many purposes in skincare: thickener, emulsifier, and exfoliator.
You'll most likely find this ingredient in cleansers where it is used to create a gel-like texture. As an emulsifier, it also prevents ingredients from separating.
You might see people debate whether Sodium Chloride is comedogenic, but there actually haven't been any comedogenic tests done on it. Either way, the overall formulation of a product matters a lot more than any single ingredient.
You might see this ingredient used in scrubs as a primary exfoliating ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium ChlorideStearic 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