What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Emulsifying Wax Nf
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Tribehenin
Emollient
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Lanolin
Emollient
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingWater
Skin ConditioningHydroxyethyl Urea
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Petrolatum
Emollient
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Steareth-21
CleansingJojoba Esters
Emollient
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Distearyldimonium Chloride
Stearamidopropyl Pg-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate
Ceramide Ng
Skin Conditioning
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Methyl Gluceth-20
Humectant
Behentrimonium Methosulfate
Surfactant
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters
Skin Conditioning
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Silk Amino Acids
HumectantPotassium Hydroxide
BufferingC12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialTribehenin
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Citric Acid
Buffering
PEG-10 Phytosterol
EmulsifyingParfum
Masking
EDTA
Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12
Skin Conditioning
Water, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Glycerin, Stearyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Petrolatum, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Steareth-21, Jojoba Esters, Tocopheryl Acetate, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Niacinamide, Panthenol, Distearyldimonium Chloride, Stearamidopropyl Pg-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate, Ceramide Ng, Polysorbate 60, Methyl Gluceth-20, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Propylene Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters, Hydroxyacetophenone, Silk Amino Acids, Potassium Hydroxide, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Tribehenin, Butylene Glycol, Citric Acid, PEG-10 Phytosterol, Parfum, EDTA, Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Cetyl Alcohol is a fatty alcohol. Fatty Alcohols are most often used as an emollient or to thicken a product.
Its main roles are:
Though it has "alcohol" in the name, it is not related to denatured alcohol or ethyl alcohol.
The FDA allows products labeled "alcohol-free" to have fatty alcohols.
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe. It is a primary fatty alcohol with a chain length above 12 carbons. A study from 2019 show Malassezia can feed on fatty alcohols in this range, so it may trigger fungal acne in those prone to it.
Learn more about Cetyl AlcoholDimethicone is a type of synthetic silicone created from natural materials such as quartz. It is also known as polydimethylsiloxane.
What it does:
Dimethicone comes in different viscosities:
Depending on the viscosity, dimethicone has different properties.
Ingredients lists don't always show which type is used, so we recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the viscosity.
This ingredient is unlikely to cause irritation because it does not get absorbed into skin. However, people with silicone allergies should be careful about using this ingredient.
Note: Dimethicone may contribute to pilling. This is because it is not oil or water soluble, so pilling may occur when layered with products. When mixed with heavy oils in a formula, the outcome is also quite greasy.
Learn more about DimethiconeEthylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about EthylhexylglycerinGlycerin (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 GlycerinTribehenin is the triglyceride of glycerin and behenic acid. It is an emollient that helps soften and condition skin.
Safety-wise, this is a well-vetted ingredient. Repeated-insult patch tests of 0.38% tribehenin did not trigger sensitization.
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe because behenic acid falls into the chain-length range that Malassezia yeasts can feed on.
Learn more about TribeheninWater. 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
