What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningParaffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Parfum
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Cetyl Acetate
Emollient
Ceteareth-20
CleansingTheobroma Cacao Seed Butter
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialAcetylated Lanolin Alcohol
Emollient
Achillea Millefolium Extract
CleansingAesculus Hippocastanum Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningAlthaea Officinalis Root Extract
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingChamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Chondrus Crispus Extract
Skin Conditioning
Equisetum Arvense Extract
AstringentFoeniculum Vulgare Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningHamamelis Virginiana Leaf Extract
Skin Conditioning
Hedera Helix Extract
AntimicrobialHumulus Lupulus Extract
AntimicrobialLavandula Angustifolia Flower Extract
Cleansing
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialSalvia Officinalis Leaf Extract
CleansingSambucus Nigra Flower Extract
RefreshingTaraxacum Officinale Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningTetrasodium EDTA
Thymus Vulgaris Leaf Extract
Skin ProtectingTriceteareth-4 Phosphate
EmulsifyingTromethamine
BufferingTussilago Farfara Leaf Extract
AstringentCitral
Perfuming
Citronellol
Perfuming
Coumarin
Perfuming
Farnesol
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Hexyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Hydroxycitronellal
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Water, Paraffinum Liquidum, Cetearyl Alcohol, Parfum, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetyl Acetate, Ceteareth-20, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Dimethicone, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Acetylated Lanolin Alcohol, Achillea Millefolium Extract, Aesculus Hippocastanum Seed Extract, Althaea Officinalis Root Extract, Butylene Glycol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Caprylyl Glycol, Carbomer, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Equisetum Arvense Extract, Foeniculum Vulgare Seed Extract, Hamamelis Virginiana Leaf Extract, Hedera Helix Extract, Humulus Lupulus Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia Flower Extract, Propylene Glycol, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Salvia Officinalis Leaf Extract, Sambucus Nigra Flower Extract, Taraxacum Officinale Leaf Extract, Tetrasodium EDTA, Thymus Vulgaris Leaf Extract, Triceteareth-4 Phosphate, Tromethamine, Tussilago Farfara Leaf Extract, Citral, Citronellol, Coumarin, Farnesol, Geraniol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Hydroxycitronellal, Limonene, Linalool, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Benzoate
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Petrolatum
Emollient
Dicaprylyl Ether
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
PEG-30 Stearate
Emulsifying
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Pantolactone
Humectant
Dimethiconol
Emollient
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Disodium EDTA
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingCitric Acid
Buffering
Water, Glycerin, Petrolatum, Dicaprylyl Ether, Dimethicone, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, PEG-30 Stearate, Panthenol, Niacinamide, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Pantolactone, Dimethiconol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Carbomer, Propylene Glycol, Disodium EDTA, Benzyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Hydroxide, Citric Acid
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Carbomer is a high-molecular weight polymer of acrylic acid. It is used to form gels and thicken formulas.
Due to its large molecular size, carbomer has minimal skin penetration and is considered an inert ingredient.
A high amount of carbomer can cause pilling or balling up of products. Don't worry, most products contain 1% or less of carbomer.
Learn more about CarbomerDimethicone 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 DimethiconeGlycerin (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 StearatePhenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.
Propylene Glycol is a synthetic, colorless, odorless liquid that has been a staple in cosmetics for decades. It is a skin conditioning agent, humectant, and solvent.
As a humectant, it draw water to the skin to reduce flaking and restore suppleness. It's also a solvent that helps dissolve other actives and keeps formulas stable across temperature changes.
The CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be nontoxic and clinical studies show no sensitization at cosmetic use concentrations.
True allergic reactions are quite rare: a 15-year retrospective study of 6,751 patients found only 0.31% had a positive reaction (and less than half were considered clinically relevant).
It seemed that when sensitization does occur, it's most commonly linked to topical medication (like corticosteroids) and not cosmetics. Allergic contact dermatitis also appears largely limited to individuals with underlying skin conditions.
Overall, propylene glycol is a well-studied ingredient that most people can tolerate without issue.
Learn more about Propylene GlycolWater. 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
