What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingCeteareth-20
CleansingCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Cyclotetrasiloxane
Emollient
Diazolidinyl Urea
Preservative
Dimethicone
Emollient
Ethoxydiglycol
HumectantParfum
Masking
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Methylparaben
Preservative
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
PEG-100 Stearate
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Propylparaben
Preservative
Water
Skin ConditioningTriethanolamine
BufferingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingButylene Glycol
Humectant
Cymbopogon Schoenanthus Extract
Skin ConditioningEthylparaben
Preservative
Geranium Maculatum Extract
TonicGlycereth-26
Humectant
Hydrated Silica
Abrasive
Kaolin
Abrasive
Linoleic Acid
Cleansing
Linolenic Acid
Cleansing
Magnesium Aluminum Silicate
Absorbent
Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
Antioxidant
Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
CleansingTitanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Zinc Oxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Allantoin, Carbomer, Ceteareth-20, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cyclopentasiloxane, Cyclotetrasiloxane, Diazolidinyl Urea, Dimethicone, Ethoxydiglycol, Parfum, Glyceryl Stearate, Methylparaben, Panthenol, PEG-100 Stearate, Propylene Glycol, Propylparaben, Water, Triethanolamine, Xanthan Gum, Butylene Glycol, Cymbopogon Schoenanthus Extract, Ethylparaben, Geranium Maculatum Extract, Glycereth-26, Hydrated Silica, Kaolin, Linoleic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Titanium Dioxide, Tocopherol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Zinc Oxide
Benzoyl Peroxide 2.5%
Water
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine
Cleansing
Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
Cleansing
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
Cleansing
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Citrate
BufferingCeteareth-20
CleansingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Hexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingGlycerin
Humectant
Glycolic Acid
Buffering
Disodium EDTA
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Ceramide Ng
Skin Conditioning
Avena Sativa Kernel Extract
Abrasive
Benzoyl Peroxide 2.5%, Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Caprylyl Glycol, Carbomer, Sodium Citrate, Ceteareth-20, Phenoxyethanol, Hexylene Glycol, Sodium Hydroxide, Glycerin, Glycolic Acid, Disodium EDTA, Niacinamide, Ceramide Ng, Avena Sativa Kernel Extract
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 CarbomerCeteareth-20 is an emulsifier and surfactant made by reacting cetearyl alcohol with 20 moles of ethylene oxide.
This gives it both oil and water-loving properties that makes it an effect emulsifier; it's really great at pulling oil droplets into water to create a stable, creamy, and easy-to-spread base.
Typical use ranges from 0.5-30%. Most leave-on products are in the 1-10% zone.
The 20 ethylene oxide units is well above the PEG-10 threshold and therefore not a food source for Malassezia (it's fungal acne safe).
This ingredient has a comedogenic rating of 2 and an irritancy rating of 3. These numbers come from testing the raw ingredient on rabbit ears and doesn't reflect how it will behave in a finished product.
In practice, this ingredient is a well-tolerated ingredient. The ratings reflect cautious lab conditions and not real-world use. Just be sure to patch test any formulas you feel unsure about.
Learn more about Ceteareth-20Cetearyl 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 AlcoholGlyceryl 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 StearateWater. 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
