What's inside
What's inside
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Glycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Althaea Officinalis Root Extract
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Hydrogenated Ethylhexyl Olivate
EmollientSclerotium Gum
Emulsion StabilisingChamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Parfum
Masking
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingHydrogenated Olive Oil Unsaponifiables
Emollient
Pelargonium Graveolens Oil
Masking
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningStyrax Tonkinensis Resin Extract
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingLinalool
Perfuming
Water, Glycerin, Glycine Soja Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Stearic Acid, Althaea Officinalis Root Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Hydrogenated Ethylhexyl Olivate, Sclerotium Gum, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Cetearyl Alcohol, Benzyl Alcohol, Parfum, Xanthan Gum, Hydrogenated Olive Oil Unsaponifiables, Pelargonium Graveolens Oil, Ethylhexylglycerin, Styrax Tonkinensis Resin Extract, Geraniol, Sodium Hydroxide, Linalool
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetyl Ethylhexanoate
EmollientGlycerin
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Acacia Concinna Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningBalanites Aegyptiaca Fruit Extract
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Coconut Alcohol
Emollient
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil
Masking
Gypsophila Paniculata Root Extract
Skin ConditioningEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSodium Hydroxide
BufferingDehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Limonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Citral
Perfuming
Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Stearic Acid, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Phenoxyethanol, Acacia Concinna Fruit Extract, Balanites Aegyptiaca Fruit Extract, Coco-Glucoside, Benzyl Alcohol, Coconut Alcohol, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Gypsophila Paniculata Root Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Hydroxide, Dehydroacetic Acid, Limonene, Linalool, Citral
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Benzyl Alcohol is an aromatic alcohol with several roles: it's a preservative, solvent, and mild fragrance component with a floral scent.
This ingredient has been deemed safe for use in cosmetic formulations at concentrations up to 5%, and up to 10% in hair dyes. You'll typically see 0.5-2% in most rinse-off or leave-on products.
As a preservative, it works by disrupting the membrane of microbial proteins. This helps keep bacteria and fungi from growing in your products.
The sensitization picture is actually quite assuring as well:of nearly 71,000 patients patch tested with benzyl alcohol, only 0.21% showed a positive reaction with most of them being weakly positive.
This led researchers to conclude that benzyl alcohol cannot be regarded as a significant contact allergen.
It is worth noting this ingredient is classified as one of the EU's regulated fragrance allergens and restricted to 1% in finished products.
Labels must also declare it in concentrations above 0.001% in leave-on products and 0.01% in rinse-off products.
At concentrations around 5%, localized redness and itching can appear as a direct irritant response and not as a true allergic reaction.
Learn more about Benzyl AlcoholCetearyl 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.
A 2019 study has also observed Malassezia growth in the presence of this ingredient, confirming it to be not-fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Cetearyl AlcoholEthylhexylglycerin 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 GlycerinLinalool is a fragrance and helps add scent to products. It's derived from common plants such as cinnamon, mint, citrus, and lavender.
Like Limonene, this ingredient oxidizes when exposed to air. Oxidized linalool can cause allergies and skin sensitivity.
This ingredient has a scent that is floral, spicy tropical, and citrus-like.
Learn more about LinaloolPhenoxyethanol 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.
Sodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.
In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.
Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.
"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.
Learn more about Sodium HydroxideStearic 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
