What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Pumice
Abrasive
Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPersea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Bambusa Arundinacea Stem Extract
Skin ConditioningHibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Jojoba Esters
Skin Conditioning
Parfum
Masking
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSodium Chloride
MaskingLimonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Linalyl Acetate
Masking
Cocamidopropyl Dimethylamine
Emulsifying
Tetramethyl Acetyloctahydronaphthalenes
Masking
Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Pumice, Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Glyceryl Stearate, Xanthan Gum, Persea Gratissima Oil, Bambusa Arundinacea Stem Extract, Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Extract, Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters, Parfum, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Chloride, Limonene, Linalool, Linalyl Acetate, Cocamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Tetramethyl Acetyloctahydronaphthalenes
Water
Skin ConditioningPrunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil
Masking
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Pumice
Abrasive
Potassium Oleate
EmulsifyingPotassium Cocoate
Emulsifying
Potassium Citrate
BufferingCitric Acid
Buffering
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingAvena Sativa Meal Extract
SoothingAvena Sativa Kernel Oil
Skin Conditioning
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Shell Powder
Abrasive
Hamamelis Virginiana Water
Astringent
Alcohol
Antimicrobial
Brassica Oleracea Italica Seed Oil
Emollient
Water, Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Polysorbate 60, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Pumice, Potassium Oleate, Potassium Cocoate, Potassium Citrate, Citric Acid, Persea Gratissima Oil, Glycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Stearic Acid, Xanthan Gum, Avena Sativa Meal Extract, Avena Sativa Kernel Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Shell Powder, Hamamelis Virginiana Water, Alcohol, Brassica Oleracea Italica Seed Oil
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Cetearyl 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 AlcoholGlycerin (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 GlycerinThis ingredient is also known as Avocado oil. It's the cold-pressed oil from the flesh of the avocado fruit packed with fatty acids (mostly oleic acid).
The rich fatty acid profile allows it to function as a skin conditioning agent and emollient; it helps soften and smooth skin while reducing water loss.
Preclinical research has found that topical avocado oil increased collagen synthesis and reduced inflammation during wound healing, giving it some skin-repairing credibility.
The unsaponifiable fraction of the oil is also interesting: studies on avocado unsaponifiables showed that it helped skin produce more collagen and other structural compounds that support healing.
The CIR Expert Panel has found this ingredient to be non-irritating in formulations.
It's a great ingredient for dry or compromised skin. Just know it may not be fungal acne safe. This is because the oleic acid content falls within the range that Malassezia can use as a food source.
Learn more about Persea Gratissima OilPhenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.
On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).
You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.
Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.
Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.
Learn more about PhenoxyethanolPumice is an exfoliant.
Water. 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 WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum
