What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Dimethicone
Emollient
Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate
Emollient
Triisostearin
Skin Conditioning
Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Oenothera Biennis Oil
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-40 Stearate
Emulsifying
Glycyrrhiza Inflata Root Extract
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Decylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningMenthoxypropanediol
Masking
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Citrate
BufferingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Ascorbyl Palmitate
Antioxidant
Trisodium EDTA
BHT
Antioxidant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Dimethicone, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Triisostearin, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Oenothera Biennis Oil, Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-40 Stearate, Glycyrrhiza Inflata Root Extract, Ceramide NP, Decylene Glycol, Menthoxypropanediol, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Trisodium EDTA, BHT, 1,2-Hexanediol, Phenoxyethanol
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Isopropyl Palmitate
Emollient
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Squalane
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate Citrate
Emollient
Myristyl Alcohol
Emollient
Tapioca Starch
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides
Emollient
Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
Glycyrrhiza Inflata Root Extract
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
4-T-Butylcyclohexanol
Masking
Pantolactone
Humectant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Citric Acid
Buffering
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Water, Glycerin, Isopropyl Palmitate, Panthenol, Squalane, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Myristyl Alcohol, Tapioca Starch, Behenyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Glycyrrhiza Inflata Root Extract, Ceramide NP, 4-T-Butylcyclohexanol, Pantolactone, Xanthan Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Citric Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Ceramide NP (formerly known as Ceramide 3) is one of the skin's naturally occurring lipids.
Since ceramides are the major lipid components of the skin, they are crucial for maintaining skin barrier and hydration. Ceramide NP most closely mirrors the dominant kind in human skin amongst ceramide subtypes.
This ceramide works by slotting into gaps within the stratum corneum's lipid matrix to limit trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) and shield the skin against external irritants.
A study with 312 patients found that using a ceramide-containing routine for 4 weeks reduced the severity of atopic dermatitis by over 61%.
Another clinical study in subjects aged 60 and older found that a ceramide body wash and moisturizer improved skin dryness and itchy skin in 15 days.
Overall, ceramides are considered non-irritating and safety tests have found little to no observable adverse effects from using this ingredient.
Ceramide NP is usually sourced from plants (like soybean or rice bran), or produced synthetically.
Learn more about Ceramide NPCetyl 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 AlcoholCitric Acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) naturally found in citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes.
Like other AHAs, citric acid can exfoliate skin by breaking down the bonds that hold dead skin cells together. This helps reveal smoother and brighter skin underneath.
However, this exfoliating effect only happens at high concentrations (20%) which can be hard to find in cosmetic products.
Due to this, citric acid is usually included in small amounts as a pH adjuster. This helps keep products slightly more acidic and compatible with skin's natural pH.
In skincare formulas, citric acid can:
While it can provide some skin benefits, research shows lactic acid and glycolic acid are generally more effective and less irritating exfoliants.
Most citric acid used in skincare today is made by fermenting sugars (usually from molasses). This synthetic version is identical to the natural citrus form but easier to stabilize and use in formulations.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Citric AcidGlycerin (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 comes from the Chinese licorice species, Glycyrrhiza Inflata. It has skin conditioning, soothing, and antioxidant properties.
The flavonoids in this ingredient show anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities in lab studies. These compounds may also play a role in supporting a more even skin tone and helping to control microbial activity on acne-prone skin.
Phenoxyethanol 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 PhenoxyethanolWater. 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
