What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Tapioca Starch
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides
Emollient
Myristyl Myristate
Emollient
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Glycyrrhiza Inflata Root Extract
Skin Conditioning
Dimethicone
Emollient
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Silica Dimethyl Silylate
EmollientDecylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingBenzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingTrisodium EDTA
Water, Glycerin, Tapioca Starch, Butylene Glycol, Cetyl Alcohol, Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides, Myristyl Myristate, Stearyl Alcohol, Palmitic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, Stearic Acid, Glycyrrhiza Inflata Root Extract, Dimethicone, 1,2-Hexanediol, Phenoxyethanol, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Decylene Glycol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Benzyl Alcohol, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Hydroxide, Trisodium EDTA
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 2%
UV Absorber
Homosalate 3.4%
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexyl Salicylate 3.4%
UV Absorber
Octocrylene 4.7%
UV Absorber
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Dimethicone
Emollient
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-40 Stearate
Emulsifying
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingSodium Citrate
BufferingCitric Acid
Buffering
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 2%, Homosalate 3.4%, Ethylhexyl Salicylate 3.4%, Octocrylene 4.7%, Water, Glycerin, Dimethicone, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-40 Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Pentylene Glycol, Benzyl Alcohol, Caprylyl Glycol, Carbomer, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Citrate, Citric Acid
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 most commonly used as a preservative. It also has a subtle, sweet smell. Small amounts of Benzyl Alcohol is not irritating and safe to use in skincare products. Most Benzyl Alcohol is derived from fruits such as apricots.
Benzyl Alcohol has both antibacterial and antioxidant properties. These properties help lengthen the shelf life of products. Benzyl Alcohol is a solvent and helps dissolve other ingredients. It can also improve the texture and spreadability.
Alcohol comes in many different forms. Different types of alcohol will have different effects on skin. This ingredient is an astringent alcohol.
Using high concentrations of these alcohols are drying on the skin. They may strip away your skin's natural oils and even damage your skin barrier. Astringent alcohols may also irritate skin.
Other types of astringent alcohols include:
According to the National Rosacea Society based in the US, you should be mindful of products with these alcohols in the top half of ingredients.
Any type of sanitizing product will have high amounts of alcohol to help kill bacteria and viruses.
Learn more about Benzyl AlcoholDimethicone 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.
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 HydroxideWater. 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
