What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Isopropyl Palmitate
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Octyldodecanol
Emollient
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialGlyceryl Glucoside
Humectant
Cetearyl Isononanoate
Emollient
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate
Cleansing
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Citrate
BufferingCitric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingTrisodium EDTA
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Piroctone Olamine
Preservative
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Water, Glycerin, Isopropyl Palmitate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Octyldodecanol, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Glyceryl Glucoside, Cetearyl Isononanoate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Decyl Glucoside, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate, Carbomer, Sodium Citrate, Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Trisodium EDTA, 1,2-Hexanediol, Phenoxyethanol, Piroctone Olamine, Potassium Sorbate
Water
Skin ConditioningIsopropyl Palmitate
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Dicaprylyl Ether
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSodium Cetearyl Sulfate
Cleansing
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Methylparaben
Preservative
Geraniol
Perfuming
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Citronellol
Perfuming
Triethanolamine
BufferingParfum
Masking
Water, Isopropyl Palmitate, Glycerin, Dicaprylyl Ether, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Cetearyl Alcohol, Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Tocopherol, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate, Sodium Hydroxide, Carbomer, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Geraniol, Benzyl Alcohol, Linalool, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Limonene, Citronellol, Triethanolamine, Parfum
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 CarbomerCetearyl 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 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 GlycerinGlyceryl Stearate Se is a self-emulsifying (SE) form of glyceryl stearate. Self-emusifying means this ingredient automatically blends with water. It is an emulsifier, emollient, and cleansing agent.
As an emulsifier, Glyceryl Stearate Se prevents ingredients such as oil and water from separating. It is also a surfactant, meaning it helps cleanse the skin. Surfactants help gather oil, dirt, and other pollutants so they may be rinsed away easily.
Emollients help your skin stay smooth and soft. It does so by creating a film on top of the skin that helps trap moisture in.
Learn more about Glyceryl Stearate SeIsopropyl Palmitate is a texture enhancer and emollient. It is an ester of isopropyl alcohol and palmitic acid.
Palmitates are emollients. Emollients help keep your skin soft and smooth by creating a barrier that traps moisture in.
When added to cosmetics, Isopropyl Palmitate creates a silky texture and improves spreadability.
Isopropyl Palmitate may not be fungal acne safe. It can worsen acne prone skin.
Learn more about Isopropyl PalmitatePhenoxyethanol 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 Cetearyl Sulfate is a type of sulfate.
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
