What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAlcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Glycerin
Humectant
Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate
EmollientDicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientHydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Copernicia Cerifera Wax
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Propylheptyl Caprylate
EmollientTapioca Starch
Glycine Soja Germ Extract
EmollientGlycyrrhetinic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Silica Dimethyl Silylate
EmollientDisodium EDTA
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingWater, Alcohol Denat., Glycerin, Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Behenyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Copernicia Cerifera Wax, Glyceryl Stearate, Propylheptyl Caprylate, Tapioca Starch, Glycine Soja Germ Extract, Glycyrrhetinic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tocopherol, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Phenoxyethanol, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Xanthan Gum
Titanium Dioxide 2.66%
Cosmetic Colorant
Zinc Oxide 15.35%
Cosmetic Colorant
Water
Skin ConditioningC15-19 Alkane
SolventGlycerin
Humectant
Dicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientNiacinamide
Smoothing
Propanediol
Solvent
Cetearyl Isononanoate
Emollient
Polyhydroxystearic Acid
Emulsifying
Dimethicone
Emollient
Ethylhexyl Methoxycrylene
Skin Conditioning
Cellulose
Absorbent
Triethylhexanoin
MaskingIsohexadecane
EmollientTriethoxycaprylylsilane
Steareth-20
CleansingSilica
Abrasive
Steareth-2
EmulsifyingCeramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Behentrimonium Methosulfate
Triethyl Citrate
Masking
Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
EmulsifyingCholesterol
Emollient
Aluminum Stearate
Cosmetic ColorantAlumina
Abrasive
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Citric Acid
Buffering
Diethylhexyl Syringylidenemalonate
Skin ProtectingPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPhytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingBenzoic Acid
Masking
Titanium Dioxide 2.66%, Zinc Oxide 15.35%, Water, C15-19 Alkane, Glycerin, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Niacinamide, Propanediol, Cetearyl Isononanoate, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Dimethicone, Ethylhexyl Methoxycrylene, Cellulose, Triethylhexanoin, Isohexadecane, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Steareth-20, Silica, Steareth-2, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Carbomer, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Triethyl Citrate, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Cholesterol, Aluminum Stearate, Alumina, Chlorphenesin, Tocopherol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Caprylyl Glycol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Citric Acid, Diethylhexyl Syringylidenemalonate, Panthenol, Xanthan Gum, Phytosphingosine, Polysorbate 20, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Benzoic Acid
Reviews
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.
Learn more about Cetearyl AlcoholDicaprylyl Carbonate comes from carbonic acid and caprylyl alcohol, a fatty alcohol. It is an emollient and gives skin a velvet feel. The sources of Dicaprylyl Carbonate may be synthetic or from animals.
As an emollient, Dicaprylyl Carbonate creates a film on the skin. This film traps moisture in, keeping your skin soft and hydrated.
Glycerin (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 StearateTocopherol (also known as Vitamin E) is a common antioxidant used to help protect the skin from free-radicals and strengthen the skin barrier. It's also fat soluble - this means our skin is great at absorbing it.
Vitamin E also helps keep your natural skin lipids healthy. Your lipid skin barrier naturally consists of lipids, ceramides, and fatty acids. Vitamin E offers extra protection for your skin’s lipid barrier, keeping your skin healthy and nourished.
Another benefit is a bit of UV protection. Vitamin E helps reduce the damage caused by UVB rays. (It should not replace your sunscreen). Combining it with Vitamin C can decrease sunburned cells and hyperpigmentation after UV exposure.
You might have noticed Vitamin E + C often paired together. This is because it is great at stabilizing Vitamin C. Using the two together helps increase the effectiveness of both ingredients.
There are often claims that Vitamin E can reduce/prevent scarring, but these claims haven't been confirmed by scientific research.
Learn more about TocopherolWater. 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
