What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Urea
Buffering
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate
Emollient
Triisostearin
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Arginine Hcl
Skin ConditioningDimethicone
Emollient
Potassium Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingBiosaccharide Gum-1
Humectant
Lactic Acid
Buffering
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
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
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.
It is a:
- Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
- Emollient, helping to soften skin
- Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
- Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives
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 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.
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
