What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Lecithin
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetyl Esters
Emollient
Hydrolyzed Rice Protein
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract
Masking
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSodium Phytate
Dimethicone
Emollient
Citric Acid
Buffering
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningWater, Glycerin, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Glyceryl Stearate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Glucoside, Sorbitan Olivate, Stearyl Alcohol, Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil, Tocopherol, Lecithin, Cetyl Alcohol, Cetyl Esters, Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Phytate, Dimethicone, Citric Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin
Water
Skin ConditioningLinseed Acid
CleansingMedicago Sativa Extract
TonicSesamum Indicum Seed Oil
Emollient
Helianthus Tuberosus Extract
Skin ConditioningOlea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Achillea Millefolium Oil
Cleansing
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPyrus Malus Juice
Skin ConditioningPisum Sativum Peptide
Skin Conditioning
Trifolium Pratense Flower
Skin ConditioningDaucus Carota Sativa Callus Lysate
Antioxidant
Spinacia Oleracea Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningOriganum Majorana Herb Extract
Perfuming
Ocimum Basilicum Extract
Antioxidant
Triticum Vulgare Sprout Extract
Skin ConditioningMelaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
Antioxidant
Benzoic Acid
Masking
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Sorbic Acid
Preservative
Pantothenic Acid
Skin ConditioningNiacinamide
Smoothing
Retinyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Magnesium Sulfate
Citrus Limon Peel Oil
Masking
Water, Linseed Acid, Medicago Sativa Extract, Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil, Helianthus Tuberosus Extract, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Glyceryl Stearate, Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Achillea Millefolium Oil, Tocopherol, Xanthan Gum, Pyrus Malus Juice, Pisum Sativum Peptide, Trifolium Pratense Flower, Daucus Carota Sativa Callus Lysate, Spinacia Oleracea Leaf Extract, Origanum Majorana Herb Extract, Ocimum Basilicum Extract, Triticum Vulgare Sprout Extract, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Benzoic Acid, Benzyl Alcohol, Sorbic Acid, Pantothenic Acid, Niacinamide, Retinyl Palmitate, Magnesium Sulfate, Citrus Limon Peel Oil
Alternatives
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Cetyl 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.
Learn more about Cetyl 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 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 StearateSesame oil comes from sesame seeds. Sesame oil is rich in fatty acids and Vitamin E.
It has antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. The phenolic compounds of this ingredient (including vitamin E) give it these properties.
Unrefined sesame oil has a comedogenic rating of 3, while refined sesame oil has a rating of 1. This ingredient may not be fungal-acne safe.
The fatty acids in sesame oil include linoleic acid (41%), oleic acid (39%), palmitic acid (8%), stearic acid (5%), and some small traces of others.
Learn more about Sesamum Indicum Seed OilTocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.
You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.
Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.
It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.
This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.
This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.
In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.
Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.
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
