What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Propanediol
Solvent
Glycerin
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Phyllanthus Emblica Fruit Extract
HumectantHydrolyzed Quinoa
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Adansonia Digitata Seed Extract
Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Parfum
Masking
Coconut Alkanes
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Olealkonium Chloride
Behentrimonium Methosulfate
Behentrimonium Chloride
Preservative
Vp/Va Copolymer
Xylitol
Humectant
Salvia Hispanica Seed Extract
EmollientTrehalose
Humectant
Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside
CleansingCarthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
Masking
Ethyl Linoleate
Emollient
Isopropyl Alcohol
Solvent
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Ethyl Oleate
Emollient
Sorbitan Oleate
Emulsifying
Polyquaternium-37
Alcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Polyquaternium-11
Stearamine Oxide
CleansingCaprylic/Capric Glycerides Polyglyceryl-10 Esters
EmollientGuar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningMyristyl Alcohol
Emollient
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Sodium Phosphate
BufferingPolyquaternium-7
Caprylic Acid
CleansingOleamidopropyl Dimethylamine
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Alcohol
Antimicrobial
Laurtrimonium Chloride
Emulsifying
Sodium Bisulfite
Antioxidant
Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
Antioxidant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Benzyl Salicylate
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Hydroxycitronellal
Perfuming
Citronellol
Perfuming
Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Propanediol, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Phyllanthus Emblica Fruit Extract, Hydrolyzed Quinoa, Hydrolyzed Adansonia Digitata Seed Extract, Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Alcohol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Parfum, Coconut Alkanes, Cetyl Alcohol, Olealkonium Chloride, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Behentrimonium Chloride, Vp/Va Copolymer, Xylitol, Salvia Hispanica Seed Extract, Trehalose, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Ethyl Linoleate, Isopropyl Alcohol, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Ethyl Oleate, Sorbitan Oleate, Polyquaternium-37, Alcohol Denat., Polyquaternium-11, Stearamine Oxide, Caprylic/Capric Glycerides Polyglyceryl-10 Esters, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Myristyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Sodium Phosphate, Polyquaternium-7, Caprylic Acid, Oleamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Alcohol, Laurtrimonium Chloride, Sodium Bisulfite, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Tocopherol, Benzyl Salicylate, Limonene, Hydroxycitronellal, Citronellol
Water
Skin ConditioningCocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Adansonia Digitata Oil
Emollient
Behentrimonium Methosulfate
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Water, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Adansonia Digitata Oil, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Cetearyl Alcohol, Caprylyl Glycol, Glycerin, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Citric Acid, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Tocopherol
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Behentrimonium Methosulfate is an ammonium salt. It is mainly used to prevent static in haircare products as a surfactant.
Surfactants have differing ends: one side is hydrophilic while the other end is hydrophobic.
Surfactants also help your cleansers remove pollutants more easily from the skin.
Learn more about Behentrimonium MethosulfateCetearyl 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 GlycerinThis ingredient is derived from guar gum. It is a skin conditioning agent that creates a thin, breathable film to reduce water loss during cleansing.
This leaves the skin feeling soft rather than stripped and also contributes to a creamier lather.
Due to the large molecule size, this ingredient is unlikely to penetrate skin.
Learn more about Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium ChlorideTocopherol 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 Water
