What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Dimethicone
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Colloidal Oatmeal
Absorbent
Collagen
Moisturising
Squalane
Emollient
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Hexapeptide-9
Skin Conditioning
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Saccharomyces Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Lauroyl Lysine
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingWater, Glycerin, Niacinamide, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Dimethicone, Cetearyl Alcohol, Panthenol, Colloidal Oatmeal, Collagen, Squalane, Ceramide NP, Hexapeptide-9, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Allantoin, Saccharomyces Ferment, Caprylyl Glycol, Lauroyl Lysine, Butylene Glycol, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Xanthan Gum, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Hydroxide
Water
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
Solvent
Dicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientGlycerin
Humectant
C9-12 Alkane
SolventSoluble Collagen
Humectant
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Hydrolyzed Collagen
Emollient
Pentapeptide-34 Trifluoroacetate
Emollient
Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate
Skin Conditioning
Acetyl Hydroxyproline
EmollientSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Bakuchiol
Antimicrobial
Chrysanthemum Parthenium Extract
Skin ConditioningCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Bleaching
Chlorella Vulgaris Extract
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
Antioxidant
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Glycine
Buffering
Histidine
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Corn Protein
Skin ConditioningAlanine
Masking
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Isoleucine
Skin ConditioningLeucine
Skin ConditioningLysine
Skin ConditioningPhenylalanine
Masking
Proline
Skin Conditioning
Serine
Masking
Arginine
Masking
Cetearyl Olivate
Threonine
Tyrosine
MaskingValine
MaskingAspartic Acid
Masking
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glutamic Acid
Humectant
Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer
HumectantXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingTetrasodium EDTA
Water, Propanediol, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Glycerin, C9-12 Alkane, Soluble Collagen, Ceramide NP, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Pentapeptide-34 Trifluoroacetate, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Acetyl Hydroxyproline, Sodium Hyaluronate, Bakuchiol, Chrysanthemum Parthenium Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Chlorella Vulgaris Extract, Tocopherol, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Glycine, Histidine, Hydrolyzed Corn Protein, Alanine, Sorbitan Olivate, Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, Phenylalanine, Proline, Serine, Arginine, Cetearyl Olivate, Threonine, Tyrosine, Valine, Aspartic Acid, Butylene Glycol, Carbomer, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glutamic Acid, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Xanthan Gum, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Hydroxide, Tetrasodium EDTA
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.
Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.
Learn more about Butylene GlycolCeramide NP (formerly known as Ceramide 3) is one of the skin's naturally occurring lipids.
Since ceramides are the major lipid components of the skin, they are crucial for maintaining skin barrier and hydration. Ceramide NP most closely mirrors the dominant kind in human skin amongst ceramide subtypes.
This ceramide works by slotting into gaps within the stratum corneum's lipid matrix to limit trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) and shield the skin against external irritants.
A study with 312 patients found that using a ceramide-containing routine for 4 weeks reduced the severity of atopic dermatitis by over 61%.
Another clinical study in subjects aged 60 and older found that a ceramide body wash and moisturizer improved skin dryness and itchy skin in 15 days.
Overall, ceramides are considered non-irritating and safety tests have found little to no observable adverse effects from using this ingredient.
Ceramide NP is usually sourced from plants (like soybean or rice bran), or produced synthetically.
Learn more about Ceramide NPCetearyl 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 GlycerinPhenoxyethanol 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 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 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
