What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter
Emollient
Ricinus Communis Seed Oil
Masking
Rosa Rubiginosa Seed Oil
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Algae Extract
EmollientStearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Epidermal Stem Cell Culture Extract
Ubiquinone
Antioxidant
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Skin Conditioning
Chamomilla Recutita Oil
Masking
Phospholipids
Skin Conditioning
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingDimethyl Sulfone
SolventSalvia Sclarea Oil
Masking
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Antimicrobial
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingGlyceryl Stearate Citrate
Emollient
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningLavandula Angustifolia Oil
Masking
Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycerin, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, Rosa Rubiginosa Seed Oil, Stearic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Algae Extract, Stearyl Alcohol, Niacinamide, Epidermal Stem Cell Culture Extract, Ubiquinone, Tocopheryl Acetate, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Chamomilla Recutita Oil, Phospholipids, Carbomer, Dimethyl Sulfone, Salvia Sclarea Oil, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Xanthan Gum, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Caprylyl Glycol, Polysorbate 20, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Butylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Aleurites Moluccanus Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Extract
Skin Conditioning
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Ricinus Communis Seed Oil
Masking
Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil
Emollient
Oryza Sativa Bran Oil
Emollient
Sodium Anisate
AntimicrobialSodium Levulinate
Skin ConditioningGlyceryl Caprylate
EmollientTocopherol
Antioxidant
Phospholipids
Skin Conditioning
Cetyl Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingMelatonin
Antioxidant
Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil
Emollient
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingLavandula Angustifolia Angustifolia Herb Oil
Perfuming
Dextran
Caprooyl Tetrapeptide-3
Skin Protecting
Limonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Water, Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Aleurites Moluccanus Seed Oil, Glyceryl Stearate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Extract, Stearic Acid, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil, Oryza Sativa Bran Oil, Sodium Anisate, Sodium Levulinate, Glyceryl Caprylate, Tocopherol, Phospholipids, Cetyl Hydroxyethylcellulose, Melatonin, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Xanthan Gum, Lavandula Angustifolia Angustifolia Herb Oil, Dextran, Caprooyl Tetrapeptide-3, Limonene, Linalool
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.
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe. It is a primary fatty alcohol with a chain length above 12 carbons. A study from 2019 show Malassezia can feed on fatty alcohols in this range, so it may trigger fungal acne in those prone to it.
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 StearatePhospholipids are a family of skin-identical lipids that makeup the structural backbone of every cell membrane in your body.
In cosmetics, they function as skin conditioning agents with emulsifier and surfactant properties. They're typically sourced from soybean or sunflower lecithin (or sometimes egg yolk or marine sources).
Because they mirror the lipids naturally found in the deeper layers of your skin, topical phospholipids help reinforce the lipid matrix, reduce transepidermal water loss, and leave skin feeling conditioned.
They're also used to form liposomes, or tiny self-assembling vesible used to stabilize actives like vitamin c or retinol. This helps these ingredients integrate into the upper layers of skin more easily.
Phospholipids are compatible with everything and the CIR Expert Panel has concluded them to be safe at current use levels.
Some types of phospholipids include:
Learn more about PhospholipidsThis ingredient is also known as castor oil. It is a skin conditioning ingredient.
The star component of castor oil is ricinoleic acid, an unusual fatty acid that makes up ~80-92% of its composition.
In skincare, it is an emollient that dries down to a solid film with water-binding properties. This helps keep skin hydrated and helps reduce transepidermal water loss (TEWL).
A 2026 dermatology review pulls together its broader uses:
Human clinical testing found this ingredient to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing.
Because castor oil contains fatty acids in the C11-24 range, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
At this time, the literature does not support castor oil in regrowing hair. A 2022 systematic review found no strong evidence that it supports hair growth and only weak evidence that it improves hair shine.
Castor oil itself carries "perfuming" and "masking" function tags according to the official CosIng database. This is because of its mild odor and odor-dampening properties.
Learn more about Ricinus Communis Seed OilStearic Acid is a fatty acid that is already found in your skin. It's one of the free fatty acids that works alongside ceramides and cholesterols to maintain your barrier.
In cosmetics, it is a multitasker:
Safety-wise, the CIR Expert Panel has concluded it to be safe in cosmetics when formulated to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing.
Free stearic acid is a C18 fatty acid that the Malassezia yeast can substrate, so this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Stearic AcidWater. 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
