What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAlcohol Denat.
AntimicrobialCetearyl Alcohol
EmollientBehentrimonium Methosulfate
Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii Extract
HumectantC13-16 Isoparaffin
SolventHeptyl Undecylenate
EmollientPapaver Somniferum Seed Oil
EmollientZingiber Officinale Root Extract
MaskingCetrimonium Chloride
AntimicrobialParfum
MaskingPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeHydrolyzed Wheat Protein Pg-Propyl Silanetriol
Skin ConditioningPanthenol
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Pea Protein Pg-Propyl Silanetriol
Skin ConditioningCaprylyl Glycol
EmollientEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningHexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingPersea Gratissima Oil
Skin ConditioningSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
EmollientAlcohol
AntimicrobialSodium PCA
HumectantSodium Lactate
BufferingPentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningArginine
MaskingAspartic Acid
MaskingSodium Benzoate
MaskingGlycerin
HumectantPCA
HumectantGlycine
BufferingSerine
MaskingAlanine
MaskingSoy Amino Acids
Skin ConditioningWheat Amino Acids
Skin ConditioningThreonine
Triticum Vulgare Bran Extract
Skin ConditioningValine
MaskingArginine Hcl
Skin ConditioningIsoleucine
Skin ConditioningProline
Skin ConditioningHistidine
HumectantPhenylalanine
Masking1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningPotassium Sorbate
PreservativeBenzyl Alcohol
PerfumingAlpha-Isomethyl Ionone
PerfumingCitronellol
PerfumingLimonene
PerfumingLinalool
PerfumingGeraniol
PerfumingWater, Alcohol Denat., Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii Extract, C13-16 Isoparaffin, Heptyl Undecylenate, Papaver Somniferum Seed Oil, Zingiber Officinale Root Extract, Cetrimonium Chloride, Parfum, Phenoxyethanol, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein Pg-Propyl Silanetriol, Panthenol, Hydrolyzed Pea Protein Pg-Propyl Silanetriol, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hexylene Glycol, Persea Gratissima Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Alcohol, Sodium PCA, Sodium Lactate, Pentylene Glycol, Arginine, Aspartic Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Glycerin, PCA, Glycine, Serine, Alanine, Soy Amino Acids, Wheat Amino Acids, Threonine, Triticum Vulgare Bran Extract, Valine, Arginine Hcl, Isoleucine, Proline, Histidine, Phenylalanine, 1,2-Hexanediol, Potassium Sorbate, Benzyl Alcohol, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Citronellol, Limonene, Linalool, Geraniol
Water
Skin ConditioningSd Alcohol 40-B
AstringentCetearyl Alcohol
EmollientAmodimethicone
Hydrolyzed Rice Protein
Skin ConditioningPanthenol
Skin ConditioningBehentrimonium Methosulfate
Cetrimonium Chloride
AntimicrobialHydroxyacetophenone
AntioxidantCaprylyl Glycol
EmollientEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningHexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingTrideceth-12
EmulsifyingCyclotetrasiloxane
EmollientParfum
MaskingPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeIngredients 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 MethosulfateCaprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid or alcohol, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolCetearyl 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 AlcoholThis ingredient is a preservative, antimicrobial, and emulsifier. It is often used in cosmetics for its ability to cleanse, condition, and reduce static.
Cetrimonium chloride is a quaternary ammonium salt, meaning it has a water-soluble structure.
Ethylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about EthylhexylglycerinHexylene Glycol is a multitasker ingredient that works as a solvent, humectant, emulsifier, viscosity reducer, and preservative booster.
It is able to dissolve both water and oil-soluble ingredients to stabilize tricky actives and make products spread more easily.
As a humectant, it pulls water into the skin. But it's a pretty minor moisturizing ingredient compared to other humectants, like glycerin.
Interestingly, it can act as a mild penetration enhancer. One in vitro study on human skin found a 12% concentration upped the absorption of mometasone furoate (a medicinal ingredient used to treat inflammatory skin conditions) up to 7%.
This ingredient is typically used at levels of 0.1-10% depending on the role it's playing.
A patch test study on eczema patients didn't find a significant increase in irritation versus the control group, but the potential for irritation rises at higher concentrations.
Learn more about Hexylene GlycolPanthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It is found naturally in our skin and hair.
There are two forms of panthenol: D and L.
D-panthenol is also known as dexpanthenol. Most cosmetics use dexpanthenol or a mixture of D and L-panthenol.
Panthenol is famous due to its ability to go deeper into the skin's layers. Using this ingredient has numerous pros (and no cons):
Like hyaluronic acid, panthenol is a humectant. Humectants are able to bind and hold large amounts of water to keep skin hydrated.
This ingredient works well for wound healing. It works by increasing tissue in the wound and helps close open wounds.
Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.
This ingredient is also referred to as pro-vitamin B5.
Learn more about PanthenolParfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.
Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.
For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.
The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.
For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.
One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.
Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.
Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.
The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.
Learn more about ParfumPhenoxyethanol 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 Water