What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-11
Emulsion StabilisingZinc PCA
Humectant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
C15-19 Alkane
SolventCeteareth-20
CleansingBHT
Antioxidant
Ceteareth-12
EmulsifyingCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetyl Palmitate
Emollient
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Diphenyl Dimethicone
Emollient
Squalane
Emollient
Triethylene Glycol
Masking
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract
Skin Conditioning
Cladosiphon Okamuranus Extract
Skin ConditioningSalix Alba Bark Extract
Astringent
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Coffea Arabica Seed Extract
Masking
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Leaf Extract
AstringentPinus Densiflora Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Water, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glyceryl Stearate, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-11, Zinc PCA, Phenoxyethanol, C15-19 Alkane, Ceteareth-20, BHT, Ceteareth-12, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Palmitate, Allantoin, Diphenyl Dimethicone, Squalane, Triethylene Glycol, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract, Cladosiphon Okamuranus Extract, Salix Alba Bark Extract, Decyl Glucoside, Coffea Arabica Seed Extract, 1,2-Hexanediol, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Leaf Extract, Pinus Densiflora Leaf Extract
Water
Skin ConditioningTriethylhexanoin
MaskingButylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Hexylresorcinol
Antimicrobial
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Tromethamine
BufferingTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-75 Stearate
Surfactant
Ceteareth-20
CleansingCyclodextrin
AbsorbentDisodium EDTA
Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
Antioxidant
BHT
Antioxidant
Avena Sativa Kernel Extract
Abrasive
Diglucosyl Gallic Acid
Resveratrol
Antioxidant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Methacrylate Copolymer
Water, Triethylhexanoin, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Hexylresorcinol, Panthenol, Allantoin, Tromethamine, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-75 Stearate, Ceteareth-20, Cyclodextrin, Disodium EDTA, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, BHT, Avena Sativa Kernel Extract, Diglucosyl Gallic Acid, Resveratrol, Xanthan Gum, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Methacrylate Copolymer
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Allantoin is a soothing ingredient known for its protective and moisturizing properties; it's basically a quiet workhorse ingredient you can find in a huge range of cosmetics.
Though it can be derived from the comfrey plant, allantoin is produced synthetically for cosmetic products to ensure purity.
Research shows it can encourage your skin cells to turn over and renew by stimulating keratinocyte and fibroblast proliferation.
It also has mild keratolytic properties to help loosen and shed dead skin cells without being harsh.
Studies also suggest allantoin can help calm inflammation by dialing down some of the chemical signals your skin sends out when it is irritated.
This ingredient is typically used in the 0.1-0.5% range, and the FDA recognizes it as a skin protectant in OTC products up to 2%.
Overall, allantoin is a wonderful addition to most routines; it is stable across a wide pH range (~4-8), works well with other ingredients, and is considered non-sensitizing/non-irritating.
Fun fact: Allantoin is naturally occurring in comfrey root, beets, chamomile, and wheat sprouts. Our bodies even produce it as a byproduct of uric acid metabolism.
Learn more about AllantoinBHT is a synthetic antioxidant and preservative.
As an antioxidant, it helps your body fight off free-radicals. Free-radicals are molecules that may damage your skin cells.
As a preservative, it is used to stabilize products and prevent them from degrading. Specifically, BHT prevents degradation from oxidation.
The concerns related to BHT come from oral studies; this ingredient is currently allowed for use by both the FDA and EU.
However, it was recently restricted for use in the UK as of April 2024.
Learn more about BHTCeteareth-20 is an emulsifier and surfactant made by reacting cetearyl alcohol with 20 moles of ethylene oxide.
This gives it both oil and water-loving properties that makes it an effect emulsifier; it's really great at pulling oil droplets into water to create a stable, creamy, and easy-to-spread base.
Typical use ranges from 0.5-30%. Most leave-on products are in the 1-10% zone.
The 20 ethylene oxide units is well above the PEG-10 threshold and therefore not a food source for Malassezia (it's fungal acne safe).
This ingredient has a comedogenic rating of 2 and an irritancy rating of 3. These numbers come from testing the raw ingredient on rabbit ears and doesn't reflect how it will behave in a finished product.
In practice, this ingredient is a well-tolerated ingredient. The ratings reflect cautious lab conditions and not real-world use. Just be sure to patch test any formulas you feel unsure about.
Learn more about Ceteareth-20Glycerin (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 StearateWater. 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
