What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
PEG-40 Stearate
Emulsifying
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Methyldihydrojasmonate
MaskingPolysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Potassium Phosphate
BufferingSchisandra Chinensis Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningEuterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Dipotassium Phosphate
BufferingCitric Acid
Buffering
Maltodextrin
Absorbent
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
Arginine
Masking
Aspartic Acid
Masking
PCA
Humectant
Glycine
Buffering
Alanine
Masking
Serine
Masking
Valine
MaskingThreonine
Isoleucine
Skin ConditioningProline
Skin Conditioning
Phenylalanine
Masking
Histidine
Humectant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Water, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, PEG-40 Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Methyldihydrojasmonate, Polysorbate 20, Potassium Phosphate, Schisandra Chinensis Fruit Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Dipotassium Phosphate, Citric Acid, Maltodextrin, Sodium PCA, Sodium Lactate, Arginine, Aspartic Acid, PCA, Glycine, Alanine, Serine, Valine, Threonine, Isoleucine, Proline, Phenylalanine, Histidine, Tocopherol
Water
Skin ConditioningIsopropyl Palmitate
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Dicaprylyl Ether
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSodium Cetearyl Sulfate
Cleansing
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Methylparaben
Preservative
Geraniol
Perfuming
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Citronellol
Perfuming
Triethanolamine
BufferingParfum
Masking
Water, Isopropyl Palmitate, Glycerin, Dicaprylyl Ether, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Cetearyl Alcohol, Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Tocopherol, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate, Sodium Hydroxide, Carbomer, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Geraniol, Benzyl Alcohol, Linalool, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Limonene, Citronellol, Triethanolamine, Parfum
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Cetearyl 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.
Tocopherol 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
