What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningUrea
Buffering
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate
Emulsifying
Isopropyl Palmitate
Emollient
Octyldodecanol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
PPG-3 Benzyl Ether Myristate
EmollientMyristyl Myristate
Emollient
Triethyl Citrate
Masking
Hydrolyzed Algin
Chlorella Vulgaris Extract
Skin ConditioningMaris Aqua
HumectantFarnesol
Perfuming
Hippophae Rhamnoides Extract
MaskingAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Methylparaben
Preservative
Ethylparaben
Preservative
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
BHT
Antioxidant
Ascorbyl Palmitate
Antioxidant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Water, Urea, Persea Gratissima Oil, Glycerin, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Isopropyl Palmitate, Octyldodecanol, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, PPG-3 Benzyl Ether Myristate, Myristyl Myristate, Triethyl Citrate, Hydrolyzed Algin, Chlorella Vulgaris Extract, Maris Aqua, Farnesol, Hippophae Rhamnoides Extract, Allantoin, Xanthan Gum, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Caprylyl Glycol, Propylene Glycol, BHT, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Citric Acid
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Urea
Buffering
Dibutyl Adipate
EmollientGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Dicaprylyl Ether
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
Tapioca Starch
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Dimethicone
Emollient
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Glycine
Buffering
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Arginine Hcl
Skin ConditioningSodium PCA
Humectant
Decylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSodium Cetearyl Sulfate
Cleansing
Carnitine
Cleansing
Sodium Chloride
MaskingAlanine
Masking
Cholesterol
Emollient
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Water, Glycerin, Urea, Dibutyl Adipate, Glyceryl Stearate, Stearyl Alcohol, Dicaprylyl Ether, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sodium Lactate, Tapioca Starch, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Dimethicone, Pentylene Glycol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Glycine, Lactic Acid, Arginine Hcl, Sodium PCA, Decylene Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate, Carnitine, Sodium Chloride, Alanine, Cholesterol, Ceramide NP
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Glycerin (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 StearatePhenoxyethanol 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.
Urea is also called carbamide and is the diamide of carbonic acid. In cosmetics, urea is used to hydrate the skin. It also provides exfoliation in higher concentrations.
As a humectant, urea helps draw moisture from the air and from deep within the skin. This helps hydrate your skin. Studies show urea is an effective moisturizer for dry skin conditions. 40% urea is typical in medications for treating eczema and other skin conditions.
Urea has the strongest exfoliation effect in concentrations higher than 10%. It is a keratolytic agent, meaning it breaks down the keratin protein in the top layer of skin. This helps remove dead skin cells and flaking skin.
In medicine, urea has been shown to help increase the potency of other ingredients, such as fungal treatments.
Humans and animals use urea to metabolize nitrogen-containing compounds. Urea is highly soluble in water. Once dissolved, it is neither acidic nor alkaline.
Urea is actually one of the more well-studied and well-supported ingredients out there if you have eczema.
Clinical trials have shown that urea creams in the 5 - 10% range can:
Higher concentrations (20 -30%) can also help with thickened, scaly patches but is also more likely to sting on active flares.
Skip urea if you have rosacea. The AAD (American Academy of Dermatology) lists it alongside alcohol, menthol, and fragrance as a potential irritant for rosacea-prone skin. Urea's keratolytic and penetration-enhancing properties can trigger stinging, burning, and redness.
As always, your skin is unique, so definitely check in with your dermatologist.
Learn more about UreaWater. 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
