What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningUrea
Buffering
Dimethicone
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Petrolatum
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Jojoba Esters
Emollient
Cetyl Esters
Emollient
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Distearyldimonium Chloride
Steareth-2
EmulsifyingSteareth-21
CleansingPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Retinyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Stearamidopropyl Pg-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate
Methyl Gluceth-20
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Diazolidinyl Urea
Preservative
EDTA
Parfum
Masking
Methylparaben
Preservative
Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters
Skin Conditioning
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingPropylparaben
Preservative
Water, Urea, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Petrolatum, Cetyl Alcohol, Jojoba Esters, Cetyl Esters, Lactic Acid, Stearyl Alcohol, Distearyldimonium Chloride, Steareth-2, Steareth-21, Propylene Glycol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Tocopheryl Acetate, Retinyl Palmitate, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Polysorbate 60, Stearamidopropyl Pg-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate, Methyl Gluceth-20, Glyceryl Stearate, Diazolidinyl Urea, EDTA, Parfum, Methylparaben, Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters, Potassium Hydroxide, Propylparaben
Water
Skin ConditioningHydroxyethyl Urea
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Dimethicone
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Gluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Steareth-21
CleansingNiacinamide
Smoothing
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningCholesterol
Emollient
Ceramide Ns
Skin Conditioning
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Caprooyl Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Emulsion StabilisingCeramide Eos
Skin Conditioning
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Caprooyl Sphingosine
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
Antioxidant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Disodium EDTA
Ceteareth-25
Cleansing3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Behenic Acid
Cleansing
Water, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Stearyl Alcohol, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Glyceryl Stearate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ceramide NP, Gluconolactone, Steareth-21, Niacinamide, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Cholesterol, Ceramide Ns, Polysorbate 60, Ethylhexylglycerin, Panthenol, Ceramide EOP, Caprooyl Phytosphingosine, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Ceramide Eos, Hydroxyacetophenone, Cetyl Alcohol, Ceramide AP, Caprooyl Sphingosine, Tocopherol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Disodium EDTA, Ceteareth-25, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Behenic Acid
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 AlcoholCetyl 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.
Learn more about Cetyl AlcoholDimethicone is a type of synthetic silicone created from natural materials such as quartz. It is also known as polydimethylsiloxane.
What it does:
Dimethicone comes in different viscosities:
Depending on the viscosity, dimethicone has different properties.
Ingredients lists don't always show which type is used, so we recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the viscosity.
This ingredient is unlikely to cause irritation because it does not get absorbed into skin. However, people with silicone allergies should be careful about using this ingredient.
Note: Dimethicone may contribute to pilling. This is because it is not oil or water soluble, so pilling may occur when layered with products. When mixed with heavy oils in a formula, the outcome is also quite greasy.
Learn more about DimethiconeGlycerin (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 StearatePolysorbate 60 is used to help stabilize products. It is a surfactant and emulsifier. These properties help keep ingredients together in a product. Surfactants help reduce surface tension between ingredients with different states, such as liquids and solids. Emulsifiers help prevent oils and waters from separating.
Polysorbate 60 is sorbitol-based and created from the ethoxylation of sorbitan. Ethoxylation is a chemical reaction used to add ethylene oxide. Sorbitan is a the dehydrated version of sorbitol, a sugar found in fruits.
In this case, the 60 comes from reacting 60 units of ethylene oxide with sorbitan.
Polysorbates are commonly used in medicine and foods.
Learn more about Polysorbate 60Steareth-21 is a nonionic emulsifier made by reacting stearyl alcohol with 21 units of ethylene oxide. It is mainly a cleansing agent and emulsifier.
The "21" in the name just tells you it has a longer water-loving chain. This makes it more gentle and less likely to irritate skin compared to lower-numbered steareths.
You'll most likely see it paired with steareth-2 because the two work together to create stable formulations.
1,4-dioxane is often brought up as a concern but this is usually removed through purification.
Learn more about Steareth-21Stearyl Alcohol is a type of fatty alcohol from stearic acid. It is a white, waxy compound used to emulsify ingredients used as an emollient or to thicken a product.
Emollients help soothe and hydrate the skin by trapping moisture.
Fatty alcohols are usually derived from natural fats and oils and therefore do not have the same drying or irritating effect as solvent (ethanol) alcohols.
The FDA allows products labeled "alcohol-free" to have fatty alcohols.
Learn more about Stearyl AlcoholWater. 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
