What's inside
What's inside
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate
CleansingStearic Acid
Cleansing
Coconut Acid
Cleansing
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Pelargonium Graveolens Oil
Masking
Lavandula Angustifolia Oil
Masking
Mentha Piperita Oil
Masking
Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil
Perfuming
Dehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Water
Skin ConditioningBenzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Citronellol
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Cocos Nucifera Oil, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate, Stearic Acid, Coconut Acid, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Pelargonium Graveolens Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Mentha Piperita Oil, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil, Dehydroacetic Acid, Water, Benzyl Alcohol, Citronellol, Limonene, Linalool
Zinc Pyrithione 2%
Antiseborrhoeic
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Coconut Acid
Cleansing
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Isethionate
CleansingSodium Cocoyl Glycinate
Cleansing
Sodium Chloride
MaskingPetrolatum
Emollient
Sorbitol
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Propanediol
Solvent
Ceteareth-20
CleansingSimethicone
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-30 Stearate
Emulsifying
Sorbic Acid
Preservative
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 AlcoholCoconut acid is a mixture of fatty acids obtains by hydrolyzing coconut oil and then distilling the fatty acid portion. It works as a cleansing surfactant, emollient, and emulsifier depending on the formulation.
This ingredient is not a single compound but reflects the fatty acid profile of coconut oil itself, which is about 90% saturated. The dominant fatty acid is lauric acid (44-54%) and then myristic acid (13-19%). There are small amount of caprylic, capric, palmitic, oleic, and linoleic acids.
Human testing from CIR has shown no indication this ingredient to be a primary irritant, sensitizer, or phototoxic compound. It's also COSMOS-approved for natural and organic products.
Due to the high fatty acid content, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Coconut AcidSodium cocoyl isethionate is a natural ingredient from coconut oil. It is an ultra gentle cleanser that gives a nice foam without drying the skin or impacting the skin barrier.
The amount of foam created depends on the amount of sodium cocoyl isethionate used in the product.
This ingredient also helps improve the spreadability of a product.
This ingredient hasn’t been shown in studies to feed fungal acne yeast.
Learn more about Sodium Cocoyl IsethionateStearic Acid is a fatty acid that is already found in your skin. It's one of the free fatty acids that works alongside ceramides and cholesterols to maintain your barrier.
In cosmetics, it is a multitasker:
Safety-wise, the CIR Expert Panel has concluded it to be safe in cosmetics when formulated to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing.
Free stearic acid is a C18 fatty acid that the Malassezia yeast can substrate, so this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Stearic AcidWater. 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
