What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Distearoylethyl Dimonium Chloride
Xylitylglucoside
Humectant
Anhydroxylitol
Humectant
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Citric Acid
Buffering
Xylitol
Humectant
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningGlucose
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Rice Protein
Skin ConditioningPhyllostachys Bambusoides Extract
Skin ConditioningEuterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract
Parfum
Masking
Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Glycerin, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Distearoylethyl Dimonium Chloride, Xylitylglucoside, Anhydroxylitol, Sodium Benzoate, Citric Acid, Xylitol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Gluconate, Glucose, Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, Phyllostachys Bambusoides Extract, Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract, Parfum
Water
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Behentrimonium Chloride
Preservative
Glycerin
Humectant
Dimethiconol
Emollient
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine
EmulsifyingIsopropyl Alcohol
Solvent
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingSalicylic Acid
Masking
Disodium EDTA
Laureth-23
Cleansing
Tea-Dodecylbenzenesulfonate
CleansingC12-15 Pareth-3
EmulsifyingCitric Acid
Buffering
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Hexyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Behentrimonium Chloride, Glycerin, Dimethiconol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Isopropyl Alcohol, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Salicylic Acid, Disodium EDTA, Laureth-23, Tea-Dodecylbenzenesulfonate, C12-15 Pareth-3, Citric Acid, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum, Hexyl Cinnamal, Linalool
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 AlcoholCitric Acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) naturally found in citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes.
Like other AHAs, citric acid can exfoliate skin by breaking down the bonds that hold dead skin cells together. This helps reveal smoother and brighter skin underneath.
However, this exfoliating effect only happens at high concentrations (20%) which can be hard to find in cosmetic products.
Due to this, citric acid is usually included in small amounts as a pH adjuster. This helps keep products slightly more acidic and compatible with skin's natural pH.
In skincare formulas, citric acid can:
While it can provide some skin benefits, research shows lactic acid and glycolic acid are generally more effective and less irritating exfoliants.
Most citric acid used in skincare today is made by fermenting sugars (usually from molasses). This synthetic version is identical to the natural citrus form but easier to stabilize and use in formulations.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Citric AcidGlycerin (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 GlycerinParfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.
Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.
For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of āFRAGRANCEā or āPARFUMā according to EU and US regulations.
The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.
For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.
One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.
Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.
Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.
The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.
Learn more about ParfumWater. 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
