What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningEthylhexyl Palmitate
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Petrolatum
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Isopropyl Myristate
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Triethanolamine
BufferingCeteth-10 Phosphate
CleansingDicetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingParfum
Masking
Methylparaben
Preservative
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Benzophenone-4
UV Absorber
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Dimethicone
Emollient
Mangifera Indica Seed Butter
Skin Conditioning
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Propylparaben
Preservative
Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter
Emollient
Disodium EDTA
PEG-8 Dimethicone
Emulsifying
Carica Papaya Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningColocasia Antiquorum Root Extract
Skin ConditioningMangifera Indica Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningPassiflora Incarnata Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningPlumeria Acutifolia Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningPsidium Guajava Fruit Extract
AstringentAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder
Skin Conditioning
Octyldodecanol
Emollient
Retinyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Silica
Abrasive
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Ascorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Sodium Propoxyhydroxypropyl Thiosulfate Silica
CI 47005
Cosmetic ColorantCI 61570
Cosmetic ColorantCI 17200
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Glycerin, Petrolatum, Cetyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Isopropyl Myristate, Glyceryl Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Triethanolamine, Ceteth-10 Phosphate, Dicetyl Phosphate, Carbomer, Parfum, Methylparaben, Allantoin, Benzophenone-4, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Dimethicone, Mangifera Indica Seed Butter, Persea Gratissima Oil, Propylparaben, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Disodium EDTA, PEG-8 Dimethicone, Carica Papaya Fruit Extract, Colocasia Antiquorum Root Extract, Mangifera Indica Fruit Extract, Passiflora Incarnata Fruit Extract, Plumeria Acutifolia Flower Extract, Psidium Guajava Fruit Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Octyldodecanol, Retinyl Palmitate, Silica, Tocopheryl Acetate, Ascorbic Acid, Sodium Propoxyhydroxypropyl Thiosulfate Silica, CI 47005, CI 61570, CI 17200
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Arachidyl Alcohol
Emollient
Arachidyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingCeteareth-20
CleansingCeramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Cholesterol
Emollient
Lecithin
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate
Emulsifying
Potassium Phosphate
BufferingDipotassium Phosphate
BufferingSodium Lauroyl Lactylate
EmulsifyingBehenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Disodium EDTA
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingHexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Water, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Niacinamide, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Arachidyl Alcohol, Arachidyl Glucoside, Ceteareth-20, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Phytosphingosine, Hyaluronic Acid, Cholesterol, Lecithin, Dimethicone, Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate, Potassium Phosphate, Dipotassium Phosphate, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Behenyl Alcohol, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum, Hexylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Carbomer is a high-molecular weight polymer of acrylic acid. It is used to form gels and thicken formulas.
Due to its large molecular size, carbomer has minimal skin penetration and is considered an inert ingredient.
A high amount of carbomer can cause pilling or balling up of products. Don't worry, most products contain 1% or less of carbomer.
Learn more about CarbomerCetearyl 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 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 DimethiconeDisodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).
Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAGlycerin (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.
Water. 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
