What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Ricinus Communis Seed Oil
Masking
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Urea
Buffering
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emollient
Diglycerin
Humectant
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Helianthus Annuus Extract
Emollient
Sorbic Acid
Preservative
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningParfum
Masking
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Copernicia Cerifera Wax
Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
Skin ConditioningLactic Acid
Buffering
Lysine
Skin ConditioningPCA
Humectant
Sorbitol
Humectant
Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract
Masking
Hydroxycitronellal
Perfuming
Hexyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Citronellol
Perfuming
Coumarin
Perfuming
BHT
Antioxidant
Ascorbyl Palmitate
Antioxidant
Water, Glycerin, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Urea, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Phenoxyethanol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Diglycerin, Sodium PCA, Helianthus Annuus Extract, Sorbic Acid, Carbomer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Parfum, Sodium Hydroxide, Tocopheryl Acetate, Allantoin, Copernicia Cerifera Wax, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Lactic Acid, Lysine, PCA, Sorbitol, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Hydroxycitronellal, Hexyl Cinnamal, Limonene, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Geraniol, Linalool, Citronellol, Coumarin, BHT, Ascorbyl Palmitate
Colloidal Oatmeal 0.5%
Absorbent
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Isohexadecane
EmollientNiacinamide
Smoothing
Dimethicone
Emollient
Isopropyl Isostearate
Emollient
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Hydrogenated Shea Butter
Skin Conditioning
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningHydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Dimethiconol
Emollient
C13-14 Isoparaffin
Emollient
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Laureth-7
EmulsifyingStearic Acid
Cleansing
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Disodium EDTA
Polyacrylamide
PEG-100 Stearate
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Avena Sativa Peptide
Skin Conditioning
Colloidal Oatmeal 0.5%, Water, Glycerin, Isohexadecane, Niacinamide, Dimethicone, Isopropyl Isostearate, Stearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Hydrogenated Shea Butter, Panthenol, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hydroxyacetophenone, Dimethiconol, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Cetearyl Glucoside, Cetearyl Alcohol, Laureth-7, Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Behenyl Alcohol, Disodium EDTA, Polyacrylamide, PEG-100 Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Avena Sativa Peptide
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Cetyl 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 AlcoholEthylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about EthylhexylglycerinGlycerin (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.
Stearic 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
