What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningOleyl Erucate
Emollient
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Theobroma Grandiflorum Seed Butter
Skin Conditioning
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Microcrystalline Cellulose
AbsorbentBehenyl Alcohol
Emollient
C9-12 Alkane
SolventCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Xylitylglucoside
Humectant
Prunus Domestica Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Silica
Abrasive
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Anhydroxylitol
Humectant
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Cellulose Gum
Emulsion StabilisingGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Jojoba Esters
Emollient
Xylitol
Humectant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Wax
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSaccharide Isomerate
Humectant
Dehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Polyglycerin-3
Humectant
Glycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Citrate
BufferingWater, Oleyl Erucate, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Glycerin, Theobroma Grandiflorum Seed Butter, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Behenyl Alcohol, C9-12 Alkane, Cetearyl Alcohol, Xylitylglucoside, Prunus Domestica Seed Oil, Silica, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Anhydroxylitol, Benzyl Alcohol, Cellulose Gum, Glyceryl Stearate, Jojoba Esters, Xylitol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Wax, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Xanthan Gum, Saccharide Isomerate, Dehydroacetic Acid, Polyglycerin-3, Glycine Soja Oil, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Dimethicone
Emollient
Squalane
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane
EmollientPentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate
Emollient
Propanediol
Solvent
Arachidyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Inulin
Skin Conditioning
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Arachidyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Linoleic Acid
Cleansing
Saccharomyces Ferment Filtrate
Humectant
Glyceryl Glucoside
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Acetyl Heptapeptide-4
Humectant
Linolenic Acid
Cleansing
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate
Emulsion StabilisingDiglycerin
Humectant
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Urea
Buffering
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingDisodium EDTA
Hydrogenated Polydecene
EmollientEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingLactic Acid
Buffering
Lysine
Skin ConditioningPCA
Humectant
Sorbitol
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Trideceth-10
CleansingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
Skin ConditioningAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Oryza Sativa Lees Extract
Skin ConditioningWater, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Squalane, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, Propanediol, Arachidyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Inulin, Behenyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Arachidyl Glucoside, Tocopheryl Acetate, Caprylyl Glycol, Linoleic Acid, Saccharomyces Ferment Filtrate, Glyceryl Glucoside, Sodium Hyaluronate, Acetyl Heptapeptide-4, Linolenic Acid, Cetearyl Glucoside, Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Diglycerin, Ceramide NP, Sodium PCA, Urea, Carbomer, Disodium EDTA, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Ethylhexylglycerin, Xanthan Gum, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Sodium Hydroxide, Lactic Acid, Lysine, PCA, Sorbitol, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Trideceth-10, Tocopherol, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Allantoin, Oryza Sativa Lees Extract
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Behenyl Alcohol is a type of fatty alcohol (these are different from the drying, solvent alcohols).
Fatty Alcohols have hydrating properties and are most often used as an emollient or to thicken a product. They are usually derived from natural fats and oils; behenyl alcohol is derived from the fats of vegetable oils.
Emollients help keep your skin soft and hydrated by creating a film that traps moisture in.
In 2000, Behenyl Alcohol was approved by the US as medicine to reduce the duration of cold sores.
Learn more about Behenyl AlcoholCetearyl 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 AlcoholGlycerin (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 GlycerinTocopherol (also known as Vitamin E) is a common antioxidant used to help protect the skin from free-radicals and strengthen the skin barrier. It's also fat soluble - this means our skin is great at absorbing it.
Vitamin E also helps keep your natural skin lipids healthy. Your lipid skin barrier naturally consists of lipids, ceramides, and fatty acids. Vitamin E offers extra protection for your skin’s lipid barrier, keeping your skin healthy and nourished.
Another benefit is a bit of UV protection. Vitamin E helps reduce the damage caused by UVB rays. (It should not replace your sunscreen). Combining it with Vitamin C can decrease sunburned cells and hyperpigmentation after UV exposure.
You might have noticed Vitamin E + C often paired together. This is because it is great at stabilizing Vitamin C. Using the two together helps increase the effectiveness of both ingredients.
There are often claims that Vitamin E can reduce/prevent scarring, but these claims haven't been confirmed by scientific research.
Learn more about TocopherolWater. 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 WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum
