What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningHydrogenated Polydecene
EmollientMethylpropanediol
SolventGlycerin
Humectant
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Steareth-2
EmulsifyingSteareth-21
CleansingGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
PEG-10 Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Stabilising
Cyclomethicone
Emollient
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningWater
Skin ConditioningZinc Oxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Cocoglycerides
Emollient
C15-19 Alkane
SolventAcrylates Copolymer
Titanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Polyhydroxystearic Acid
Emulsifying
Saccharomyces Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Lauroyl Lysine
Skin Conditioning
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Alumina
Abrasive
Parfum
Masking
Disodium EDTA
Water, Zinc Oxide, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cocoglycerides, C15-19 Alkane, Acrylates Copolymer, Titanium Dioxide, Glycerin, Sodium Hydroxide, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Saccharomyces Ferment, Lauroyl Lysine, Benzyl Alcohol, Caprylyl Glycol, Stearic Acid, Alumina, Parfum, Disodium EDTA
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Glycerin (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 GlycerinStearic 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
