What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetearyl Olivate
Isononyl Isononanoate
EmollientSqualane
Emollient
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingParfum
Masking
Tromethamine
BufferingHydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingHydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Betula Platyphylla Japonica Juice
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningAdenosine
Skin Conditioning
Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Disodium EDTA
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Glyceryl Glucoside
Humectant
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientStearic Acid
Cleansing
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Keratin
Humectant
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide Ns
Skin Conditioning
Cholesterol
Emollient
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide As
Skin Conditioning
Ascorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Humectant
Ceramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Water, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Olivate, Isononyl Isononanoate, Squalane, Sorbitan Olivate, Dipropylene Glycol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Parfum, Tromethamine, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Hydroxyacetophenone, Caprylyl Glycol, Betula Platyphylla Japonica Juice, Ethylhexylglycerin, Adenosine, Sorbitan Isostearate, Disodium EDTA, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Butylene Glycol, Glyceryl Glucoside, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Glyceryl Caprylate, Stearic Acid, 1,2-Hexanediol, Tocopherol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Keratin, Ceramide NP, Ceramide Ns, Cholesterol, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Phytosphingosine, Hyaluronic Acid, Ceramide AP, Ceramide As, Ascorbic Acid, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Ceramide EOP
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.Â
It is a:
- Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
- Emollient, helping to soften skin
- Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
- Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservativesÂ
Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.
Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.
Learn more about Butylene GlycolThis ingredient is also known as shea butter. It is a plant-derived extract from the nuts of the Africa shea tree and one of the most well-studied emollients.
Because it has a high concentration of fatty acids (primarily oleic, stearic, and linoleic) it is able to form a protective barrier on the skin's surface. This helps seal in moisture and prevents transepidermal water loss (TEWL).
In vitro research found an increase in skin hydration by 58% and a decrease in TEWL by 37.8% after 24 hours of applying this ingredient (pretty impressive for a single ingredient!).
Besides hydration, shea butter also contains triterpenes that have anti-inflammatory potential. In particule, lupeol cinnamate has shown the highest anti-inflammatory activity in vivo.
Shea butter also contains vitamins A and E which may contribute to antioxidant activity.
While Shea Butter has an SPF rating of about 3-4, it is not a sunscreen replacement.
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe because its fatty acids fall within the C11-C24 range that the Malassezia yeast can metabolize.
Learn more about Butyrospermum Parkii ButterCetearyl 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 GlycerinWater. 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
