What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningDimethicone
Emollient
Isodecyl Neopentanoate
EmollientIsononyl Isononanoate
EmollientPropanediol
Solvent
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Caprylyl Methicone
Skin Conditioning
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
PEG-100 Stearate
Bakuchiol
Antimicrobial
Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Emulsion Stabilising
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
4-T-Butylcyclohexanol
Masking
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingIsohexadecane
EmollientButylene Glycol
Humectant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingGlycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Polysorbate 80
Emulsifying
Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin
MaskingSorbitan Oleate
Emulsifying
Retinol
Skin Conditioning
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingPalmitoyl Tripeptide-38
Skin Conditioning
Acacia Senegal Gum Extract
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Propylene Glycol Alginate
Water, Dimethicone, Isodecyl Neopentanoate, Isononyl Isononanoate, Propanediol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Caprylyl Methicone, Cetyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, PEG-100 Stearate, Bakuchiol, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetearyl Glucoside, 4-T-Butylcyclohexanol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Isohexadecane, Butylene Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Glycine Soja Oil, Polysorbate 80, Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin, Sorbitan Oleate, Retinol, Carbomer, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38, Acacia Senegal Gum Extract, Tocopherol, Propylene Glycol Alginate
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Squalane
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
Masking
Pentaerythrityl Tetracaprylate/Tetracaprate
EmollientCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Niacinamide
Smoothing
C20-22 Alkyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingC20-22 Alcohols
Emulsion Stabilising
Acacia Senegal Gum
MaskingAdenosine
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
CI 17200
Cosmetic ColorantRetinal
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingTerminalia Chebula Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
Antioxidant
Tocopheryl Glucoside
EmollientXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingWater, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Squalane, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Pentaerythrityl Tetracaprylate/Tetracaprate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behenyl Alcohol, Niacinamide, C20-22 Alkyl Phosphate, C20-22 Alcohols, Acacia Senegal Gum, Adenosine, Cetearyl Glucoside, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, CI 17200, Retinal, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hydroxide, Terminalia Chebula Fruit Extract, Tocopherol, Tocopheryl Glucoside, Xanthan Gum
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Cetearyl 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 AlcoholCetearyl Glucoside is a sugar-based emulsifier. It is usually made by combining cetearyl alcohol and glucose.
Belonging to the aklyl polyglucoside (APG) family, Cetearyl Glucoside has a sugar "head" that loves water and a fatty "tail" that loves oil. This means it can shuffle oil and water into a stable and smooth emulsion.
Typical use levels are between 1-5% and this ingredient is considered to be non-irritating by the CIR Expert Panel Review.
Once applied, your skin's glucoside hydrolases breaks it down to the parent fatty alcohol and glucose. This is why this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Cetearyl GlucosideGlycerin (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
