What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Copernicia Cerifera Wax
Synthetic Beeswax
Emulsion Stabilising
Ricinus Communis Seed Oil
Masking
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Polyvinyl Alcohol
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Aminomethyl Propanol
BufferingPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Ascorbyl Palmitate
Antioxidant
Biotinoyl Tripeptide-1
Gardenia Taitensis Flower
Skin ConditioningHydrogenated Coconut Oil
Emollient
Lecithin
Emollient
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Cellulose
Absorbent
Silica
Abrasive
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Dehydroacetate
Preservative
Citric Acid
Buffering
CI 77499
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Glyceryl Stearate, Copernicia Cerifera Wax, Synthetic Beeswax, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, Stearic Acid, Polyvinyl Alcohol, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Aminomethyl Propanol, Panthenol, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Biotinoyl Tripeptide-1, Gardenia Taitensis Flower, Hydrogenated Coconut Oil, Lecithin, Caprylyl Glycol, Cellulose, Silica, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Citric Acid, CI 77499
Water
Skin ConditioningCera Alba
Emollient
Synthetic Beeswax
Emulsion Stabilising
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Copernicia Cerifera Cera
Emollient
Dimer Dilinoleyl Dimer Dilinoleate
EmollientStearic Acid
Cleansing
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Ethylhexyl Polyhydroxystearate
EmollientPolyglyceryl-6 Polyricinoleate
Emulsifying
Jojoba Esters
Emollient
Acacia Senegal Gum
MaskingPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCaprylhydroxamic Acid
Arginine
Masking
Lauric Acid
Cleansing
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
Arachidic Acid
Cleansing
Oleic Acid
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Water, Cera Alba, Synthetic Beeswax, Glyceryl Stearate, Glycerin, Copernicia Cerifera Cera, Dimer Dilinoleyl Dimer Dilinoleate, Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Ethylhexyl Polyhydroxystearate, Polyglyceryl-6 Polyricinoleate, Jojoba Esters, Acacia Senegal Gum, Panthenol, Benzyl Alcohol, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Hydroxide, Xanthan Gum, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Arginine, Lauric Acid, Myristic Acid, Arachidic Acid, Oleic Acid, Tocopherol
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid or alcohol, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolGlycerin (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 GlycerinGlyceryl Stearate is made by reacting glycerin with stearic acid (typically sourced from plant oils like palm or coconut). It's an emulsifier, emollient, and mild occlusive.
Emulsifiers help ingredients like oil and water stay mixed so your formula stays nicely blended and uniform in texture.
This ingredient is typically used in concentrations between 1-10%. Studies have found it to be non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.
A close cousin of this ingredient is Glyceryl Stearate SE ("self-emulsifying"). This just has a small amount of sodium or potassium stearate added so it can emulsify without a co-emulsifier.
Since this ingredient is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize within the C11-C24 range.
Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.
Learn more about Glyceryl StearatePanthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It is found naturally in our skin and hair.
There are two forms of panthenol: D and L.
D-panthenol is also known as dexpanthenol. Most cosmetics use dexpanthenol or a mixture of D and L-panthenol.
Panthenol is famous due to its ability to go deeper into the skin's layers. Using this ingredient has numerous pros (and no cons):
Like hyaluronic acid, panthenol is a humectant. Humectants are able to bind and hold large amounts of water to keep skin hydrated.
This ingredient works well for wound healing. It works by increasing tissue in the wound and helps close open wounds.
Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.
This ingredient is also referred to as pro-vitamin B5.
Learn more about PanthenolStearic 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 AcidSynthetic beeswax is created to be identical in structure to beeswax. It possesses the same occlusive and emulsion properties.
A blend of fatty acid esters, fatty acids, and alcohols are used to create synthetic beeswax. Whether or not this ingredient is vegan depends on the source. Sometimes, lanolin is used for its creation.
This ingredient may not be Malassezia folliculitis, or fungal-acne safe.
Learn more about Synthetic BeeswaxTocopherol (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 Water
