What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Glycerin
Humectant
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Dimethicone
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Citrus Grandis Fruit Extract
Astringent
Ascorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingPotassium Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingPotassium Hydroxide
BufferingSorbic Acid
Preservative
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Water, Tocopheryl Acetate, Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Dimethicone, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Persea Gratissima Oil, Citrus Grandis Fruit Extract, Ascorbic Acid, Carbomer, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Potassium Hydroxide, Sorbic Acid, Benzyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate
Water
Skin ConditioningTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Glycerin
Humectant
Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
Masking
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil
Emollient
Helianthus Annuus Seedcake
Abrasive
Erigeron Annuus Flower Oil
Skin Conditioning
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Glyceryl Stearate Citrate
Emollient
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningParfum
Masking
Water, Tocopheryl Acetate, Glycerin, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, Persea Gratissima Oil, Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil, Helianthus Annuus Seedcake, Erigeron Annuus Flower Oil, Panthenol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Allantoin, Cetearyl Glucoside, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Polysorbate 60, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Parfum
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Cetyl Alcohol is a fatty alcohol. Fatty Alcohols are most often used as an emollient or to thicken a product.
Its main roles are:
Though it has "alcohol" in the name, it is not related to denatured alcohol or ethyl alcohol.
The FDA allows products labeled "alcohol-free" to have fatty alcohols.
Learn more about Cetyl 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 GlycerinGlyceryl Stearate Se is a self-emulsifying (SE) form of glyceryl stearate. Self-emusifying means this ingredient automatically blends with water. It is an emulsifier, emollient, and cleansing agent.
As an emulsifier, Glyceryl Stearate Se prevents ingredients such as oil and water from separating. It is also a surfactant, meaning it helps cleanse the skin. Surfactants help gather oil, dirt, and other pollutants so they may be rinsed away easily.
Emollients help your skin stay smooth and soft. It does so by creating a film on top of the skin that helps trap moisture in.
Learn more about Glyceryl Stearate SeThis ingredient is also known as Avocado oil. It's the cold-pressed oil from the flesh of the avocado fruit packed with fatty acids (mostly oleic acid).
The rich fatty acid profile allows it to function as a skin conditioning agent and emollient; it helps soften and smooth skin while reducing water loss.
Preclinical research has found that topical avocado oil increased collagen synthesis and reduced inflammation during wound healing, giving it some skin-repairing credibility.
The unsaponifiable fraction of the oil is also interesting: studies on avocado unsaponifiables showed that it helped skin produce more collagen and other structural compounds that support healing.
The CIR Expert Panel has found this ingredient to be non-irritating in formulations.
It's a great ingredient for dry or compromised skin. Just know it may not be fungal acne safe. This is because the oleic acid content falls within the range that Malassezia can use as a food source.
Learn more about Persea Gratissima OilPhenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.
Stearic 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 AcidTocopheryl Acetate is AKA Vitamin E. It is an antioxidant and protects your skin from free radicals. Free radicals damage the skin by breaking down collagen.
One study found using Tocopheryl Acetate with Vitamin C decreased the number of sunburned cells.
Tocopheryl Acetate is commonly found in both skincare and dietary supplements.
Learn more about Tocopheryl AcetateWater. 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
