What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningBehentrimonium Chloride
Preservative
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetyl Esters
Emollient
PEG-180
HumectantIsononyl Isononanoate
EmollientElaeis Guineensis Oil
Emollient
Isopropyl Alcohol
Solvent
Methylparaben
Preservative
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion Stabilising2-Oleamido-1,3-Octadecanediol
Skin ConditioningBHT
Antioxidant
Chlorhexidine Digluconate
Antimicrobial
Butylphenyl Methylpropional
Perfuming
Amyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Citric Acid
Buffering
Hexyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Benzyl Salicylate
Perfuming
Glycerin
Humectant
Trehalose
Humectant
Tamarindus Indica Seed Polysaccharide
Skin ConditioningCI 19140
Cosmetic ColorantCI 42090
Cosmetic ColorantMyrothamnus Flabellifolia Leaf Extract
EmollientParfum
Masking
Water, Behentrimonium Chloride, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Esters, PEG-180, Isononyl Isononanoate, Elaeis Guineensis Oil, Isopropyl Alcohol, Methylparaben, Hydroxyethylcellulose, 2-Oleamido-1,3-Octadecanediol, BHT, Chlorhexidine Digluconate, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Amyl Cinnamal, Benzyl Alcohol, Citric Acid, Hexyl Cinnamal, Linalool, Benzyl Salicylate, Glycerin, Trehalose, Tamarindus Indica Seed Polysaccharide, CI 19140, CI 42090, Myrothamnus Flabellifolia Leaf Extract, Parfum
Water
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Maleic Acid
BufferingEthanolamine
BufferingBehentrimonium Methosulfate
Surfactant
Parfum
Masking
Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine
EmulsifyingGlycerin
Humectant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingRicinus Communis Seed Oil
Masking
Quaternium-91
Polyquaternium-37
Benzoic Acid
Masking
Paraffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Cetrimonium Chloride
Antimicrobial
Cetrimonium Methosulfate
AntimicrobialPPG-1 Trideceth-6
Skin ConditioningBenzyl Benzoate
Antimicrobial
Biotin
AntiseborrhoeicLimonene
Perfuming
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Acrylates Copolymer
Linalool
Perfuming
2-Oleamido-1,3-Octadecanediol
Skin ConditioningSorbitan Oleate
Emulsifying
Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Propylene Glycol, Maleic Acid, Ethanolamine, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Parfum, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Glycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, Quaternium-91, Polyquaternium-37, Benzoic Acid, Paraffinum Liquidum, Cetrimonium Chloride, Cetrimonium Methosulfate, PPG-1 Trideceth-6, Benzyl Benzoate, Biotin, Limonene, Benzyl Alcohol, Acrylates Copolymer, Linalool, 2-Oleamido-1,3-Octadecanediol, Sorbitan Oleate
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
We don't have a description for 2-Oleamido-1,3-Octadecanediol yet.
Benzyl Alcohol is an aromatic alcohol with several roles: it's a preservative, solvent, and mild fragrance component with a floral scent.
This ingredient has been deemed safe for use in cosmetic formulations at concentrations up to 5%, and up to 10% in hair dyes. You'll typically see 0.5-2% in most rinse-off or leave-on products.
As a preservative, it works by disrupting the membrane of microbial proteins. This helps keep bacteria and fungi from growing in your products.
The sensitization picture is actually quite assuring as well:of nearly 71,000 patients patch tested with benzyl alcohol, only 0.21% showed a positive reaction with most of them being weakly positive.
This led researchers to conclude that benzyl alcohol cannot be regarded as a significant contact allergen.
It is worth noting this ingredient is classified as one of the EU's regulated fragrance allergens and restricted to 1% in finished products.
Labels must also declare it in concentrations above 0.001% in leave-on products and 0.01% in rinse-off products.
At concentrations around 5%, localized redness and itching can appear as a direct irritant response and not as a true allergic reaction.
Learn more about Benzyl AlcoholCetearyl 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.
A 2019 study has also observed Malassezia growth in the presence of this ingredient, confirming it to be not-fungal acne safe.
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 GlycerinHydroxyethylcellulose is used to improve the texture of products. It is created from a chemical reaction involving ethylene oxide and alkali-cellulose. Cellulose is a sugar found in plant cell walls and help give plants structure.
This ingredient helps stabilize products by preventing ingredients from separating. It can also help thicken the texture of a product.
This ingredient can also be found in pill medicines to help our bodies digest other ingredients.
Learn more about HydroxyethylcelluloseLinalool is a fragrance and helps add scent to products. It's derived from common plants such as cinnamon, mint, citrus, and lavender.
Like Limonene, this ingredient oxidizes when exposed to air. Oxidized linalool can cause allergies and skin sensitivity.
This ingredient has a scent that is floral, spicy tropical, and citrus-like.
Learn more about LinaloolParfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.
Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.
For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.
The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.
For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.
One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.
Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.
Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.
The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.
Learn more about ParfumWater. 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
