What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
PEG-8
HumectantStearic Acid
Cleansing
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingLauric Acid
Cleansing
Papain
Skin Conditioning
Dextrin
AbsorbentSodium Bicarbonate
Abrasive
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Soluble Collagen
Humectant
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glycol Distearate
Emollient
Polyquaternium-7
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Tetrasodium EDTA
Ethylparaben
Preservative
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Glycerin, Myristic Acid, PEG-8, Stearic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Lauric Acid, Papain, Dextrin, Sodium Bicarbonate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Soluble Collagen, Palmitic Acid, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycol Distearate, Polyquaternium-7, Glyceryl Stearate, Tetrasodium EDTA, Ethylparaben, Phenoxyethanol
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate
Emulsifying
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingLauric Acid
Cleansing
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Glyceryl Isostearate
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Diallyldimethyl Ammonium Chloride
Glycol Distearate
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Coix Lacryma-Jobi Ma-Yuen Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Prunus Persica Leaf Extract
Emollient
Alcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Cetyl-Pg Hydroxyethyl Decanamide
Skin ConditioningCamellia Oleifera Leaf Extract
AstringentEDTA
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Paraben
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Glycerin, Myristic Acid, Stearic Acid, PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Potassium Hydroxide, Lauric Acid, Palmitic Acid, Glyceryl Isostearate, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Diallyldimethyl Ammonium Chloride, Glycol Distearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Coix Lacryma-Jobi Ma-Yuen Seed Extract, Butylene Glycol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Prunus Persica Leaf Extract, Alcohol Denat., Sodium Hyaluronate, Cetyl-Pg Hydroxyethyl Decanamide, Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract, EDTA, Citric Acid, Sodium Paraben, Parfum
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 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 GlycerinGlycol Distearate serves as a pearlizing or opacifying agent in cosmetic products.
It's often included in cleansers and haircare products to give them a lustrous or shimmering appearance.
It is derived from stearic acid, a natural fatty acid commonly found in vegetable oils and animal fats.
Glycol Distearate isn't fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Glycol DistearateLauric Acid is a saturated fatty acid naturally found in coconut oil, palm kernel oil, and even breast milk.
In cosmetics, it is an:
Lab studies have found that lauric acid is surprisingly good at killing acne-causing bacteria. However, these tests were done on bacteria in a petri dish and not on real skin, so we can't say for certain it works the same in a formulation on a real face.
The comedogenic rating of 4 comes from the 1972 rabbit ear model using undiluted ingredients. Comedogenicity is highly individual and one comedogenic ingredient cannot predict how a formula will behave on skin.
This ingredient is not fungal acne safe and research has confirmed Malassezia can use it as a food source.
Learn more about Lauric AcidMyristic Acid is a saturated fatty acid. It is naturally found in milk fat. Other sources include palm oil, coconut oil, and butter fat.
Myristic Acid is an emulsifer and cleanser. As an emulsifer, it stabilizes a product by preventing ingredients from separating. Myristic Acid helps clean your skin by acting as a surfactant. It tends to gather oil and dirt on your skin to be easily rinsed away.
One study from 2021 found Myristic Acid to have anti-inflammatory properties.
Learn more about Myristic AcidPalmitic Acid is a fatty acid naturally found in our skin and in many plant and animal sources.
In cosmetics, it is usually derived from palm oil. It serves many purposes in skincare, acting as a cleanser, emollient, and emulsifier.
Interestingly, topically applied Palmitic Acid can be elongated into longer chain fatty acids and ceramides. A 2019 study found low levels of Palmitic Acid lead to slower development of cells, suggesting it plays a role in keeping your skin's renewal process on track.
The CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review) panel determined it safe as used in cosmetics at concentrations up to 13%. It is non-irritating and non-sensitizing in clinical studies.
The culprit behind fungal acne, the Malassezia yeast, feeds on fatty acids with carbon chain lengths between C11-C24. Palmitic Acid, at C16, falls right into that sweet spot.
In vitro studies have shown that Palmitic Acid is one of the fatty acids that induce rapid Malassezia growth in lab settings.
It's worth noting that what feeds yeast in a lab doesn't necessarily feed it on your face since formulation and your skin's chemistry play a bigger role.
Learn more about Palmitic AcidPotassium hydroxide is commonly known as caustic potash. It is used to fix the pH of a product or as a cleaning agent in soap. In cleansers, it is used for the saponification of oils.
Sapnification is the process of creating fatty acid metal salts from triglycerides and a strong base. During this process, Potassium Hydroxide is used up and is not present in the final product.
Using high concentrations of Potassium Hydroxide have shown to irritate the skin.
Learn more about Potassium HydroxideSodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.
In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.
Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.
You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium HyaluronateStearic 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 Acid
