What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetyl Esters
Emollient
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Behentrimonium Methosulfate
Surfactant
Trideceth-6
EmulsifyingAnise Alcohol
Perfuming
Dilauryl Thiodipropionate
Antioxidant
Chlorhexidine Digluconate
Antimicrobial
Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil
Humectant
Camellia Japonica Seed Oil
Emollient
Limonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Amodimethicone
Caprylic/Capric Glycerides
EmollientGardenia Taitensis Flower
Skin ConditioningRosa Canina Flower Extract
AstringentCetrimonium Chloride
Antimicrobial
Coumarin
Perfuming
Hexyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Parfum
Masking
Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Cetyl Alcohol, Cetyl Esters, Lactic Acid, Tocopherol, Phenoxyethanol, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Trideceth-6, Anise Alcohol, Dilauryl Thiodipropionate, Chlorhexidine Digluconate, Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil, Camellia Japonica Seed Oil, Limonene, Linalool, Amodimethicone, Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, Gardenia Taitensis Flower, Rosa Canina Flower Extract, Cetrimonium Chloride, Coumarin, Hexyl Cinnamal, Parfum
Water
Skin ConditioningDimethicone
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Neopentyl Glycol Diethylhexanoate
Emollient
Isopentyldiol
Humectant
Glycine Soja Sterols
Emollient
Dihydroxymethylsilylpropoxy Hydroxypropyl Hydrolyzed Casein
Skin ConditioningIsodecyl Neopentanoate
EmollientPEG-12 Dimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Maltitol
HumectantArginine
Masking
Glycine
Buffering
Aspartic Acid
Masking
Serine
Masking
Threonine
Valine
MaskingAlanine
Masking
Proline
Skin Conditioning
Phenylalanine
Masking
Isoleucine
Skin ConditioningHistidine
Humectant
PCA
Humectant
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
Sorbitol
Humectant
PPG-10 Methyl Glucose Ether
Skin ConditioningPhenyl Trimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Behentrimonium Methosulfate
Surfactant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose Stearoxy Ether
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Cetrimonium Chloride
Antimicrobial
Citric Acid
Buffering
Disodium EDTA
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Dimethicone, Cetearyl Alcohol, Neopentyl Glycol Diethylhexanoate, Isopentyldiol, Glycine Soja Sterols, Dihydroxymethylsilylpropoxy Hydroxypropyl Hydrolyzed Casein, Isodecyl Neopentanoate, PEG-12 Dimethicone, Maltitol, Arginine, Glycine, Aspartic Acid, Serine, Threonine, Valine, Alanine, Proline, Phenylalanine, Isoleucine, Histidine, PCA, Sodium PCA, Sodium Lactate, Sorbitol, PPG-10 Methyl Glucose Ether, Phenyl Trimethicone, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Butylene Glycol, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose Stearoxy Ether, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetrimonium Chloride, Citric Acid, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Behentrimonium Methosulfate is an ammonium salt. It is mainly used to prevent static in haircare products as a surfactant.
Surfactants have differing ends: one side is hydrophilic while the other end is hydrophobic.
Surfactants also help your cleansers remove pollutants more easily from the skin.
Learn more about Behentrimonium MethosulfateCetearyl 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 AlcoholThis ingredient is a preservative, antimicrobial, and emulsifier. It is often used in cosmetics for its ability to cleanse, condition, and reduce static.
Cetrimonium chloride is a quaternary ammonium salt, meaning it has a water-soluble structure.
Phenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.
On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).
You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.
Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.
Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.
Learn more about PhenoxyethanolWater. 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
