What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Behentrimonium Chloride
Preservative
Cetyl Esters
Emollient
Isopropyl Myristate
Emollient
Quaternium-80
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Parfum
Masking
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Isopropyl Alcohol
Solvent
Benzyl Benzoate
Antimicrobial
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Polyquaternium-37
Paraffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Chlorhexidine Dihydrochloride
Antimicrobial
Linalool
Perfuming
Hexyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Butylphenyl Methylpropional
Perfuming
PPG-1 Trideceth-6
Skin ConditioningCoumarin
Perfuming
Hibiscus Esculentus Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningCitrus Aurantium Dulcis Oil
Masking
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil
Masking
Aminomethyl Propanol
BufferingLactic Acid
Buffering
Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Behentrimonium Chloride, Cetyl Esters, Isopropyl Myristate, Quaternium-80, Polysorbate 20, Parfum, Phenoxyethanol, Isopropyl Alcohol, Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Alcohol, Polyquaternium-37, Paraffinum Liquidum, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Chlorhexidine Dihydrochloride, Linalool, Hexyl Cinnamal, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, PPG-1 Trideceth-6, Coumarin, Hibiscus Esculentus Seed Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Aminomethyl Propanol, Lactic Acid
Water
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Behentrimonium Chloride
Preservative
Glycerin
Humectant
PEG-180
HumectantAmodimethicone
Cetyl Esters
Emollient
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingNiacinamide
Smoothing
Trideceth-6
EmulsifyingTriethyl Citrate
Masking
Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
EmulsifyingSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sodium Phosphate
BufferingCholesterol
Emollient
Chlorhexidine Dihydrochloride
Antimicrobial
Disodium Phosphate
BufferingIsopropyl Alcohol
Solvent
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingCetrimonium Chloride
Antimicrobial
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPolysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Benzoic Acid
Masking
Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Chloride, Glycerin, PEG-180, Amodimethicone, Cetyl Esters, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Carbomer, Niacinamide, Trideceth-6, Triethyl Citrate, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Phosphate, Cholesterol, Chlorhexidine Dihydrochloride, Disodium Phosphate, Isopropyl Alcohol, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Cetrimonium Chloride, Caprylyl Glycol, Phytosphingosine, Xanthan Gum, Polysorbate 60, Benzoic Acid
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
This ingredient is a preservative and often used for it's anti-static properties. You'll most likely see this ingredient in hair conditioners.
It does not cause irritation or sensitization in leave-on products at 1-5%.
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.
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 AlcoholCetyl Esters is an emollient with an interesting backstory: it's a synthetic wax originally designed to be a copy of spermaceti, a waxy material that used to be harvested from whales.
This ingredient delivers the same "velvety" feel without anything animal-derived (usually made from coconut or palm-sourced fatty alcohols/acids).
Chemically, it's a blend of esters from 14-18 fatty acids and alcohols that is a solid at room temperature but melts on contact with skin. It helps soften and smooth the skin while improving the feel and spread of products.
Typical use concentrations range from 1-10% (most commonly 2-5%).
The CIR Expert Panel has concluded it's safe as used and has shown no skin irritation in available studies.
Because it's a blend of fatty acid esters in the chain-length range that Malassezia can feed on, it may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Cetyl EstersChlorhexidine Dihydrochloride is a preservative.
Glycerin (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 GlycerinIsopropyl Alcohol is more commonly known as rubbing alcohol. It is most commonly used as a solvent, meaning it helps other ingredients dissolve.
This ingredient is an astringent alcohol. Astringent alcohols may also irritate skin as they high amounts may strip away your skin's natural oils.
Other types of astringent alcohols include:
According to the National Rosacea Society based in the US, you should be mindful of products with these alcohols in the top half of ingredients.
Any type of sanitizing product will have high amounts of alcohol to help kill bacteria and viruses.
Learn more about Isopropyl AlcoholWater. 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
