What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningParaffin
Perfuming
Potassium Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingBeeswax
Emulsion Stabilising
Copernicia Cerifera Cera
Emollient
Acacia Senegal Gum
MaskingCetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
PEG/PPG-17/18 Dimethicone
Emulsifying
Steareth-20
CleansingPhenethyl Alcohol
MaskingSynthetic Fluorphlogopite
Sodium Polymethacrylate
Emulsion StabilisingHydrogenated Jojoba Oil
Abrasive
Hydrogenated Palm Oil
Emollient
Parfum
Masking
Polyquaternium-10
Disodium EDTA
Magnesium Silicate
AbsorbentPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Tin Oxide
Abrasive
BHT
Antioxidant
Castanea Sativa Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77492
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77499
Cosmetic ColorantMica
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Paraffin, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Beeswax, Copernicia Cerifera Cera, Acacia Senegal Gum, Cetyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Phenoxyethanol, PEG/PPG-17/18 Dimethicone, Steareth-20, Phenethyl Alcohol, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Sodium Polymethacrylate, Hydrogenated Jojoba Oil, Hydrogenated Palm Oil, Parfum, Polyquaternium-10, Disodium EDTA, Magnesium Silicate, Panthenol, Tin Oxide, BHT, Castanea Sativa Seed Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499, Mica, CI 77891
Water
Skin ConditioningParaffin
Perfuming
Potassium Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingCopernicia Cerifera Cera
Emollient
Ethylene/Acrylic Acid Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingStyrene/Acrylates/Ammonium Methacrylate Copolymer
Beeswax
Emulsion Stabilising
Synthetic Beeswax
Emulsion Stabilising
Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2
Emollient
Polybutene
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Steareth-20
CleansingGlyceryl Dibehenate
Emollient
Steareth-2
EmulsifyingC12-13 Pareth-23
CleansingC12-13 Pareth-3
EmulsifyingTribehenin
Emollient
Acacia Senegal Gum
MaskingGlyceryl Behenate
Emollient
Sodium Laureth Sulfate
Cleansing
Silica
Abrasive
Divinyldimethicone/Dimethicone Copolymer
Disodium EDTA
Hydrogenated Jojoba Oil
Abrasive
Hydrogenated Palm Oil
Emollient
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Tetrasodium EDTA
Ethylenediamine/Stearyl Dimer Dilinoleate Copolymer
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
BHT
Antioxidant
Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
Antioxidant
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Dehydroacetate
Preservative
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Paraffin, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Copernicia Cerifera Cera, Ethylene/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Styrene/Acrylates/Ammonium Methacrylate Copolymer, Beeswax, Synthetic Beeswax, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Polybutene, Cetyl Alcohol, Steareth-20, Glyceryl Dibehenate, Steareth-2, C12-13 Pareth-23, C12-13 Pareth-3, Tribehenin, Acacia Senegal Gum, Glyceryl Behenate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Silica, Divinyldimethicone/Dimethicone Copolymer, Disodium EDTA, Hydrogenated Jojoba Oil, Hydrogenated Palm Oil, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Caprylyl Glycol, Tetrasodium EDTA, Ethylenediamine/Stearyl Dimer Dilinoleate Copolymer, Butylene Glycol, BHT, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Phenoxyethanol
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Acacia Senegal Gum has skin soothing, thickening, and formulation stabilizing properties. It comes from the Acacia tree that is native to sub-Saharan Africa.
Beeswax is natural wax produced by honey bees to build their honeycomb.
Because it forms a protective layer on your skin, it can help lock in moisture and reduce water loss. It is also widely used as a thickener and emulsifier in lip balms and lotions. Research suggests beeswax containing moisturizers can support skin barrier integrity.
In comedogenic testing, Beeswax scored a 0-2, which is on the low end. Whether or not a product clogs your pores really comes down to the formula as a whole (not any single ingredient on its own).
Cera Alba is the white, bleached form of this ingredient.
Just so you know, beeswax is not vegan since it is animal-derived. It cannot be removed with water, but can be taken off with an oil cleanser.
People with a known Propolis allergy also report to have reactions from beeswax.
Learn more about BeeswaxBHT is a synthetic antioxidant and preservative.
As an antioxidant, it helps your body fight off free-radicals. Free-radicals are molecules that may damage your skin cells.
As a preservative, it is used to stabilize products and prevent them from degrading. Specifically, BHT prevents degradation from oxidation.
The concerns related to BHT come from oral studies; this ingredient is currently allowed for use by both the FDA and EU.
However, it was recently restricted for use in the UK as of April 2024.
Learn more about BHTCetyl 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 AlcoholThis ingredient comes from a palm tree native to Brazil. This ingredient is used to thicken texture and leaves behind a film when applied.
Disodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).
Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAHydrogenated Jojoba Oil is created from the process of converting jojoba oil to a solid or semi-solid. Jojoba oil has occlusive and emollient properties, making it a great hydrator.
Due to the solid structure of this ingredient, it provides abrasive or exfoliating properties.
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Hydrogenated Jojoba OilHydrogenated Palm Oil is an oil and isn't fungal acne safe.
Hydroxyethylcellulose 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 HydroxyethylcelluloseParaffin is a solid created from petroleum. The term 'paraffin' can also refer to either
petroleum jelly or mineral oil.
It has natural occlusive properties which can worsen oily skin. Due to its petrolatum base, this ingredient is not fungal-acne safe.
Phenoxyethanol 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.
Potassium Cetyl Phosphate is the potassium salt of a mixture. This mixture consists of the esters from phosphoricacid and cetyl alcohol.
Potassium Cetyl Phosphate is an emulsifier and cleansing agent. Emulsifiers help stabilize a product. It does this by preventing certain ingredients from separating.
As a cleansing agent, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate helps gather oils, dirts, and pollutants from your skin. This makes it easier to rinse them away with water.
Learn more about Potassium Cetyl PhosphateSteareth-20 is an emulsifier and solubilizer. It is created from stearyl alcohol with ~20 units of ethylene oxide to give it a strong preference for water.
As an emulsifier, it helps oil-in-water emulsions like lotions, creams, and cleansers stay stable. It also solubilizes small amounts of oil-loving ingredients (like fragrance) into water-based formulas.
You'll likely find this ingredient with steareth-2 (it's oil-loving sister) where the two work together to give products a cushiony feel.
Typical use levels sit at around 1-5% and this ingredient has been found to be non-irritating by the CIR Expert Panel.
Learn more about Steareth-20Water. 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
