What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningDimethicone
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialShorea Robusta Seed Butter
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-20 Stearate
Emulsifying
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Paraffin
Perfuming
Glycine Soja Protein
EmulsifyingTriethanolamine
BufferingCaffeine
Skin Conditioning
Isohexadecane
EmollientPhenethyl Alcohol
MaskingHydrolyzed Soy Protein
Humectant
Acetyl Trifluoromethylphenyl Valylglycine
Skin ConditioningFaex Extract
Skin ConditioningPolysorbate 80
Emulsifying
Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingAcrylates Copolymer
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Retinyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Methylparaben
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Chlorhexidine Digluconate
Antimicrobial
Ethylparaben
Preservative
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Dimethicone, Glycerin, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Shorea Robusta Seed Butter, Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid, PEG-100 Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-20 Stearate, Stearyl Alcohol, Paraffin, Glycine Soja Protein, Triethanolamine, Caffeine, Isohexadecane, Phenethyl Alcohol, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Acetyl Trifluoromethylphenyl Valylglycine, Faex Extract, Polysorbate 80, Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer, Acrylates Copolymer, Cetyl Alcohol, Retinyl Palmitate, Potassium Sorbate, Methylparaben, Sodium Benzoate, Chlorhexidine Digluconate, Ethylparaben, Phenoxyethanol
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Lactose
HumectantC12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialCetearyl Ethylhexanoate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-8
HumectantStearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Tromethamine
BufferingPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingIsopropyl Myristate
Emollient
Methylparaben
Preservative
Disodium EDTA
BHT
Antioxidant
Propylparaben
Preservative
Magnesium Aspartate
Skin ConditioningZinc Gluconate
Skin Conditioning
Chlorhexidine Digluconate
Antimicrobial
Retinol
Skin Conditioning
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Copper Gluconate
Skin Conditioning
Water, Glycerin, Lactose, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate, PEG-100 Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-8, Stearyl Alcohol, Tromethamine, Panthenol, Carbomer, Isopropyl Myristate, Methylparaben, Disodium EDTA, BHT, Propylparaben, Magnesium Aspartate, Zinc Gluconate, Chlorhexidine Digluconate, Retinol, Polysorbate 20, Copper Gluconate
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate is made up of Benzoic Acid and long chain alcohols. It has a low molecular weight.
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate is an emollient and texture enhancer. Due to its solubility, it is often used in sunscreens to help evenly distribute active ingredients.
As an emollient, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate helps soften and hydrate your skin. Emollients create a film on your skin that traps moisture within.
This ingredient has been reported to cause eye irritation.
Learn more about C12-15 Alkyl BenzoateChlorhexidine Digluconate 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 GlycerinGlyceryl Stearate is made by reacting glycerin with stearic acid (typically sourced from plant oils like palm or coconut). It's an emulsifier, emollient, and mild occlusive.
Emulsifiers help ingredients like oil and water stay mixed so your formula stays nicely blended and uniform in texture.
This ingredient is typically used in concentrations between 1-10%. Studies have found it to be non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.
A close cousin of this ingredient is Glyceryl Stearate SE ("self-emulsifying"). This just has a small amount of sodium or potassium stearate added so it can emulsify without a co-emulsifier.
Since this ingredient is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize within the C11-C24 range.
Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.
Learn more about Glyceryl StearateMethylparaben is a preservative and is a paraben. It is used to prevent the growth of fungus, mold, and other harmful bacteria. Parabens are chemicals used as preservatives in both cosmetics and food.
Methylparaben can be synthetically created. It can also be found naturally in some fruits, such as blueberries.
Oftentimes, Methylparaben is combined with other parabens to help increase the shelf life.
The safety of Methylparaben is currently being studied. While ongoing studies are looking into the safety of parabens, the results have been very mixed. Some studies have not found Methylparaben to be harmful.
Learn more about MethylparabenPeg-100 Stearate is an emollient and emulsifier. As an emollient, it helps keep skin soft by trapping moisture in. On the other hand, emulsifiers help prevent oil and water from separating in a product.
PEGS are a hydrophilic polyether compound . There are 100 ethylene oxide monomers in Peg-100 Stearate. Peg-100 Stearate is polyethylene glycol ester of stearic acid.
Stearyl Alcohol is a type of fatty alcohol from stearic acid. It is a white, waxy compound used to emulsify ingredients used as an emollient or to thicken a product.
Emollients help soothe and hydrate the skin by trapping moisture.
Fatty alcohols are usually derived from natural fats and oils and therefore do not have the same drying or irritating effect as solvent (ethanol) alcohols.
The FDA allows products labeled "alcohol-free" to have fatty alcohols.
Learn more about Stearyl 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
