What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Isohexadecane
EmollientIsopropyl Isostearate
Emollient
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate
Absorbent
Nylon-12
Dimethicone
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Polyethylene
Abrasive
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Synthetic Fluorphlogopite
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Polyacrylamide
Capryloyl Salicylic Acid
Exfoliating
Sodium Acrylates Copolymer
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantPEG-100 Stearate
Caffeine
Skin Conditioning
Ascorbyl Glucoside
Antioxidant
C13-14 Isoparaffin
Emollient
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Dimethiconol
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Retinyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Disodium EDTA
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingLaureth-7
EmulsifyingAdenosine
Skin Conditioning
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
PEG-30 Dipolyhydroxystearate
Emulsifying
Sorbitan Oleate
Emulsifying
Tin Oxide
Abrasive
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Water, Glycerin, Isohexadecane, Isopropyl Isostearate, Niacinamide, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Nylon-12, Dimethicone, Cetyl Alcohol, Polyethylene, Stearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Behenyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Palmitic Acid, Polyacrylamide, Capryloyl Salicylic Acid, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, CI 77891, PEG-100 Stearate, Caffeine, Ascorbyl Glucoside, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Cetearyl Glucoside, Dimethiconol, Tocopherol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Retinyl Palmitate, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Hydroxide, Laureth-7, Adenosine, Myristic Acid, PEG-30 Dipolyhydroxystearate, Sorbitan Oleate, Tin Oxide, Ceramide AP
Water
Skin ConditioningHomosalate
Skin Conditioning
Octocrylene
UV Absorber
Glycerin
Humectant
Cyclomethicone
Emollient
Ethylhexyl Salicylate
UV Absorber
Methylpropanediol
SolventTapioca Starch
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane
UV Absorber
Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid
UV Absorber
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Ubiquinone
Antioxidant
Creatine
Skin Conditioning1-Methylhydantoin-2-Imide
Skin ConditioningTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Xanthan Gum
Emulsifying1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingAmmonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Trisodium EDTA
Sodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Parfum
Masking
Water, Homosalate, Octocrylene, Glycerin, Cyclomethicone, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Methylpropanediol, Tapioca Starch, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid, Behenyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ubiquinone, Creatine, 1-Methylhydantoin-2-Imide, Tocopheryl Acetate, Xanthan Gum, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Trisodium EDTA, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Alcohol, Limonene, Parfum
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Behenyl Alcohol is a type of fatty alcohol (these are different from the drying, solvent alcohols).
Fatty Alcohols have hydrating properties and are most often used as an emollient or to thicken a product. They are usually derived from natural fats and oils; behenyl alcohol is derived from the fats of vegetable oils.
Emollients help keep your skin soft and hydrated by creating a film that traps moisture in.
In 2000, Behenyl Alcohol was approved by the US as medicine to reduce the duration of cold sores.
Learn more about Behenyl AlcoholCetearyl 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 GlycerinPhenoxyethanol 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.
Sodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.
In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.
Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.
"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.
Learn more about Sodium HydroxideWater. 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
