What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cyclohexasiloxane
Emollient
Alcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Dimethicone
Emollient
Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate
Emulsion StabilisingCI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantSynthetic Fluorphlogopite
Polyglyceryl-6 Distearate
Emulsifying
Mica
Cosmetic ColorantPolysilicone-11
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate
Emollient
Jojoba Esters
Emollient
Capryloyl Salicylic Acid
Exfoliating
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Polyacrylamide
CI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantBoron Nitride
Absorbent
Polyglyceryl-3 Beeswax
Emulsifying
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
C13-14 Isoparaffin
Emollient
Adenosine
Skin Conditioning
Disodium EDTA
Laureth-7
EmulsifyingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingTin Oxide
Abrasive
Triethoxysilylethyl Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Isopropyl Titanium Triisostearate
Emollient
Alumina
Abrasive
Citric Acid
Buffering
Water, Glycerin, Cyclohexasiloxane, Alcohol Denat., Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Dimethicone, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, CI 77891, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Polyglyceryl-6 Distearate, Mica, Polysilicone-11, Phenoxyethanol, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, Jojoba Esters, Capryloyl Salicylic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Polyacrylamide, CI 77491, Boron Nitride, Polyglyceryl-3 Beeswax, Cetyl Alcohol, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Adenosine, Disodium EDTA, Laureth-7, Sodium Hydroxide, Tin Oxide, Triethoxysilylethyl Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Isopropyl Titanium Triisostearate, Alumina, Citric Acid
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Caprylyl Methicone
Skin Conditioning
Propanediol
Solvent
Dimethicone
Emollient
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Dimethicone/PEG-10/15 Crosspolymer
Alcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Sodium Chloride
MaskingTriethoxysilylethyl Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Isopropyl Titanium Triisostearate
Emollient
Alumina
Abrasive
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Disodium EDTA
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sodium Citrate
BufferingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Water, Glycerin, Caprylyl Methicone, Propanediol, Dimethicone, Pentylene Glycol, Dimethicone/PEG-10/15 Crosspolymer, Alcohol Denat., Sodium Chloride, Triethoxysilylethyl Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Isopropyl Titanium Triisostearate, Alumina, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Disodium EDTA, Dipropylene Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Citrate, Tocopherol
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Alcohol Denat. is an alcohol with a denaturant property. It is created by mixing ethanol with other additives.
The "denat" part just means "denatured"; common denaturants include Denatonium Benzoate, t-butyl alcohol, and Diethyl Phthalate. This step makes the alcohol undrinkable (and lets brand skip taxes related to beverage alcohol).
This ingredient gets a bad rep because it is irritating and drying due to its astringent property. Astringents draw out natural oils in tissue to constrict pores and dry out your skin.
However, alcohol denat. is not all that bad.
Due to its low molecular weight, alcohol denat. tends to evaporate quickly. One study on pig skin found half of applied alcohol evaporated in 10 seconds and less than 3% stayed on skin.
This also helps other ingredients become better absorbed upon application.
Studies are conflicted about whether this ingredient causes skin dehydration. One study from 2005 found adding emollients to propanol-based sanitizer decreased skin dryness and irritation. Another study found irritation only occurs if your skin is already damaged.
Small amounts of alcohol are generally tolerated by oily skin or people who live in humid environments.
The rule of thumb is this ingredient will probably not affect your skin much if it is near the end of an ingredients list.
One thing to note:
People with ALDH2 (aldehyde dehydrogenase 2) deficiency may experience skin irritation from continued alcohol use. About 8% of the world's population have this deficiency.
The Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has determined denatured alcohols to be safe for use in concentrations between 0.05% and 12% (depending on which denaturant is used).
Also...
This ingredient has antimicrobial and solvent properties.
The antimicrobial property helps preserve products and increase their shelf life. As a solvent, it helps dissolve other ingredients.
Look for formulas that contain glycerin, hyaluronic acid, or panthenol if you want to offset any drying effect.
This ingredient will trip away your skin's natural oils/lipids that help it lock in moisture. This can worsen dryness, trigger eczema flare-ups, and aggravate rosacea.
Be sure to patch test any product with this ingredient if you have dry or sensitive skin, eczema, or rosacea.
Learn more about Alcohol Denat.Alumina is another name for the compound aluminum oxide. It is a white powder used as a thickener, absorbent, and abrasive.
As an absorbent, alumina can give a mattifying effect. It is used in mineral sunscreens to help coat nano-sized filters, such as titanium dioxide. By increasing the size of the UV filters, these ingredients stay on the skin for a longer time. By coating small sized ingredients, alumina helps thicken a product.
Alumina may be used as an abrasive, or exfoliant.
Alumina is naturally occurring in the mineral corundum. Certain varieties of corundum create rubies and sapphires. Corundum is also the crystalline form of alumina.
Learn more about AluminaCaprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid or alcohol, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolDimethicone is a type of synthetic silicone created from natural materials such as quartz. It is also known as polydimethylsiloxane.
What it does:
Dimethicone comes in different viscosities:
Depending on the viscosity, dimethicone has different properties.
Ingredients lists don't always show which type is used, so we recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the viscosity.
This ingredient is unlikely to cause irritation because it does not get absorbed into skin. However, people with silicone allergies should be careful about using this ingredient.
Note: Dimethicone may contribute to pilling. This is because it is not oil or water soluble, so pilling may occur when layered with products. When mixed with heavy oils in a formula, the outcome is also quite greasy.
Learn more about DimethiconeDisodium 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 EDTAGlycerin (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 GlycerinThis ingredient is an emollient, emulsifier, and used as a surface treatment for pigment particles (like iron oxides or titanium dioxide).
It "wraps" these ingredients in a form of slippery jacket so they disperse more evenly in oils, glide better on skin, and stick longer without smudging.
The “triisostearate” part of this ingredient is an ester derived from isostearic acid, a long-chain fatty acid. Malassezia species are lipid-dependent so they rely on external fats to survive. This is why ingredient is flagged for being potentially fungal-acne unsafe.
Learn more about Isopropyl Titanium TriisostearatePhenoxyethanol 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.
Triethoxysilylethyl Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone is a type of silicone.
Water. 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
