What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Water
Skin ConditioningBisabolol
Antioxidant
Butyl Avocadate
Skin Conditioning
Capryloyl Glycine
CleansingCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantCitric Acid
Buffering
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Disodium Lauryl Sulfosuccinate
CleansingGlycerin
Humectant
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientGlycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Glycine Soja Sterols
Emollient
Glycolipids
Skin ConditioningHydrogenated Castor Oil
Emollient
Hydrolyzed Chenopodium Quinoa Seed
Skin ConditioningHydroxypropyl Guar
Emulsion StabilisingMaltodextrin
Absorbent
Parfum
Masking
Phospholipids
Skin Conditioning
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Zea Mays Starch
Absorbent
Zinc Gluconate
Skin Conditioning
1,2-Hexanediol, Water, Bisabolol, Butyl Avocadate, Capryloyl Glycine, Cetearyl Alcohol, CI 77891, Citric Acid, Coco-Glucoside, Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Disodium Lauryl Sulfosuccinate, Glycerin, Glyceryl Caprylate, Glycine Soja Oil, Glycine Soja Sterols, Glycolipids, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Hydrolyzed Chenopodium Quinoa Seed, Hydroxypropyl Guar, Maltodextrin, Parfum, Phospholipids, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Tocopherol, Zea Mays Starch, Zinc Gluconate
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Isethionate
CleansingCI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantCocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine
Cleansing
Potassium Phosphate
BufferingCeramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingGlycerin
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Ceteareth-20
CleansingDimethicone
Emollient
Behentrimonium Methosulfate
Surfactant
Sodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Lauroyl Lactylate
EmulsifyingSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Cholesterol
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Disodium EDTA
Dipotassium Phosphate
BufferingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Petrolatum
Emollient
Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingEthylene Brassylate
MaskingCetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Stearic Acid, Water, Sodium Isethionate, CI 77891, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Potassium Phosphate, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Carbomer, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ceteareth-20, Dimethicone, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Cholesterol, Phenoxyethanol, Disodium EDTA, Dipotassium Phosphate, Tocopherol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Petrolatum, Phytosphingosine, Xanthan Gum, Ethylene Brassylate, Cetyl Alcohol, Ethylhexylglycerin
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
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 AlcoholCi 77891 is a white pigment from Titanium dioxide. It is naturally found in minerals such as rutile and ilmenite.
It's main function is to add a white color to cosmetics. It can also be mixed with other colors to create different shades.
Ci 77891 is commonly found in sunscreens due to its ability to block UV rays.
Learn more about CI 77891Glycerin (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 GlycerinChances are, you eat sodium chloride every day. Sodium Chloride is also known as table salt. This ingredient has many purposes in skincare: thickener, emulsifier, and exfoliator.
You'll most likely find this ingredient in cleansers where it is used to create a gel-like texture. As an emulsifier, it also prevents ingredients from separating.
You might see people debate whether Sodium Chloride is comedogenic, but there actually haven't been any comedogenic tests done on it. Either way, the overall formulation of a product matters a lot more than any single ingredient.
You might see this ingredient used in scrubs as a primary exfoliating ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium ChlorideSodium cocoyl isethionate is a natural ingredient from coconut oil. It is an ultra gentle cleanser that gives a nice foam without drying the skin or impacting the skin barrier.
The amount of foam created depends on the amount of sodium cocoyl isethionate used in the product.
This ingredient also helps improve the spreadability of a product.
This ingredient hasn’t been shown in studies to feed fungal acne yeast.
Learn more about Sodium Cocoyl IsethionateTocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.
You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.
Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.
It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.
This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.
This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.
In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.
Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.
Learn more about TocopherolWater. 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
