What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Styrene/Acrylates/Ammonium Methacrylate Copolymer
Polyurethane-35
Cera Alba
Emollient
Synthetic Fluorphlogopite
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
PEG-200 Glyceryl Stearate
Surfactant
Ethylenediamine/Stearyl Dimer Dilinoleate Copolymer
Skin Conditioning
Copernicia Cerifera Cera
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Ethylene/Va Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingAlcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Paraffin
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Sodium Laureth Sulfate
Cleansing
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
Aminomethyl Propanediol
BufferingDisodium EDTA
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Tetrasodium EDTA
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingButylene Glycol
Humectant
Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
Antioxidant
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
CI 77499
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Propylene Glycol, Styrene/Acrylates/Ammonium Methacrylate Copolymer, Polyurethane-35, Cera Alba, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, PEG-200 Glyceryl Stearate, Ethylenediamine/Stearyl Dimer Dilinoleate Copolymer, Copernicia Cerifera Cera, Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Ethylene/Va Copolymer, Alcohol Denat., Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Paraffin, Glycerin, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Myristic Acid, Aminomethyl Propanediol, Disodium EDTA, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Caprylyl Glycol, Tetrasodium EDTA, Xanthan Gum, Butylene Glycol, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol, CI 77499
Water
Skin ConditioningAmmonium Acrylates Copolymer
Copernicia Cerifera Cera
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Euphorbia Cerifera Cera
Astringent
Sucrose Stearate
EmollientGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Vp/Hexadecene Copolymer
Propanediol
Solvent
C10-18 Triglycerides
Emollient
Lecithin
Emollient
Polybutene
Cera Microcristallina
Emulsion StabilisingHydrogenated Vegetable Oil
Emollient
Oleic Acid
Emollient
Alcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Arginine
Masking
Caesalpinia Spinosa Gum
Skin ConditioningStearyl Stearate
Emollient
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Disodium Deceth-6 Sulfosuccinate
CleansingPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Simethicone
Emollient
Laureth-30
CleansingSodium Dehydroacetate
Preservative
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Glycerin
Humectant
Ceramide Ng
Skin Conditioning
Acacia Senegal Gum
MaskingCI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77492
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77499
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77007
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Ammonium Acrylates Copolymer, Copernicia Cerifera Cera, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Euphorbia Cerifera Cera, Sucrose Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Vp/Hexadecene Copolymer, Propanediol, C10-18 Triglycerides, Lecithin, Polybutene, Cera Microcristallina, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Oleic Acid, Alcohol Denat., Stearic Acid, Arginine, Caesalpinia Spinosa Gum, Stearyl Stearate, Benzyl Alcohol, Caprylyl Glycol, Disodium Deceth-6 Sulfosuccinate, Panthenol, Simethicone, Laureth-30, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Glycerin, Ceramide Ng, Acacia Senegal Gum, CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499, CI 77007
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.Caprylyl 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, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolCi 77499 is also hydrated iron III oxide. It is created from mixing red and black iron oxides. This helps give shades of darkness to a product.
Iron III oxides are classified as inorganic chemicals for coloring.
This ingredient comes from a palm tree native to Brazil. This ingredient is used to thicken texture and leaves behind a film when applied.
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 StearateStearic Acid is a fatty acid that is already found in your skin. It's one of the free fatty acids that works alongside ceramides and cholesterols to maintain your barrier.
In cosmetics, it is a multitasker:
Safety-wise, the CIR Expert Panel has concluded it to be safe in cosmetics when formulated to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing.
Free stearic acid is a C18 fatty acid that the Malassezia yeast can substrate, so this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Stearic AcidWater. 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
