What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantStearic Acid
CleansingGlycine Soja Oil
EmollientGlycol Stearate
EmollientParfum
MaskingTriethanolamine
BufferingGlyceryl Stearate
EmollientCaprylyl Glycol
EmollientCetyl Alcohol
EmollientPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeHydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingDisodium EDTA
BHT
AntioxidantStearamide Amp
Astrocaryum Murumuru Seed Butter
EmollientHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
EmollientBenzyl Salicylate
PerfumingLinalool
PerfumingCoumarin
PerfumingHydroxycitronellal
PerfumingAlpha-Isomethyl Ionone
PerfumingBenzyl Alcohol
PerfumingCitronellol
PerfumingGeraniol
PerfumingHexyl Cinnamal
PerfumingLimonene
PerfumingWater, Glycerin, Stearic Acid, Glycine Soja Oil, Glycol Stearate, Parfum, Triethanolamine, Glyceryl Stearate, Caprylyl Glycol, Cetyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Carbomer, Disodium EDTA, BHT, Stearamide Amp, Astrocaryum Murumuru Seed Butter, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Benzyl Salicylate, Linalool, Coumarin, Hydroxycitronellal, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Benzyl Alcohol, Citronellol, Geraniol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Limonene
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantIsododecane
EmollientNiacinamide
SmoothingDiisopropyl Adipate
EmollientPropylene Glycol
HumectantGlyceryl Stearate
EmollientPEG-100 Stearate
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin ConditioningPropylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate
EmollientC12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
MaskingPetrolatum
EmollientDiisopropyl Sebacate
EmollientCetearyl Alcohol
EmollientHydrogenated Polyisobutene
EmollientCoco-Caprylate/Caprate
EmollientBetaine
HumectantPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeTriheptanoin
Skin ConditioningCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingHydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingC9-12 Alkane
SolventEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPolyurethane-10
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Triethanolamine
BufferingWater, Glycerin, Isododecane, Niacinamide, Diisopropyl Adipate, Propylene Glycol, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Petrolatum, Diisopropyl Sebacate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Betaine, Phenoxyethanol, Triheptanoin, Carbomer, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, C9-12 Alkane, Ethylhexylglycerin, Polyurethane-10, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Triethanolamine
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Carbomer is a high-molecular weight polymer of acrylic acid. It is used to form gels and thicken formulas.
Due to its large molecular size, carbomer has minimal skin penetration and is considered an inert ingredient.
A high amount of carbomer can cause pilling or balling up of products. Don't worry, most products contain 1% or less of carbomer.
Learn more about CarbomerGlycerin (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 StearatePhenoxyethanol 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.
Triethanolamine (TEA) is an emulsifier and pH adjuster. It is created using ethylene oxide and ammonia. This gives Triethanolamine a nitrogen core and a similar scent to ammonia.
As an emulsifier, it prevents ingredients from separating and enhances texture by adding volume to a product.
PH adjusters are common in cosmetic products. The pH of a product can affect the effectiveness of other ingredients. A product with a high pH may also irritate the skin.
If you are looking for the tea leaf ingredient, click here.
Learn more about TriethanolamineWater. 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