What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Water
MaskingOlea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Oenothera Biennis Oil
Emollient
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Citrus Limon Juice
Skin Conditioning
Triticum Vulgare Germ Oil
Emollient
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Juice
Skin ConditioningSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Cucumis Sativus Juice
EmollientCitrus Aurantium Amara Flower Extract
RefreshingCitrus Aurantium Dulcis Oil
Masking
Commiphora Myrrha Resin
MaskingTriethanolamine
BufferingCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Geraniol
Perfuming
Farnesol
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Hydroxycitronellal
Perfuming
Parfum
Masking
Methylparaben
Preservative
Propylparaben
Preservative
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Water, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Stearic Acid, Oenothera Biennis Oil, Persea Gratissima Oil, Glycerin, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Citrus Limon Juice, Triticum Vulgare Germ Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Juice, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Cucumis Sativus Juice, Citrus Aurantium Amara Flower Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Oil, Commiphora Myrrha Resin, Triethanolamine, Cetearyl Alcohol, Geraniol, Farnesol, Limonene, Linalool, Hydroxycitronellal, Parfum, Methylparaben, Propylparaben
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Ceteareth-20
CleansingCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Citric Acid
Buffering
Dimethicone
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Hydrogenated Polyisobutene
EmollientPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Anisate
AntimicrobialSodium Levulinate
Skin ConditioningStearoxytrimethylsilane
EmollientStearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Water
Skin Conditioning
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 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 GlycerinThis ingredient is also known as Avocado oil. It's the cold-pressed oil from the flesh of the avocado fruit packed with fatty acids (mostly oleic acid).
The rich fatty acid profile allows it to function as a skin conditioning agent and emollient; it helps soften and smooth skin while reducing water loss.
Preclinical research has found that topical avocado oil increased collagen synthesis and reduced inflammation during wound healing, giving it some skin-repairing credibility.
The unsaponifiable fraction of the oil is also interesting: studies on avocado unsaponifiables showed that it helped skin produce more collagen and other structural compounds that support healing.
The CIR Expert Panel has found this ingredient to be non-irritating in formulations.
It's a great ingredient for dry or compromised skin. Just know it may not be fungal acne safe. This is because the oleic acid content falls within the range that Malassezia can use as a food source.
Learn more about Persea Gratissima Oil
