What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Isopropyl Myristate
Emollient
Parfum
Masking
C15-19 Alkane
SolventStearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Triethanolamine
BufferingAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingDisodium EDTA
Alpha-Arbutin
Antioxidant
Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningWater, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Niacinamide, Isopropyl Myristate, Parfum, C15-19 Alkane, Stearyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Triethanolamine, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Disodium EDTA, Alpha-Arbutin, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Pentylene Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Ethylhexylglycerin
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Isopropyl Palmitate
Emollient
Alcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Ubiquinone
Antioxidant
Carnitine
Cleansing
Creatine
Skin Conditioning1-Methylhydantoin-2-Imide
Skin ConditioningButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialDimethicone
Emollient
Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate
Cleansing
Tapioca Starch
Sodium Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningLinalool
Perfuming
Citronellol
Perfuming
Butylphenyl Methylpropional
Perfuming
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Parfum
Masking
Water, Glycerin, Isopropyl Palmitate, Alcohol Denat., Glyceryl Stearate Se, Glyceryl Stearate, Ubiquinone, Carnitine, Creatine, 1-Methylhydantoin-2-Imide, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Dimethicone, Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate, Tapioca Starch, Sodium Carbomer, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Linalool, Citronellol, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Benzyl Alcohol, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Limonene, Parfum
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Ethylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about EthylhexylglycerinGlycerin (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 StearateParfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.
Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.
For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.
The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.
For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.
One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.
Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.
Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.
The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.
Learn more about ParfumPhenoxyethanol 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.
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
