What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Propanediol
Solvent
Cetearyl Nonanoate
EmollientCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Dicetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingCeteth-10 Phosphate
CleansingBellis Perennis Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningHieracium Pilosella Extract
MaskingNeopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate
EmollientCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Xylitylglucoside
Humectant
Anhydroxylitol
Humectant
Xylitol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingPolysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract
Emollient
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingTromethamine
BufferingPotassium Sorbate
Preservative
Propanediol, Cetearyl Nonanoate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Dicetyl Phosphate, Ceteth-10 Phosphate, Bellis Perennis Flower Extract, Hieracium Pilosella Extract, Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Xylitylglucoside, Anhydroxylitol, Xylitol, Glycerin, Water, Butylene Glycol, Carbomer, Polysorbate 20, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Sodium Benzoate, Glyceryl Stearate, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Tromethamine, Potassium Sorbate
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Sorbitol
Humectant
Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate
EmollientPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
C10-18 Triglycerides
Emollient
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Hydrogenated Polydecene
EmollientGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Betaine
Humectant
Ethylene/Acrylic Acid Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingStearic Acid
Cleansing
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Sorbitan Stearate
Emulsifying
Hydrolyzed Collagen
Emollient
Hydrolyzed Elastin
Emollient3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate
Antioxidant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSh-Oligopeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Sh-Polypeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Acetyl Hexapeptide-8
Humectant
Copper Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Acetyl Tetrapeptide-5
Humectant
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Nonapeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Dipeptide-2
Skin Conditioning
Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Hexapeptide-9
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4
Skin Conditioning
Illicium Verum Fruit Extract
Perfuming
Arginine
Masking
Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract
Astringent
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Adenosine
Skin Conditioning
Disodium EDTA
Parfum
Masking
Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Sorbitol, Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Panthenol, Cetearyl Alcohol, C10-18 Triglycerides, Niacinamide, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Glyceryl Stearate, Dimethicone, Betaine, Ethylene/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Stearic Acid, PEG-100 Stearate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Stearate, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Hydrolyzed Elastin, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sh-Oligopeptide-1, Sh-Polypeptide-1, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Copper Tripeptide-1, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-5, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Nonapeptide-1, Dipeptide-2, Tripeptide-1, Hexapeptide-9, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4, Illicium Verum Fruit Extract, Arginine, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Caprylyl Glycol, Adenosine, Disodium EDTA, Parfum
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.
Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.
Learn more about Butylene GlycolCetearyl 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 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 StearatePalmitoyl Tripeptide-1 (aka Pal-GHK) is a synthetic signal peptide made of three amino acids attached to palmitic acid.
That fatty acid attachment is the key: it boosts the peptide's ability to penetrate the skin barrier. This puts it closer to the dermal cells where it can actually make a difference.
Once there, it acts as a matrikine, a signaling peptide that prompts fibroblasts to produce more collagen, fibronectin, and hyaluronic acid.
In vitro studies show it can boost collagen production in skin cells even when UV-damaged skin samples were treated with it at a tiny concentration (it almost fully restored dermal collagen at 5ppm). It achieved this at 100x lower concentration than retinoic acid, which needed 500 ppm to do the same thing.
Human clinical data is promising, but modest:
A study of 23 female volunteers found a small but statistically significant increase (~4%) in skin thickness after treatment at 4 ppm.
A separate small trial of 15 women showed statistically significant reductions in wrinkle length, depth, and skin roughness after applying it twice daily for four weeks.
You'll likely see Pal-GHK paired with Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 as part of the Matrixyl 3000 complex.
Fungal acne note:
Usually a palmitic acid component can feed Malassezia in unbound form, but here is is covalently bonded to the peptide. This means it is very difficult for Malassezia to access, and therefore very unlikely to cause fungal acne.
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
