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 ConditioningPEG-100 Stearate
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Cyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
C13-14 Isoparaffin
Emollient
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Laureth-7
EmulsifyingPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Pantolactone
Humectant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Polyacrylamide
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
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.
Learn more about Cetearyl AlcoholGlyceryl 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 StearateWater. 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
