What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningZinc Oxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Cera Alba
Emollient
Polysorbate 80
Emulsifying
Glycerin
Humectant
Ethylhexyl Palmitate
Emollient
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Sulfur
Antiseborrhoeic
Oleth-10
EmulsifyingParaffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Ichthammol
AntimicrobialHydrolyzed Yeast Protein
Skin ConditioningTriticum Vulgare Starch
Abrasive
Arctium Lappa Root Extract
Skin Conditioning
Cysteine
Antioxidant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Nasturtium Officinale Flower/Leaf Extract
AntiseborrhoeicCitrus Limon Fruit Extract
Masking
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Biotin
AntiseborrhoeicArginine
Masking
Leucine
Skin ConditioningLysine
Skin ConditioningTyrosine
MaskingValine
MaskingGlutamic Acid
Humectant
Cellulose Gum
Emulsion StabilisingPolysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Maltodextrin
Absorbent
Zinc Chloride
AntimicrobialGlyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer
HumectantPyridoxine Hcl
Skin ConditioningParfum
Masking
Sodium Chloride
MaskingMethylparaben
Preservative
Propylparaben
Preservative
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Disodium EDTA
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Benzyl Benzoate
Antimicrobial
Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Zinc Oxide, Cetyl Alcohol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Cera Alba, Polysorbate 80, Glycerin, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Propylene Glycol, Sulfur, Oleth-10, Paraffinum Liquidum, Ichthammol, Hydrolyzed Yeast Protein, Triticum Vulgare Starch, Arctium Lappa Root Extract, Cysteine, Niacinamide, Panthenol, Nasturtium Officinale Flower/Leaf Extract, Citrus Limon Fruit Extract, Allantoin, Biotin, Arginine, Leucine, Lysine, Tyrosine, Valine, Glutamic Acid, Cellulose Gum, Polysorbate 20, Maltodextrin, Zinc Chloride, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Pyridoxine Hcl, Parfum, Sodium Chloride, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Chlorphenesin, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Benzoate, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Limonene, Linalool, CI 77891
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Glycerin (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 GlycerinMethylparaben is a preservative and is a paraben. It is used to prevent the growth of fungus, mold, and other harmful bacteria. Parabens are chemicals used as preservatives in both cosmetics and food.
Methylparaben can be synthetically created. It can also be found naturally in some fruits, such as blueberries.
Oftentimes, Methylparaben is combined with other parabens to help increase the shelf life.
The safety of Methylparaben is currently being studied. While ongoing studies are looking into the safety of parabens, the results have been very mixed. Some studies have not found Methylparaben to be harmful.
Learn more about MethylparabenPropylene Glycol is a synthetic, colorless, odorless liquid that has been a staple in cosmetics for decades. It is a skin conditioning agent, humectant, and solvent.
As a humectant, it draw water to the skin to reduce flaking and restore suppleness. It's also a solvent that helps dissolve other actives and keeps formulas stable across temperature changes.
The CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be nontoxic and clinical studies show no sensitization at cosmetic use concentrations.
True allergic reactions are quite rare: a 15-year retrospective study of 6,751 patients found only 0.31% had a positive reaction (and less than half were considered clinically relevant).
It seemed that when sensitization does occur, it's most commonly linked to topical medication (like corticosteroids) and not cosmetics. Allergic contact dermatitis also appears largely limited to individuals with underlying skin conditions.
Overall, propylene glycol is a well-studied ingredient that most people can tolerate without issue.
Learn more about Propylene GlycolPropylparaben is a preservative and is a paraben with antifungal and antimicrobial properties.
This ingredient can be naturally found in plants and insects, but most of it is synthetically manufactured for human use. In cosmetics, it is usually created by reacting para-aminobenzoic acid and propanol (an alcohol).
You can usually find this ingredient in water-based products.
Parabens have come under controversy due to the claim they are hormone disruptors. Studies show conflicting results. We recommend speaking with a professional if you have any concerns.
Propylparaben is commonly found in food, medicine, and cosmetics.
Learn more about PropylparabenWater. 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
