What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Methylheptyl Isostearate
Skin ConditioningPolyglyceryl-2 Diisostearate
Emulsifying
Squalane
Emollient
Propanediol
Solvent
Titanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Mica
Cosmetic ColorantCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Cetearyl Olivate
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSilica
Abrasive
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Sodium Sulfite
Preservative
Caffeine
Skin Conditioning
Maltodextrin
Absorbent
Arnica Montana Flower Extract
Masking
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingPolyacrylate-13
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Tin Oxide
Abrasive
Polyisobutene
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingHydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingIsohexadecane
EmollientSorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4
Skin Conditioning
CI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Glycerin, Methylheptyl Isostearate, Polyglyceryl-2 Diisostearate, Squalane, Propanediol, Titanium Dioxide, Mica, Cetearyl Alcohol, Niacinamide, Cetearyl Olivate, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Silica, Phenoxyethanol, Butylene Glycol, Sorbitan Olivate, Chlorphenesin, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Sulfite, Caffeine, Maltodextrin, Arnica Montana Flower Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Carbomer, Polyacrylate-13, Polysorbate 20, Tin Oxide, Polyisobutene, Sodium Hyaluronate, Xanthan Gum, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Isohexadecane, Sorbitan Isostearate, Polysorbate 60, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4, CI 77491
Water
Skin ConditioningOlus Oil
Emollient
Arachis Hypogaea Oil
Skin Conditioning
Paraffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Petrolatum
Emollient
Cetyl Esters
Emollient
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Zea Mays Oil
Emulsifying
Cera Alba
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Borate
BufferingCeteareth-20
CleansingChamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter
Emollient
Diazolidinyl Urea
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Triethanolamine
BufferingMethylparaben
Preservative
Retinyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Propylparaben
Preservative
Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate
HumectantSodium Chloride
MaskingCaramel
Cosmetic ColorantCI 42090
Cosmetic ColorantCI 16035
Cosmetic ColorantCI 19140
Cosmetic ColorantCI 15985
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Olus Oil, Arachis Hypogaea Oil, Paraffinum Liquidum, Petrolatum, Cetyl Esters, Tocopheryl Acetate, Zea Mays Oil, Cera Alba, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Sodium Borate, Ceteareth-20, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Tocopherol, Propylene Glycol, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Diazolidinyl Urea, Sodium Benzoate, Triethanolamine, Methylparaben, Retinyl Palmitate, Propylparaben, Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate, Sodium Chloride, Caramel, CI 42090, CI 16035, CI 19140, CI 15985
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 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 GlycerinWater. 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
