What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin Conditioning2,3-Butanediol
HumectantCetyl Ethylhexanoate
EmollientMethylpropanediol
SolventHydrogenated Polydecene
Emollient1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate
Emulsifying
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Oryza Sativa Bran Water
Masking
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Vinyldimethicone
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate
Emulsion StabilisingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingTromethamine
BufferingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSodium Phytate
Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside
CleansingWater, 2,3-Butanediol, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Methylpropanediol, Hydrogenated Polydecene, 1,2-Hexanediol, Glycerin, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Niacinamide, Cetearyl Alcohol, Oryza Sativa Bran Water, Glyceryl Stearate, Palmitic Acid, Vinyldimethicone, Stearic Acid, Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Carbomer, Tromethamine, Ethylhexylglycerin, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Phytate, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside
Water
Skin ConditioningCetyl Ethylhexanoate
EmollientGlycerin
Humectant
2,3-Butanediol
HumectantCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Vinyldimethicone
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-2 Stearate
Emulsifying
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate
Emulsion StabilisingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningAmmonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Hydrogenated Polydecene
EmollientParfum
Masking
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Phytate
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside
CleansingCentella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Citric Acid
Buffering
Water, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Glycerin, 2,3-Butanediol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Vinyldimethicone, Behenyl Alcohol, Polyglyceryl-2 Stearate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Stearyl Alcohol, Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Parfum, Panthenol, Sodium Phytate, Butylene Glycol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Centella Asiatica Extract, Hydrogenated Lecithin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Ceramide NP, Citric Acid
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.
It is a:
- Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
- Emollient, helping to soften skin
- Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
- Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives
2,3-Butanediol is a naturally occurring humectant and solvent. It's created from fermentation and can be found in foods like cocoa butter and sweet corn.
This ingredient attracts and holds onto moisture to boost hydration in skin. According to a manufacturer, this ingredient improves the spreadability of ingredients like vitamin C.
This ingredient is a mild surfactant made by sticking glucose onto a blend of fatty acids.
It does two jobs because it has a sugar head that loves water and a fatty tail that loves oil:
Typical use levels range from 10-20% in cleansers and 15-30% in shower products.
Once on your skin, your skin's glucoside hydrolases breaks it down into glucose and the parent fatty alcohols.
This ingredient is considered fungal acne safe because its fatty alcohol portion sits outside the Malassezia yeast's metabolization range.
Learn more about Caprylyl/Capryl GlucosideCetearyl 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 AlcoholCetyl Ethylhexanoate is an emollient ester. It comes from cetearyl alcohol and 2-ethylhexanoic acid.
Cetyl Ethylhexanoate is an emollient that adds a velvety feel to skin without being greasy or oily. Emollients help trap moisture into your skin, keeping your skin soft and hydrated.
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 StearateHydrogenated Polydecene is a synthetic emollient. It forms a non-occlusive film on the skin's surface to provide a silky feel without being greasy.
In vivo studies in volunteers with atopic and dry skin showed no irritation or intolerance. The volunteers also saw a positive effect in dryness, scaling, and roughness after 28 days of use.
Concentrations up to 100% in guinea pig tests found it to be non-sensitizing and completely safe for use in cosmetics.
Learn more about Hydrogenated PolydeceneSodium Phytate is the synthetic salt form of phytic acid. Phytic acid is an antioxidant and can be found in plant seeds.
Sodium Phytate is a chelating agent. Chelating agents help prevent metals from binding to water. This helps stabilize the ingredients and the product.
This is a lab-made ingredient that plays a huge role in improving the texture of a formula.
It's used to thicken watery gel-creams, prevent water + oil from separating, and give products a silky, non-greasy glide.
Safety-wise, a panel of independent toxicologists reviewed this ingredient and concluded it to be safe in cosmetics in the present practices of use and concentration.
A separate sensitization patch test on humans also showed no evidence of allergic reactivity, and a true allergy to this ingredient is considered rare.
Typical usage levels range from 0.015%-3% in leave-on products and 0.078%-3.2% in rinse-off products.
Learn more about Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl TaurateVinyldimethicone is a type of silicone.
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
