What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycereth-26
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Cyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Hydrogenated Polydecene
EmollientIsononyl Isononanoate
EmollientCetearyl Olivate
Ethylhexyl Olivate
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Sodium Acrylates Copolymer
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingPolyglyceryl-4 Oleate
Emulsifying
Disodium EDTA
Betaine
Humectant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCitric Acid
Buffering
Parfum
Masking
Adenosine
Skin Conditioning
Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer
HumectantRosa Damascena Extract
MaskingCyanocobalamin
Skin ConditioningSodium Dna
Skin Conditioning
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Prunella Vulgaris Extract
Antioxidant
Fucus Vesiculosus Extract
Emollient
Morinda Citrifolia Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningMomordica Charantia Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningHibiscus Esculentus Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningCeramide Ns
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract
Skin Conditioning
Cholesterol
Emollient
Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide As
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Copper Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
Humectant
Acetyl Hexapeptide-8
Humectant
Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4
Skin Conditioning
Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Potassium Hyaluronate
Skin ConditioningCeramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Water, Glycereth-26, Butylene Glycol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cyclopentasiloxane, 1,2-Hexanediol, Niacinamide, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Isononyl Isononanoate, Cetearyl Olivate, Ethylhexyl Olivate, Glycerin, Sorbitan Olivate, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Polyglyceryl-4 Oleate, Disodium EDTA, Betaine, Panthenol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Citric Acid, Parfum, Adenosine, Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil, Sorbitan Isostearate, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Rosa Damascena Extract, Cyanocobalamin, Sodium Dna, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Ceramide NP, Prunella Vulgaris Extract, Fucus Vesiculosus Extract, Morinda Citrifolia Fruit Extract, Momordica Charantia Fruit Extract, Hibiscus Esculentus Fruit Extract, Ceramide Ns, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract, Cholesterol, Phytosphingosine, Ceramide As, Ceramide AP, Hyaluronic Acid, Copper Tripeptide-1, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Potassium Hyaluronate, Ceramide EOP
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Squalane
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate
Emulsifying
Cocoglycerides
Emollient
Propanediol
Solvent
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Coco-Caprylate
Emollient
Inulin
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Stearate Citrate
Emollient
Bacillus Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Lactobacillus Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Cyanocobalamin
Skin ConditioningSodium Levulinate
Skin ConditioningSodium Benzoate
Masking
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialLactic Acid
Buffering
Maltodextrin
Absorbent
Amorphophallus Konjac Root Extract
HumectantAlpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide
Cleansing
Sodium Anisate
AntimicrobialMontmorillonite
AbsorbentMyristyl Alcohol
Emollient
Anthocyanins
Cosmetic ColorantCitric Acid
Buffering
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Water, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Squalane, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Cocoglycerides, Propanediol, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Coco-Caprylate, Inulin, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Bacillus Ferment, Lactobacillus Ferment, Bisabolol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Cyanocobalamin, Sodium Levulinate, Sodium Benzoate, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Lactic Acid, Maltodextrin, Amorphophallus Konjac Root Extract, Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide, Sodium Anisate, Montmorillonite, Myristyl Alcohol, Anthocyanins, Citric Acid, Tocopherol
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 AlcoholCitric Acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) naturally found in citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes.
Like other AHAs, citric acid can exfoliate skin by breaking down the bonds that hold dead skin cells together. This helps reveal smoother and brighter skin underneath.
However, this exfoliating effect only happens at high concentrations (20%) which can be hard to find in cosmetic products.
Due to this, citric acid is usually included in small amounts as a pH adjuster. This helps keep products slightly more acidic and compatible with skin's natural pH.
In skincare formulas, citric acid can:
While it can provide some skin benefits, research shows lactic acid and glycolic acid are generally more effective and less irritating exfoliants.
Most citric acid used in skincare today is made by fermenting sugars (usually from molasses). This synthetic version is identical to the natural citrus form but easier to stabilize and use in formulations.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Citric AcidCyanocobalamin is the manufactured version of vitamin B12. It has skin soothing, antioxidant, and barrier protecting properties. Topical cyanocobalamin is used to treat skin irritation and atopic dermatitis.
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 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
