What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Dimethicone
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Ceteareth-20
CleansingTetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate
Antioxidant
Ascorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Curcuma Longa Root Extract
Masking
Ferulic Acid
Antimicrobial
Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Zingiber Officinale Root Extract
Masking
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Panax Ginseng Root Extract
Emollient
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Helianthus Annuus Extract
Emollient
Oryza Sativa Bran Extract
Skin Conditioning
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialTocopherol
Antioxidant
Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate
Emollient
Isopropyl Myristate
Emollient
Cetearyl Phosphate
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Synthetic Beeswax
Emulsion Stabilising
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingTetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Parfum
Masking
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Hexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingLimonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Water, Cetyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Ceteareth-20, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Ascorbic Acid, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Ferulic Acid, Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract, Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract, Zingiber Officinale Root Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Helianthus Annuus Extract, Oryza Sativa Bran Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Tocopherol, Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate, Isopropyl Myristate, Cetearyl Phosphate, Glyceryl Stearate, Synthetic Beeswax, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Parfum, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylyl Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Sodium Hydroxide, Limonene, Linalool
Water
Skin ConditioningAmmonium Lactate
Buffering
Squalene
Emollient
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Glycerin
Humectant
Propanediol
Solvent
Coconut Alkanes
Emollient
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
Potassium Lactate
BufferingCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Candelilla/Jojoba/Rice Bran Polyglyceryl-3 Esters
Emulsifying
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Aminopropyl Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate
EmulsifyingHydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingGlycereth-5 Lactate
EmollientPolysorbate 60
Emulsifying
PEG-7 Trimethylolpropane Coconut Ether
Emulsifying
Polyisobutene
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCitric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingSodium Benzoate
Masking
Disodium EDTA
Water, Ammonium Lactate, Squalene, Niacinamide, Glycerin, Propanediol, Coconut Alkanes, Sodium Lactate, Potassium Lactate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Candelilla/Jojoba/Rice Bran Polyglyceryl-3 Esters, Glyceryl Stearate, Aminopropyl Ascorbyl Phosphate, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Glycereth-5 Lactate, Polysorbate 60, PEG-7 Trimethylolpropane Coconut Ether, Polyisobutene, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Benzoate, Disodium EDTA
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 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 StearateSodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.
In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.
Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.
"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.
Learn more about Sodium HydroxideWater. 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 WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum
