What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Ceteareth-20
CleansingStearamidopropyl Dimethylamine
EmulsifyingStearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Mangifera Indica Seed Butter
Skin Conditioning
Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter
Emollient
Behentrimonium Methosulfate
Citric Acid
Buffering
Glycerin
Humectant
Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil
Emollient
Garcinia Indica Seed Butter
Skin Conditioning
Theobroma Grandiflorum Seed Butter
Skin Conditioning
Caprylhydroxamic Acid
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Ricinus Communis Seed Oil
Masking
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil
Emollient
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Rosa Canina Fruit Extract
Astringent
Water, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Glyceryl Stearate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Ceteareth-20, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Stearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Caprylate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Mangifera Indica Seed Butter, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Citric Acid, Glycerin, Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil, Garcinia Indica Seed Butter, Theobroma Grandiflorum Seed Butter, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, Persea Gratissima Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Rosa Canina Fruit Extract
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Behentrimonium Methosulfate
Wheat Amino Acids
Skin ConditioningBenzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Hydrolyzed Silk
Humectant
Caryodendron Orinocense Seed Oil
Emollient
Cocos Nucifera Fruit Extract
Emollient
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Cetrimonium Chloride
Antimicrobial
Citric Acid
Buffering
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingGuar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningDisodium EDTA
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Phenethyl Alcohol
MaskingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Disodium Phosphate
BufferingSodium Phosphate
BufferingSodium Sulfite
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Benzyl Benzoate
Antimicrobial
Hexyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Amyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Hydroxycitronellal
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Citronellol
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Water, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Wheat Amino Acids, Benzyl Alcohol, Hydrolyzed Silk, Caryodendron Orinocense Seed Oil, Cocos Nucifera Fruit Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Cetrimonium Chloride, Citric Acid, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium EDTA, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Phenethyl Alcohol, Caprylyl Glycol, Polysorbate 60, Phenoxyethanol, Disodium Phosphate, Sodium Phosphate, Sodium Sulfite, Parfum, Benzyl Benzoate, Hexyl Cinnamal, Amyl Cinnamal, Hydroxycitronellal, Linalool, Citronellol, Limonene
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Behentrimonium Methosulfate is an ammonium salt. It is mainly used to prevent static in haircare products as a surfactant.
Surfactants have differing ends: one side is hydrophilic while the other end is hydrophobic.
Surfactants also help your cleansers remove pollutants more easily from the skin.
Learn more about Behentrimonium MethosulfateCetearyl 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 AcidGlycerin (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
