What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Behentrimonium Methosulfate
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Cetyl Esters
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Polyquaternium-7
Parfum
Masking
Hydroxypropyltrimonium Honey
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Oryza Sativa Bran Oil
Emollient
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
Skin ConditioningAchillea Millefolium Extract
CleansingUrtica Dioica Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningSalvia Officinalis Extract
Antimicrobial
Equisetum Arvense Extract
AstringentLavandula Angustifolia Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract
Masking
Benzoic Acid
Masking
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningGlycereth-2 Cocoate
Emulsifying
Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycerin, Persea Gratissima Oil, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Cetyl Alcohol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetyl Esters, Cetearyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Polyquaternium-7, Parfum, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Honey, Panthenol, Oryza Sativa Bran Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Achillea Millefolium Extract, Urtica Dioica Leaf Extract, Salvia Officinalis Extract, Equisetum Arvense Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Benzoic Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Glycereth-2 Cocoate
Water
Skin ConditioningCocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Sorbitol
Humectant
Isopropyl Myristate
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Sodium Stearyl Sulfate
Cleansing
Cyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
Masking
Ricinus Communis Seed Oil
Masking
Oryza Sativa Bran Water
Masking
Brassica Campestris Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Citrus Junos Peel Extract
Skin ConditioningPolyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate
Emulsifying
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Benzoic Acid
Masking
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningGlycereth-2 Cocoate
Emulsifying
Diheptyl Succinate
EmollientCapryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer
Skin ConditioningXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingAminomethyl Propanol
BufferingBHT
Antioxidant
Disodium EDTA
Hydrolyzed Milk Protein
Skin ConditioningParfum
Masking
Water, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Sorbitol, Isopropyl Myristate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sodium Stearyl Sulfate, Cyclopentasiloxane, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Stearic Acid, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, Oryza Sativa Bran Water, Brassica Campestris Seed Oil, Citrus Junos Peel Extract, Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate, Phenoxyethanol, Benzoic Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Glycereth-2 Cocoate, Diheptyl Succinate, Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer, Xanthan Gum, Aminomethyl Propanol, BHT, Disodium EDTA, Hydrolyzed Milk Protein, Parfum
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Benzoic Acid is used to preserve and adjust the pH of products.
The antimicrobial property of Benzoic Acid helps elongate a product's shelf life. Its main role is to reduce fungi growth and is not found to be effective at fighting bacteria. Therefore Benzoic Acid is always added along with other preservatives.
In its pure form, Benzoic Acid looks like a white crystalline solid. It has slight solubility in water.
The name of Benzoic Acid comes from gum benzoin, which used to be the sole source of deriving this ingredient. Benzoic Acid is the most simple aromatic carboxylic acid.
Benzoic Acid is naturally occuring in strawberries, mustard, cinnamon, and cloves. It has a slight scent but is not considered to be a fragrance.
Learn more about Benzoic AcidCetearyl 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 AlcoholEthylhexylglycerin 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 EthylhexylglycerinGlycereth-2 Cocoate can be bad for dry skin.
Parfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.
Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.
For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.
The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.
For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.
One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.
Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.
Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.
The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.
Learn more about ParfumPhenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.
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
