What's inside
What's inside
Benefits
No benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Polyquaternium-7
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Behentrimonium Chloride
Preservative
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialParfum
Masking
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
PPG-3 Myristyl Ether
EmollientBiotin
AntiseborrhoeicButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil
Masking
Mentha Piperita Oil
Masking
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Behentrimonium Methosulfate
Diheptyl Succinate
EmollientCapryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer
Skin ConditioningCetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Polyquaternium-7, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Behentrimonium Chloride, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Parfum, Persea Gratissima Oil, PPG-3 Myristyl Ether, Biotin, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil, Mentha Piperita Oil, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Panthenol, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Diheptyl Succinate, Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer, Cetyl Alcohol
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
This ingredient is a preservative and often used for it's anti-static properties. You'll most likely see this ingredient in hair conditioners.
It does not cause irritation or sensitization in leave-on products at 1-5%.
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 AlcoholWater. 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
