What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Behentrimonium Methosulfate
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Triethyl Citrate
Masking
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Parfum
Masking
Biotin
AntiseborrhoeicPersea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil
Emollient
Ceteareth-20
CleansingRosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil
Masking
Zingiber Officinale Root Oil
Masking
Mentha Piperita Oil
Masking
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit/Leaf Extract
AstringentSaccharum Officinarum Extract
MoisturisingCitrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Extract
MaskingCitrus Limon Fruit Extract
Masking
Acer Saccharum Extract
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Water, Glycerin, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Cetyl Alcohol, Triethyl Citrate, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Parfum, Biotin, Persea Gratissima Oil, Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil, Ceteareth-20, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil, Zingiber Officinale Root Oil, Mentha Piperita Oil, Propylene Glycol, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit/Leaf Extract, Saccharum Officinarum Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Extract, Citrus Limon Fruit Extract, Acer Saccharum Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Polysorbate 20
Water
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Extract
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein
Skin ConditioningPereskia Aculeata Callus Extract
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Arginine
Masking
Alanine
Masking
Aspartic Acid
Masking
Glycine
Buffering
Histidine
Humectant
Isoleucine
Skin ConditioningPCA
Humectant
Phenylalanine
Masking
Proline
Skin Conditioning
Serine
Masking
Tartaric Acid
Buffering
Threonine
Valine
MaskingSodium PCA
Humectant
Momordica Cochinchinensis Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningSalvia Hispanica Seed Extract
EmollientTrehalose
Humectant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Extract
Skin Conditioning
Vaccinium Myrtillus Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Ricinus Communis Seed Oil
Masking
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Galactoarabinan
Brassica Campestris/Aleurites Fordi Oil Copolymer
Skin Conditioning
Arachidyl Alcohol
Emollient
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Lactobacillus Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Arachidyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingGlyceryl Ricinoleate
Emollient
Glycolic Acid
Buffering
Hydroxypropylammonium Gluconate
HumectantHydroxypropylgluconamide
HumectantLactic Acid
Buffering
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Antimicrobial
Polyquaternium-59
UV AbsorberSodium Lactate
Buffering
Sorbic Acid
Preservative
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Xylitol
Humectant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Propanediol
Solvent
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingSodium Phosphate
BufferingParfum
Masking
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningBenzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Cetrimonium Chloride
Antimicrobial
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Behentrimonium Chloride
Preservative
Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
Perfuming
Benzyl Salicylate
Perfuming
Hexyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Extract, Glycerin, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, Pereskia Aculeata Callus Extract, Panthenol, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Arginine, Alanine, Aspartic Acid, Glycine, Histidine, Isoleucine, PCA, Phenylalanine, Proline, Serine, Tartaric Acid, Threonine, Valine, Sodium PCA, Momordica Cochinchinensis Seed Extract, Salvia Hispanica Seed Extract, Trehalose, Helianthus Annuus Seed Extract, Vaccinium Myrtillus Seed Oil, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Galactoarabinan, Brassica Campestris/Aleurites Fordi Oil Copolymer, Arachidyl Alcohol, Behenyl Alcohol, Lactobacillus Ferment, Arachidyl Glucoside, Glyceryl Ricinoleate, Glycolic Acid, Hydroxypropylammonium Gluconate, Hydroxypropylgluconamide, Lactic Acid, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Polyquaternium-59, Sodium Lactate, Sorbic Acid, Tocopherol, Xylitol, Citric Acid, Propanediol, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Phosphate, Parfum, Caprylyl Glycol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Benzyl Alcohol, Cetrimonium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Behentrimonium Chloride, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Benzyl Salicylate, Hexyl Cinnamal, Limonene, Linalool
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid or alcohol, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolCetearyl 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 AlcoholGlycerin (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 GlycerinParfum 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
