What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Methylpropanediol
SolventDicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Petrolatum
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Saccharide Isomerate
Humectant
Trehalose
Humectant
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Linoleic Acid
Cleansing
Linolenic Acid
Cleansing
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Triheptanoin
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingPolyisobutene
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
C9-12 Alkane
SolventAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Polyurethane-10
PEG-7 Trimethylolpropane Coconut Ether
Emulsifying
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingTrisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Triethanolamine
BufferingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningWater, Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil, Glycerin, Methylpropanediol, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Alcohol, Butylene Glycol, Petrolatum, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Saccharide Isomerate, Trehalose, Tocopheryl Acetate, Pentylene Glycol, Linoleic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Cetyl Alcohol, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Triheptanoin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Polyisobutene, Phenoxyethanol, C9-12 Alkane, Allantoin, Polyurethane-10, PEG-7 Trimethylolpropane Coconut Ether, Carbomer, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Triethanolamine, Ethylhexylglycerin
Water
Skin ConditioningDicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientCyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Hydroxyethyl Urea
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Erythritol
Humectant
Glycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Homarine Hcl
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingSodium PCA
Humectant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Water, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Cyclopentasiloxane, Glycerin, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Caprylyl Glycol, Cetyl Alcohol, Erythritol, Glycine Soja Oil, Homarine Hcl, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium PCA, Tocopherol
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Cetyl Alcohol is a fatty alcohol. Fatty Alcohols are most often used as an emollient or to thicken a product.
Its main roles are:
Though it has "alcohol" in the name, it is not related to denatured alcohol or ethyl alcohol.
The FDA allows products labeled "alcohol-free" to have fatty alcohols.
Learn more about Cetyl AlcoholDicaprylyl Carbonate comes from carbonic acid and caprylyl alcohol, a fatty alcohol. It is an emollient and gives skin a velvet feel. The sources of Dicaprylyl Carbonate may be synthetic or from animals.
As an emollient, Dicaprylyl Carbonate creates a film on the skin. This film traps moisture in, keeping your skin soft and hydrated.
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 StearatePeg-100 Stearate is an emollient and emulsifier. As an emollient, it helps keep skin soft by trapping moisture in. On the other hand, emulsifiers help prevent oil and water from separating in a product.
PEGS are a hydrophilic polyether compound . There are 100 ethylene oxide monomers in Peg-100 Stearate. Peg-100 Stearate is polyethylene glycol ester of stearic acid.
Phenoxyethanol 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
