What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Hydrogenated Poly(C6-14 Olefin)
EmollientCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate
Emulsifying
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Niacinamide
Smoothing
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Dimethicone
Emollient
Phenyl Trimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Olivate
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingPolymethylsilsesquioxane
Tromethamine
BufferingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Adenosine
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingCoptis Japonica Extract
AntimicrobialPolyisobutene
Disodium EDTA
Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside
CleansingCyanocobalamin
Skin ConditioningSorbitan Oleate
Emulsifying
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Saccharomyces/Rice Ferment Filtrate
Skin Conditioning
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Collagen Extract
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Phytate
Copper Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Dna
Skin Conditioning
Water, Glycerin, Hydrogenated Poly(C6-14 Olefin), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Niacinamide, 1,2-Hexanediol, Dimethicone, Phenyl Trimethicone, Cetearyl Olivate, Glyceryl Stearate, Sorbitan Olivate, Carbomer, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Tromethamine, Ethylhexylglycerin, Butylene Glycol, Adenosine, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Coptis Japonica Extract, Polyisobutene, Disodium EDTA, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Cyanocobalamin, Sorbitan Oleate, Tocopherol, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Saccharomyces/Rice Ferment Filtrate, Pentylene Glycol, Collagen Extract, Sodium Phytate, Copper Tripeptide-1, Sodium Dna
Water
Skin ConditioningOctyldodecanol
Emollient
Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Ceteareth-20
CleansingCetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Dimethicone
Emollient
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingPEG-8
HumectantTocopherol
Antioxidant
Ascorbyl Palmitate
Antioxidant
Ascorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingWater, Octyldodecanol, Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides, Glycerin, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Panthenol, Ceteareth-20, Cetearyl Glucoside, Dimethicone, Propylene Glycol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Carbomer, PEG-8, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Ascorbic Acid, Citric Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Sodium Hydroxide
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Carbomer is a high-molecular weight polymer of acrylic acid. It is used to form gels and thicken formulas.
Due to its large molecular size, carbomer has minimal skin penetration and is considered an inert ingredient.
A high amount of carbomer can cause pilling or balling up of products. Don't worry, most products contain 1% or less of carbomer.
Learn more about CarbomerCetearyl 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 AlcoholDimethicone is a type of synthetic silicone created from natural materials such as quartz. It is also known as polydimethylsiloxane.
What it does:
Dimethicone comes in different viscosities:
Depending on the viscosity, dimethicone has different properties.
Ingredients lists don't always show which type is used, so we recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the viscosity.
This ingredient is unlikely to cause irritation because it does not get absorbed into skin. However, people with silicone allergies should be careful about using this ingredient.
Note: Dimethicone may contribute to pilling. This is because it is not oil or water soluble, so pilling may occur when layered with products. When mixed with heavy oils in a formula, the outcome is also quite greasy.
Learn more about DimethiconeGlycerin (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 GlycerinTocopherol (also known as Vitamin E) is a common antioxidant used to help protect the skin from free-radicals and strengthen the skin barrier. It's also fat soluble - this means our skin is great at absorbing it.
Vitamin E also helps keep your natural skin lipids healthy. Your lipid skin barrier naturally consists of lipids, ceramides, and fatty acids. Vitamin E offers extra protection for your skin’s lipid barrier, keeping your skin healthy and nourished.
Another benefit is a bit of UV protection. Vitamin E helps reduce the damage caused by UVB rays. (It should not replace your sunscreen). Combining it with Vitamin C can decrease sunburned cells and hyperpigmentation after UV exposure.
You might have noticed Vitamin E + C often paired together. This is because it is great at stabilizing Vitamin C. Using the two together helps increase the effectiveness of both ingredients.
There are often claims that Vitamin E can reduce/prevent scarring, but these claims haven't been confirmed by scientific research.
Learn more about TocopherolWater. 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
