What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Behentrimonium Chloride
Preservative
Glycerin
Humectant
Dimethiconol
Emollient
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine
EmulsifyingIsopropyl Alcohol
Solvent
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingSalicylic Acid
Masking
Disodium EDTA
Laureth-23
Cleansing
Tea-Dodecylbenzenesulfonate
CleansingC12-15 Pareth-3
EmulsifyingCitric Acid
Buffering
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Hexyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Behentrimonium Chloride, Glycerin, Dimethiconol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Isopropyl Alcohol, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Salicylic Acid, Disodium EDTA, Laureth-23, Tea-Dodecylbenzenesulfonate, C12-15 Pareth-3, Citric Acid, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum, Hexyl Cinnamal, Linalool
Water
Skin ConditioningBehentrimonium Chloride
Preservative
Glycerin
Humectant
Crambe Abyssinica Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Propanediol
Solvent
Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Almond/Borage/Linseed/Olive Acids/Glycerides
Antioxidant
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Caffeine
Skin Conditioning
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Lauryl Glucoside
CleansingOlea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningSodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
Antioxidant
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingHydrolyzed Rice Protein
Skin ConditioningDehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Isomalt
HumectantBenzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingPotassium Sorbate
Preservative
Malus Domestica Fruit Cell Culture Extract
Skin ConditioningTriethyl Citrate
Masking
Juniperus Virginiana Oil
Masking
Amyris Balsamifera Bark Oil
Masking
Pogostemon Cablin Leaf Extract
Perfuming
Gamma-Nonalactone
Masking
Ionone
Astringent
Elettaria Cardamomum Seed Oil
Masking
Cistus Ladaniferus Resin Extract
Cananga Odorata Flower Oil
Masking
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Vanillin
Masking
Viola Odorata Leaf Extract
MaskingHexenyl Acetate
Masking
Aquilaria Agallocha Wood Oil
Masking
Dimethylheptenal
Perfuming
Water, Behentrimonium Chloride, Glycerin, Crambe Abyssinica Seed Oil, Propanediol, Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Almond/Borage/Linseed/Olive Acids/Glycerides, Sodium Benzoate, Panthenol, Caffeine, Niacinamide, Lauryl Glucoside, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Sodium Gluconate, Tocopherol, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, Dehydroacetic Acid, Lactic Acid, Hyaluronic Acid, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Isomalt, Benzyl Alcohol, Sodium Hydroxide, Potassium Sorbate, Malus Domestica Fruit Cell Culture Extract, Triethyl Citrate, Juniperus Virginiana Oil, Amyris Balsamifera Bark Oil, Pogostemon Cablin Leaf Extract, Gamma-Nonalactone, Ionone, Elettaria Cardamomum Seed Oil, Cistus Ladaniferus Resin Extract, Cananga Odorata Flower Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Vanillin, Viola Odorata Leaf Extract, Hexenyl Acetate, Aquilaria Agallocha Wood Oil, Dimethylheptenal
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 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 GlycerinThis ingredient is derived from guar gum. It is a skin conditioning agent that creates a thin, breathable film to reduce water loss during cleansing.
This leaves the skin feeling soft rather than stripped and also contributes to a creamier lather.
Due to the large molecule size, this ingredient is unlikely to penetrate skin.
Learn more about Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium ChlorideHydroxyethylcellulose is used to improve the texture of products. It is created from a chemical reaction involving ethylene oxide and alkali-cellulose. Cellulose is a sugar found in plant cell walls and help give plants structure.
This ingredient helps stabilize products by preventing ingredients from separating. It can also help thicken the texture of a product.
This ingredient can also be found in pill medicines to help our bodies digest other ingredients.
Learn more about HydroxyethylcelluloseWater. 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
