What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Triethylhexanoin
MaskingNiacinamide
Smoothing
Acetyl Hexapeptide-8
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Propanediol
Solvent
Disodium EDTA
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Water, Butylene Glycol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Triethylhexanoin, Niacinamide, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Sorbitan Isostearate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylyl Glycol, Propanediol, Disodium EDTA, 1,2-Hexanediol
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Methylpropanediol
SolventCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil
Emollient
Hydrogenated Polydecene
EmollientButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningArachidyl Alcohol
Emollient
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Arachidyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingPhenyl Trimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Beeswax
Emulsion Stabilising
Sorbitan Stearate
Emulsifying
Cellulose Gum
Emulsion StabilisingCeramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Yeast Beta-Glucan
Skin ConditioningCopper Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Octyldodecanol
Emollient
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingHydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Myrtus Communis Extract
AstringentTropaeolum Majus Extract
AntimicrobialTromethamine
BufferingDisodium EDTA
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningWater, Glycerin, Methylpropanediol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Alcohol, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Glyceryl Stearate, Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract, Arachidyl Alcohol, Behenyl Alcohol, Arachidyl Glucoside, Phenyl Trimethicone, Cetearyl Glucoside, Beeswax, Sorbitan Stearate, Cellulose Gum, Ceramide NP, Yeast Beta-Glucan, Copper Tripeptide-1, Butylene Glycol, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Octyldodecanol, Carbomer, Hydroxyacetophenone, Myrtus Communis Extract, Tropaeolum Majus Extract, Tromethamine, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.
Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.
Learn more about Butylene GlycolThis ingredient is a lightweight emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping the skin prevent moisture loss.
It helps thicken a product's formula and makes it easier to spread by dissolving clumping compounds.
Caprylic Triglyceride is made by combining glycerin with coconut oil, forming a clear liquid. Though it behaves like an oil, it is not technically one due to its chemical composition. It is very stable, resistant to oxidation, and unlikely to go rancid. In practice, that translates to a long shelf life and a consistently elegant skin feel.
While there is an assumption Caprylic Triglyceride can clog pores due to it being derived from coconut oil, there is no research supporting this. Be sure to patch test if you have concerns.
Fractionated coconut oil and MCT Oil are both listed as Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride according to INCI. This is because INCI names are based on the ingredient’s final chemical composition and not its marketing name or source.
Learn more about Caprylic/Capric TriglycerideCetearyl 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 AlcoholCetearyl Glucoside is a sugar-based emulsifier. It is usually made by combining cetearyl alcohol and glucose.
Belonging to the aklyl polyglucoside (APG) family, Cetearyl Glucoside has a sugar "head" that loves water and a fatty "tail" that loves oil. This means it can shuffle oil and water into a stable and smooth emulsion.
Typical use levels are between 1-5% and this ingredient is considered to be non-irritating by the CIR Expert Panel Review.
Once applied, your skin's glucoside hydrolases breaks it down to the parent fatty alcohol and glucose. This is why this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Cetearyl GlucosideDisodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).
Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAEthylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about EthylhexylglycerinWater. 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
