What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPPG-2 Myristyl Ether Propionate
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetyl Dimethicone
Emollient
Hexyldecyl Stearate
EmollientPentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate
Emollient
Caprylyl Methicone
Skin Conditioning
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Dimethicone
Emollient
Squalane
Emollient
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Nylon-12
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Polyacrylamide
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Methylparaben
Preservative
C13-14 Isoparaffin
Emollient
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Propylparaben
Preservative
Ethylparaben
Preservative
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Arginine
Masking
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Erythorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Laureth-7
EmulsifyingDisodium EDTA
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Retinol
Skin Conditioning
BHT
Antioxidant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Water, PPG-2 Myristyl Ether Propionate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Dimethicone, Hexyldecyl Stearate, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, Caprylyl Methicone, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Dimethicone, Squalane, Cetearyl Glucoside, Nylon-12, Behenyl Alcohol, Polyacrylamide, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Glycerin, Methylparaben, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Bisabolol, Allantoin, Propylparaben, Ethylparaben, Panthenol, Arginine, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Erythorbic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Laureth-7, Disodium EDTA, Polysorbate 20, Retinol, BHT, Tocopherol
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Dicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientStearic Acid
Cleansing
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Silica
Abrasive
BHT
Antioxidant
Petrolatum
Emollient
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCholecalciferol
Calcium Chloride
AstringentCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Sodium Polyacrylate
Absorbent
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
BHT is a synthetic antioxidant and preservative.
As an antioxidant, it helps your body fight off free-radicals. Free-radicals are molecules that may damage your skin cells.
As a preservative, it is used to stabilize products and prevent them from degrading. Specifically, BHT prevents degradation from oxidation.
The concerns related to BHT come from oral studies; this ingredient is currently allowed for use by both the FDA and EU.
However, it was recently restricted for use in the UK as of April 2024.
Learn more about BHTThis ingredient is also known as shea butter. It is a plant-derived extract from the nuts of the Africa shea tree and one of the most well-studied emollients.
Because it has a high concentration of fatty acids (primarily oleic, stearic, and linoleic) it is able to form a protective barrier on the skin's surface. This helps seal in moisture and prevents transepidermal water loss (TEWL).
In vitro research found an increase in skin hydration by 58% and a decrease in TEWL by 37.8% after 24 hours of applying this ingredient (pretty impressive for a single ingredient!).
Besides hydration, shea butter also contains triterpenes that have anti-inflammatory potential. In particule, lupeol cinnamate has shown the highest anti-inflammatory activity in vivo.
Shea butter also contains vitamins A and E which may contribute to antioxidant activity.
While Shea Butter has an SPF rating of about 3-4, it is not a sunscreen replacement.
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe because its fatty acids fall within the C11-C24 range that the Malassezia yeast can metabolize.
Learn more about Butyrospermum Parkii ButterCetearyl 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 AlcoholEthylhexylglycerin 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 EthylhexylglycerinGlycerin (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 GlycerinWater. 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
