What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
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
Water
Skin ConditioningMethylpropanediol
SolventCoconut Alkanes
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Zea Mays Starch
Absorbent
Sequoia Sempervirens Leaf Cell Extract
MaskingTaurine
BufferingVitis Vinifera Flower Cell Extract
MaskingPhytic Acid
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Lauroyl Lysine
Skin Conditioning
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Caffeine
Skin Conditioning
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Malic Acid
Buffering
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingPotassium Sorbate
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningHydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Methylpropanediol, Coconut Alkanes, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Zea Mays Starch, Sequoia Sempervirens Leaf Cell Extract, Taurine, Vitis Vinifera Flower Cell Extract, Phytic Acid, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Behenyl Alcohol, Lauroyl Lysine, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Caffeine, Xanthan Gum, Allantoin, Malic Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Potassium Sorbate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Phenoxyethanol
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
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 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 GlycerinPhenoxyethanol 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
