What's inside
What's inside
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Myristyl Alcohol
Emollient
Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate
Cleansing
Isopropyl Palmitate
Emollient
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Dimethicone
Emollient
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
Arachidic Acid
Cleansing
Oleic Acid
Emollient
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Trisodium EDTA
Pantolactone
Humectant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Linalool
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Citronellol
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
Perfuming
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Parfum
Masking
Water, Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Myristyl Alcohol, Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate, Isopropyl Palmitate, Panthenol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Dimethicone, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Myristic Acid, Arachidic Acid, Oleic Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Trisodium EDTA, Pantolactone, Citric Acid, Linalool, Limonene, Citronellol, Geraniol, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Benzyl Alcohol, Parfum
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Ethylhexylglycerin 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.
Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate is a type of sulfate.
Stearic Acid is a fatty acid that is already found in your skin. It's one of the free fatty acids that works alongside ceramides and cholesterols to maintain your barrier.
In cosmetics, it is a multitasker:
Safety-wise, the CIR Expert Panel has concluded it to be safe in cosmetics when formulated to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing.
Free stearic acid is a C18 fatty acid that the Malassezia yeast can substrate, so this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Stearic AcidWater. 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
