What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cyclomethicone
Emollient
Methylpropanediol
SolventGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Octyldodecanol
Emollient
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialHydrogenated Vegetable Oil
Emollient
Talc
Abrasive
Tapioca Starch
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Ubiquinone
Antioxidant
Creatine
Skin Conditioning1-Methylhydantoin-2-Imide
Skin ConditioningPotassium Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingCera Microcristallina
Emulsion StabilisingParaffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides
Emollient
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningTrisodium EDTA
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Benzoic Acid
Masking
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Glycerin, Cyclomethicone, Methylpropanediol, Glyceryl Stearate, Dimethicone, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Alcohol, Octyldodecanol, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Talc, Tapioca Starch, 1,2-Hexanediol, Ubiquinone, Creatine, 1-Methylhydantoin-2-Imide, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Cera Microcristallina, Paraffinum Liquidum, Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Carbomer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Trisodium EDTA, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol, Benzoic Acid, CI 77891
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides
Emollient
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane
UV Absorber
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialCera Alba
Emollient
Dicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientButylene Glycol
Humectant
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate
EmollientEthylhexyl Triazone
UV Absorber
Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid
UV Absorber
Methylpropanediol
SolventHydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Arctium Lappa Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Creatine
Skin Conditioning1-Methylhydantoin-2-Imide
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
Antioxidant
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
Arachidic Acid
Cleansing
Oleic Acid
Emollient
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingDiethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate
UV Filter
Lauroyl Lysine
Skin Conditioning
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSodium Chloride
MaskingTrisodium EDTA
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Glycerin, Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Cera Alba, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Butylene Glycol, Behenyl Alcohol, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Ethylhexyl Triazone, Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid, Methylpropanediol, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Stearyl Alcohol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Arctium Lappa Fruit Extract, Creatine, 1-Methylhydantoin-2-Imide, Tocopherol, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Myristic Acid, Arachidic Acid, Oleic Acid, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Sodium Hydroxide, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate, Lauroyl Lysine, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Chloride, Trisodium EDTA, 1,2-Hexanediol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.
It is a:
- Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
- Emollient, helping to soften skin
- Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
- Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives
We don't have a description for 1-Methylhydantoin-2-Imide yet.
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate is a lightweight emollient made by combinig benzoic acid with fatty alcohols that are 12-15 carbons long.
In cosmetics, it plays several roles:
The Cosmetic Review Expert Panel has concluded the alkyl benzoate group to be safe as used in cosmetics; it wasn't found to be a skin irritant and unlikely to be absorbed due to its low water solubility.
This report recorded almost 1000 reported uses with concentrations up to 59% in leave-on products but your cosmetics will typically use 0.5-15% depending on the product.
It's often called a "SPF booster": this is because it keeps UV filters properly dissolved and evenly distributed to support a sunscreen's performance. It doesn't actually raise SPF on its own.
Overall, this ingredient is well tolerated.
This ingredient is fungal acne safe because it is an ester of benzoic acid.
Think of this ingredient as two parts stuck together: an oily part and an acid part. Malassezia only gets a meal when it can snip off a fatty acid to eat. With C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, the acid part is benzoic acid, which isn't a fatty acid and which the yeast can't use as food.
Benzoic acid is actually used as a preservative to stop yeast from growing.
The oily part is a blend of C12-15 fatty alcohols but fatty alcohols in this size range can support only a little Malassezia growth (mostly for one species of Malassezia as well).
In the ingredient, those alcohols stay locked inside the molecule. The yeast can only reach them by snipping the benzoate bond, and that type of bond is harder for it to cut than a normal fatty bond.
So not much gets released. And whatever does get snipped comes packaged with benzoic acid, which discourages yeast growth.
Learn more about C12-15 Alkyl BenzoateWe don't have a description for Creatine yet.
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 GlycerinMethylpropanediol is a synthetic solvent and humectant.
As a solvent, it helps dissolve other ingredients, helping to evenly distribute ingredients throughout the product. This ingredient has also been shown to have antimicrobial properties which makes it a preservative booster.
Methylpropanediol is able to add a bit of moisture to the skin. It also helps other ingredients be better absorbed into the skin, such as salicylic acid.
Learn more about MethylpropanediolPhenoxyethanol 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 Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.
In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.
Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.
"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.
Learn more about Sodium HydroxideTrisodium EDTA is one of those quietly essential helper ingredients that most people have never heard of. You'll most likely spot it near the end of ingredient lists in almost every category of skincare.
So what does it actually do?
Its main job is chelation; this is a fancy word to say it grabs onto metal ions and neutralizes them. This is because even purified water in cosmetics contains trace amounts of metals that can cause big problems in a formula.
These trace metals can break down actives faster, cause discoloration, promote rancidity in oils, and make preservatives less effective. Trisodium EDTA binds to these metals and takes them out of the equation so your products can stay stable and effective for longer.
There's also an added bonus: by neutralizing the metals ions that bacteria need to thrive, this ingredient also acts as a preservative booster.
The Cosmetic Ingredient Review has concluded this ingredient to be safe as used in cosmetic formulations. It is not considered an irritant, sensitizer, and is barely absorbed through the skin.
Learn more about Trisodium EDTAWater. 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
