What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningParaffinum Liquidum
EmollientIsohexadecane
EmollientGlycerin
HumectantIsopropyl Palmitate
EmollientPEG-40 Sorbitan Perisostearate
EmulsifyingCera Microcristallina
Emulsion StabilisingPolyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate
EmulsifyingPrunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
AntioxidantMagnesium Sulfate
Sodium Citrate
BufferingCitric Acid
BufferingTocopheryl Acetate
AntioxidantPotassium Sorbate
PreservativeLinalool
PerfumingLimonene
PerfumingBenzyl Alcohol
PerfumingGeraniol
PerfumingCitronellol
PerfumingAlpha-Isomethyl Ionone
PerfumingBenzyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialParfum
MaskingWater, Paraffinum Liquidum, Isohexadecane, Glycerin, Isopropyl Palmitate, PEG-40 Sorbitan Perisostearate, Cera Microcristallina, Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Tocopherol, Magnesium Sulfate, Sodium Citrate, Citric Acid, Tocopheryl Acetate, Potassium Sorbate, Linalool, Limonene, Benzyl Alcohol, Geraniol, Citronellol, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Benzyl Benzoate, Parfum
Water
Skin ConditioningIsopropyl Myristate
EmollientGlycerin
HumectantSorbitan Isostearate
EmulsifyingDimethicone
EmollientPolyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate
EmulsifyingPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeTapioca Starch
Methylparaben
PreservativeParfum
MaskingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingStearic Acid
CleansingPropylparaben
PreservativeAmmonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Disodium EDTA
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingTheobroma Cacao Seed Butter
EmollientPetrolatum
EmollientBenzyl Alcohol
PerfumingCoumarin
PerfumingHexyl Cinnamal
PerfumingHydroxycitronellal
PerfumingLinalool
PerfumingWater, Isopropyl Myristate, Glycerin, Sorbitan Isostearate, Dimethicone, Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate, Phenoxyethanol, Tapioca Starch, Methylparaben, Parfum, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum, Stearic Acid, Propylparaben, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Hydroxide, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Petrolatum, Benzyl Alcohol, Coumarin, Hexyl Cinnamal, Hydroxycitronellal, Linalool
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Benzyl Alcohol is an aromatic alcohol with several roles: it's a preservative, solvent, and mild fragrance component with a floral scent.
This ingredient has been deemed safe for use in cosmetic formulations at concentrations up to 5%, and up to 10% in hair dyes. You'll typically see 0.5-2% in most rinse-off or leave-on products.
As a preservative, it works by disrupting the membrane of microbial proteins. This helps keep bacteria and fungi from growing in your products.
The sensitization picture is actually quite assuring as well:of nearly 71,000 patients patch tested with benzyl alcohol, only 0.21% showed a positive reaction with most of them being weakly positive.
This led researchers to conclude that benzyl alcohol cannot be regarded as a significant contact allergen.
It is worth noting this ingredient is classified as one of the EU's regulated fragrance allergens and restricted to 1% in finished products.
Labels must also declare it in concentrations above 0.001% in leave-on products and 0.01% in rinse-off products.
At concentrations around 5%, localized redness and itching can appear as a direct irritant response and not as a true allergic reaction.
Learn more about Benzyl AlcoholGlycerin (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 GlycerinLinalool is a fragrance and helps add scent to products. It's derived from common plants such as cinnamon, mint, citrus, and lavender.
Like Limonene, this ingredient oxidizes when exposed to air. Oxidized linalool can cause allergies and skin sensitivity.
This ingredient has a scent that is floral, spicy tropical, and citrus-like.
Learn more about LinaloolParfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.
Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.
For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.
The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.
For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.
One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.
Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.
Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.
The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.
Learn more about ParfumPolyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate is a plant-derived, oil-soluble emulsifier. It keeps water-in-oil emulsions stable to prevent the ingredients from separating.
On the safety front, it's considered non-irritating and well-tolerated (it can even be found in formulations for baby skin).
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe because research has shown that the Malassezia species can grow in the presence of fatty acid esters with chain lengths above C12 (and this one is C18).
While it does have a comedogenic rating of 4, the comedogenic rating scale was developed from rabbit ear models which has limited clinical relevance to human skin. Studies also show that comedogenic ingredients cannot predict how the overall formula will behave on human skin.
Learn more about Polyglyceryl-3 DiisostearateWater. 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