What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
C15-19 Alkane
SolventGlyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Isopropyl Palmitate
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Petrolatum
Emollient
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Glycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Hydrolyzed Pearl
Skin ConditioningTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides
Emollient
Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate
Cleansing
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPantolactone
Humectant
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingCitric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Citrate
BufferingWater, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, C15-19 Alkane, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Isopropyl Palmitate, Glyceryl Stearate, Petrolatum, Panthenol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Glycine Soja Oil, Hydrolyzed Pearl, Tocopheryl Acetate, Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides, Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Pantolactone, Carbomer, Sodium Hydroxide, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Isopropyl Palmitate
Emollient
Alcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialDimethicone
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Tapioca Starch
Creatine
Skin ConditioningCarnitine
Cleansing
Ubiquinone
Antioxidant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Hydroxide
Buffering1-Methylhydantoin-2-Imide
Skin ConditioningSodium Cetearyl Sulfate
Cleansing
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningWater, Glycerin, Isopropyl Palmitate, Alcohol Denat., Glyceryl Stearate Se, Glyceryl Stearate, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Dimethicone, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Tapioca Starch, Creatine, Carnitine, Ubiquinone, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum, Carbomer, Sodium Hydroxide, 1-Methylhydantoin-2-Imide, Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate, Ethylhexylglycerin
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Carbomer is a high-molecular weight polymer of acrylic acid. It is used to form gels and thicken formulas.
Due to its large molecular size, carbomer has minimal skin penetration and is considered an inert ingredient.
A high amount of carbomer can cause pilling or balling up of products. Don't worry, most products contain 1% or less of carbomer.
Learn more about CarbomerEthylhexylglycerin 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 GlycerinGlyceryl Stearate is made by reacting glycerin with stearic acid (typically sourced from plant oils like palm or coconut). It's an emulsifier, emollient, and mild occlusive.
Emulsifiers help ingredients like oil and water stay mixed so your formula stays nicely blended and uniform in texture.
This ingredient is typically used in concentrations between 1-10%. Studies have found it to be non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.
A close cousin of this ingredient is Glyceryl Stearate SE ("self-emulsifying"). This just has a small amount of sodium or potassium stearate added so it can emulsify without a co-emulsifier.
Since this ingredient is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize within the C11-C24 range.
Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.
Learn more about Glyceryl StearateGlyceryl Stearate Se is a self-emulsifying (SE) form of glyceryl stearate. Self-emusifying means this ingredient automatically blends with water. It is an emulsifier, emollient, and cleansing agent.
As an emulsifier, Glyceryl Stearate Se prevents ingredients such as oil and water from separating. It is also a surfactant, meaning it helps cleanse the skin. Surfactants help gather oil, dirt, and other pollutants so they may be rinsed away easily.
Emollients help your skin stay smooth and soft. It does so by creating a film on top of the skin that helps trap moisture in.
Learn more about Glyceryl Stearate SeIsopropyl Palmitate is a texture enhancer and emollient. It is an ester of isopropyl alcohol and palmitic acid.
Palmitates are emollients. Emollients help keep your skin soft and smooth by creating a barrier that traps moisture in.
When added to cosmetics, Isopropyl Palmitate creates a silky texture and improves spreadability.
Isopropyl Palmitate may not be fungal acne safe. It can worsen acne prone skin.
Learn more about Isopropyl PalmitatePhenoxyethanol 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.
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 HydroxideWater. 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
