What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantMyristyl Alcohol
EmollientParaffinum Liquidum
EmollientButylene Glycol
HumectantAlcohol Denat.
AntimicrobialStearic Acid
CleansingPetrolatum
EmollientMyristyl Myristate
EmollientGlyceryl Stearate
EmollientHydrogenated Coco-Glycerides
EmollientDimethicone
EmollientSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
EmollientTocopheryl Acetate
AntioxidantLanolin Alcohol
EmollientPolyglyceryl-2 Caprate
EmulsifyingParfum
MaskingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeWater, Glycerin, Myristyl Alcohol, Paraffinum Liquidum, Butylene Glycol, Alcohol Denat., Stearic Acid, Petrolatum, Myristyl Myristate, Glyceryl Stearate, Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides, Dimethicone, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Lanolin Alcohol, Polyglyceryl-2 Caprate, Parfum, Carbomer, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol
Water
Skin ConditioningEthylhexyl Stearate
EmollientCetearyl Alcohol
EmollientGlycerin
HumectantGlyceryl Palmitate/Stearate
EmollientDicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin ConditioningGlyceryl Stearate
EmollientEctoin
Skin ConditioningMyristyl Myristate
EmollientCetyl Palmitate
EmollientMicrocrystalline Cellulose
AbsorbentParfum
MaskingHydroxyacetophenone
AntioxidantCetearyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingXanthan Gum
Emulsifying1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningCaprylyl Glycol
EmollientSodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingTetrasodium Iminodisuccinate
Tocopherol
AntioxidantHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
EmollientSodium Chloride
MaskingCitric Acid
BufferingTetramethyl Acetyloctahydronaphthalenes
MaskingGeranyl Acetate
PerfumingLinalyl Acetate
MaskingWater, Ethylhexyl Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Glyceryl Palmitate/Stearate, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Glyceryl Stearate, Ectoin, Myristyl Myristate, Cetyl Palmitate, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Parfum, Hydroxyacetophenone, Cetearyl Glucoside, Xanthan Gum, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Tetrasodium Iminodisuccinate, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Sodium Chloride, Citric Acid, Tetramethyl Acetyloctahydronaphthalenes, Geranyl Acetate, Linalyl Acetate
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Glycerin (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 StearateMyristyl Myristate is a waxy ester made by combining myristyl alcohol and myristic acid (both from plant oils from coconut or palm).
It's a non-greasy emollient that melts right around skin temperature. It gives products a soft and velvet feel and helps improve how a cream spreads.
Safety-wise, it's deemed safe to use in cosmetics by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel. Dermal animal testing found it to be non-toxic and non-irritating.
This ingredient has a comedogenic reputation; it's important to know comedogenic ratings come from outdated rabbit ear tests. Rabbit ears are way more sensitive than human skin and prone to clogging. How likely a formula will clog pores depends on the overall formulation rather than a few comedogenic ingredients.
Because this ingredient is an ester of Myristic acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. Myristic acid is a C14 fatty acid that sits in the C11-24 range that feeds the Malassezia yeast.
Learn more about Myristyl MyristateParfum 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 ParfumWater. 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