What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPPG-15 Stearyl Ether
EmollientCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Paraffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Petrolatum
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Paraffin
Perfuming
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Dimethicone
Emollient
PEG-20 Stearate
Emulsifying
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Oenothera Biennis Oil
Emollient
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Methylparaben
Preservative
Propylparaben
Preservative
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
Tetrasodium EDTA
Sambucus Nigra Flower Extract
RefreshingLactic Acid
Buffering
2-Bromo-2-Nitropropane-1,3-Diol
Preservative
BHT
Antioxidant
Sorbitol
Humectant
CI 14700
Cosmetic ColorantCI 42090
Cosmetic ColorantWater, PPG-15 Stearyl Ether, Cetearyl Alcohol, Paraffinum Liquidum, Petrolatum, Butylene Glycol, Paraffin, Glyceryl Stearate, Glycerin, Dimethicone, PEG-20 Stearate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Oenothera Biennis Oil, Xanthan Gum, Propylene Glycol, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Sodium Lactate, Tetrasodium EDTA, Sambucus Nigra Flower Extract, Lactic Acid, 2-Bromo-2-Nitropropane-1,3-Diol, BHT, Sorbitol, CI 14700, CI 42090
Water
Skin ConditioningCoco-Caprylate
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Diisopropyl Sebacate
EmollientHydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
Alcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate Citrate
Emollient
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane
UV Absorber
Ethylhexyl Triazone
UV Absorber
Xylitylglucoside
Humectant
Anhydroxylitol
Humectant
Xylitol
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingTetrasodium EDTA
Citric Acid
Buffering
Parfum
Masking
Linalool
Perfuming
Citronellol
Perfuming
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningBenzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
CI 42090
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Coco-Caprylate, Glycerin, Diisopropyl Sebacate, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Alcohol Denat., Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Ethylhexyl Triazone, Xylitylglucoside, Anhydroxylitol, Xylitol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tocopherol, Xanthan Gum, Tetrasodium EDTA, Citric Acid, Parfum, Linalool, Citronellol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Benzyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, CI 42090
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Cetearyl alcohol is a waxy mixture of two fatty alcohols: cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. It is an emollient and emulsifier.
Despite having "alcohol" in its name, it has nothing to do with drying solvent alcohols; the FDA also allows "alcohol-free" products to contain fatty alcohols like this ingredient.
It plays several roles in a formula:
Typical use levels for this ingredient sit around 1-10% and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has affirmed safety at concentrations up to 25% in leave-on products.
Multiple assessments have found it to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing to most people.
However, there have been some cases of allergic contact dermatitis in patients with chronically compromised skin barriers.
Cetearyl alcohol has a comedogenic rating of 2 and irritancy rating of 1. Both of these numbers come from the 1989 study that used rabbit ears; a "2" means mildly comedogenic and a "1" means low irritancy.
Here's the catch: rabbit skin is more sensitive than human skin and throws a lot of false positives. A 1996 reappraisal found that ingredients rated 1-2 in the rabbit ear tests are generally safe for humans.
Remember comedogenic ratings are unable to assess the entire formula of a product or how it will react on your skin. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure about certain ingredients.
This ingredient is not fungal acne safe. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol with chain lengths that fall within the range that Malassezia can metabolize.
Learn more about Cetearyl AlcoholCi 42090 is a synthetic dye created from petroleum. It is used to give a bright blue color to cosmetics, medicine, and food.
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 GlycerinTetrasodium EDTA is the salt formed from neutralizing ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid with sodium hydroxide. It is a chelating agent and used to prevent metal ions from binding to other ingredients. This helps keep the product and ingredients stable.
Tetrasodium EDTA comes as a white solid and is soluble in water.
Water. 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 WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum
