What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Saccharomyces/Rice Ferment Filtrate
Skin Conditioning
Rosa Damascena Flower Water
Masking
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Saccharomyces/Zinc Ferment
Skin Conditioning
PEG-100 Stearate
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Dimethicone
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSodium Hydroxide
BufferingCamellia Japonica Seed Oil
Emollient
Disodium EDTA
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Chondrus Crispus Extract
Skin Conditioning
Hibiscus Militaris Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningLinoleic Acid
Cleansing
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Sodium Dehydroacetate
Preservative
Citric Acid
Buffering
Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Saccharomyces/Rice Ferment Filtrate, Rosa Damascena Flower Water, Glyceryl Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Carbomer, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Saccharomyces/Zinc Ferment, PEG-100 Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Dimethicone, Tocopherol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Hydroxide, Camellia Japonica Seed Oil, Disodium EDTA, 1,2-Hexanediol, Pentylene Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Hibiscus Militaris Flower Extract, Linoleic Acid, Propylene Glycol, Chlorphenesin, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Citric Acid
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate
Emulsifying
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Cholesterol
Emollient
Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Oleic Acid
Emollient
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingTromethamine
Buffering1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Caprylhydroxamic Acid
Water, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Niacinamide, Ceramide NP, Cholesterol, Phytosphingosine, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Stearic Acid, Oleic Acid, Lactic Acid, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Panthenol, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum, Tromethamine, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Caprylhydroxamic Acid
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
This ingredient is a lightweight emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping the skin prevent moisture loss.
It helps thicken a product's formula and makes it easier to spread by dissolving clumping compounds.
Caprylic Triglyceride is made by combining glycerin with coconut oil, forming a clear liquid. Though it behaves like an oil, it is not technically one due to its chemical composition. It is very stable, resistant to oxidation, and unlikely to go rancid. In practice, that translates to a long shelf life and a consistently elegant skin feel.
While there is an assumption Caprylic Triglyceride can clog pores due to it being derived from coconut oil, there is no research supporting this. Be sure to patch test if you have concerns.
Fractionated coconut oil and MCT Oil are both listed as Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride according to INCI. This is because INCI names are based on the ingredient’s final chemical composition and not its marketing name or source.
Learn more about Caprylic/Capric TriglycerideCarbomer 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 CarbomerCetearyl 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 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 GlycerinHydroxyacetophenone is antioxidant with skin conditioning and soothing properties. It also boosts the efficiency of preservatives.
Though naturally occuring in Norwegian spruce needles, this ingredient is usually synthetically created.
This ingredient is not irritating or sensitizing. Recent research also suggests it may have skin-brightening effects through tyrosinase inhibition.
Learn more about HydroxyacetophenoneWater. 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
