What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Cyclohexasiloxane
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Alcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Polyacrylamide
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Boron Nitride
Absorbent
C13-14 Isoparaffin
Emollient
Methylparaben
Preservative
Ascorbyl Glucoside
Antioxidant
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Laureth-7
EmulsifyingTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Ethylparaben
Preservative
Hibiscus Abelmoschus Extract
MaskingRetinyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Phyllanthus Emblica Fruit Extract
HumectantHydrolyzed Rice Protein
Skin ConditioningTetrasodium EDTA
Sorbitan Laurate
Emulsifying
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingHesperidin Methyl Chalcone
Antioxidant
Panax Ginseng Root Extract
Emollient
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingSteareth-20
CleansingDimethylmethoxy Chromanol
Antioxidant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPolysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingAcetyl Dipeptide-1 Cetyl Ester
Skin Conditioning
Morus Alba Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Benzoate
Masking
Chlorhexidine Digluconate
Antimicrobial
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Dipeptide-2
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Water, Glycerin, Cyclopentasiloxane, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Cyclohexasiloxane, Butylene Glycol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Alcohol Denat., Polyacrylamide, Glyceryl Stearate, Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid, PEG-100 Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Boron Nitride, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Methylparaben, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Propylene Glycol, Laureth-7, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Pentylene Glycol, Ethylparaben, Hibiscus Abelmoschus Extract, Retinyl Palmitate, Phyllanthus Emblica Fruit Extract, Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, Tetrasodium EDTA, Sorbitan Laurate, Potassium Hydroxide, Hesperidin Methyl Chalcone, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Carbomer, Steareth-20, Dimethylmethoxy Chromanol, Xanthan Gum, Polysorbate 20, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Acetyl Dipeptide-1 Cetyl Ester, Morus Alba Leaf Extract, Sodium Benzoate, Chlorhexidine Digluconate, Tocopherol, Potassium Sorbate, Dipeptide-2, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Lactose
HumectantC12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialCetearyl Ethylhexanoate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-8
HumectantStearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Tromethamine
BufferingPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingIsopropyl Myristate
Emollient
Methylparaben
Preservative
Disodium EDTA
BHT
Antioxidant
Propylparaben
Preservative
Magnesium Aspartate
Skin ConditioningZinc Gluconate
Skin Conditioning
Chlorhexidine Digluconate
Antimicrobial
Retinol
Skin Conditioning
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Copper Gluconate
Skin Conditioning
Water, Glycerin, Lactose, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate, PEG-100 Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-8, Stearyl Alcohol, Tromethamine, Panthenol, Carbomer, Isopropyl Myristate, Methylparaben, Disodium EDTA, BHT, Propylparaben, Magnesium Aspartate, Zinc Gluconate, Chlorhexidine Digluconate, Retinol, Polysorbate 20, Copper Gluconate
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 CarbomerChlorhexidine Digluconate is a preservative.
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 StearateMethylparaben is a synthetic preservative and one of the most widely used in the world. It has a simple, but important job: prevent your products from going bad by stopping bacteria, yeast, and mold from growing.
Typical use levels are low, often 0.1-0.3%.
This is also one of the most heavily studied preservatives out there and major regulatory bodies have repeatedly given it the green light.
In 2023, the EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) confirmed that this ingredient is safe up to 0.4% on its own, of up to 0.8% when mixed with other paraben esters.
Here's the science behind the noise behind parabens/hormones as well:
Methylparaben shows very weak estrogen-like activity in vitro tests (more than 1,000x weaker than your body's own estradiol). In vivo (live-organism) studies don't support a meaningful endocrine-disrupting effect either.
You get a stronger estrogenic effect from eating tofu, actually.
It's also a low sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon; they usually happen on damage or broken skin.
There is a caveat: France has proposed to formally re-examine its endocrine classification in 2025 so the regulatory conversation isn't fully closed as of yet.
But as it stands today, this ingredient is considered safe at permitted levels.
Learn more about MethylparabenPeg-100 Stearate is an emollient and emulsifier. As an emollient, it helps keep skin soft by trapping moisture in. On the other hand, emulsifiers help prevent oil and water from separating in a product.
PEGS are a hydrophilic polyether compound . There are 100 ethylene oxide monomers in Peg-100 Stearate. Peg-100 Stearate is polyethylene glycol ester of stearic acid.
Polysorbate 20 is a gentle, water-soluble emulsifier and mild surfactant. It stops oil and water from separating to keep your formulas blended and stable.
It also acts as a mild penetration enhancer by helping active ingredients absorb slightly better.
The common safety discussion around this ingredient involves a manufacturing byproduct called 1,4-dioxane.
Trace amounts can form during production but the EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety has concluded that levels at/below 10 ppm in finished products are safe (commercial products consistently fall within acceptable margins).
True allergic reactions are uncommon and the CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be safe as used in cosmetics.
Because it is derived from lauric acid, it may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Polysorbate 20Water. 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
