What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAzelaic Acid
Buffering
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Propanediol
Solvent
Alpha-Arbutin
Antioxidant
Dimethyl Sulfone
SolventStrontium Chloride Hexahydrate
Skin ConditioningIsononyl Isononanoate
EmollientGlycerin
Humectant
Cyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Dimethyl Isosorbide
SolventGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Cetyl Palmitate
Emollient
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingPropolis Extract
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Xylitol
Humectant
Dimethicone
Emollient
Anhydroxylitol
Humectant
Arachidyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Citrus Medica Peel Oil
Parfum
Masking
Xylitylglucoside
Humectant
Arachidyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Sodium Phytate
Glucose
Humectant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Alcohol
Antimicrobial
Water, Azelaic Acid, Propylene Glycol, Propanediol, Alpha-Arbutin, Dimethyl Sulfone, Strontium Chloride Hexahydrate, Isononyl Isononanoate, Glycerin, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Cetyl Palmitate, Sodium Hydroxide, Propolis Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Xylitol, Dimethicone, Anhydroxylitol, Arachidyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Behenyl Alcohol, Citrus Medica Peel Oil, Parfum, Xylitylglucoside, Arachidyl Glucoside, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Phytate, Glucose, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Alcohol
Water
Skin ConditioningAzelaic Acid 15%
Buffering
Octyldodecyl Myristate
EmollientIsononyl Isononanoate
EmollientIsostearyl Isostearate
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Ethoxydiglycol
HumectantGlycerin
Humectant
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Xylitol
Humectant
PEG-75 Stearate
Surfactant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Ceteth-20
CleansingSteareth-20
CleansingGlyceryl Caprylate/Caprate
EmollientWater, Azelaic Acid 15%, Octyldodecyl Myristate, Isononyl Isononanoate, Isostearyl Isostearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Ethoxydiglycol, Glycerin, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Niacinamide, Xylitol, PEG-75 Stearate, Pentylene Glycol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ceteth-20, Steareth-20, Glyceryl Caprylate/Caprate
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Azelaic acid is a multitasker ingredient that helps treat acne, pigmentation, and irritation. It is a great option for sensitive skin.
What makes it special?
OTC Azelaic acid is usually available in concentrations from 10-15% and anything over requires a prescription.
Here's what each tier does best:
Unlike other acids, azelaic acid will not make your skin more photosensitive/sun sensitive.
Though this ingredient is naturally occurring in grains like wheat, rye, and barley, it is usually synthetically created for cosmetics to ensure stability and effectiveness.
Learn more about Azelaic AcidCetyl Alcohol is a fatty alcohol. Fatty Alcohols are most often used as an emollient or to thicken a product.
Its main roles are:
Though it has "alcohol" in the name, it is not related to denatured alcohol or ethyl alcohol.
The FDA allows products labeled "alcohol-free" to have fatty alcohols.
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe. It is a primary fatty alcohol with a chain length above 12 carbons. A study from 2019 show Malassezia can feed on fatty alcohols in this range, so it may trigger fungal acne in those prone to it.
Learn more about Cetyl 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 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 StearateIsononyl Isononanoate is a synthetic skin-conditioner and texture enhancer. It is created from nonanoic acid, a fatty acid found in cocoa and lavender oil.
As an emollient, Isononyl Isononanoate helps keep your skin soft and smooth. This is because emollients create a barrier on the skin to trap moisture in.
Isononyl Isononanoate helps give products a velvet feel and improves spreadability.
Learn more about Isononyl IsononanoateWater. 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 WaterXylitol is a humectant and prebiotic. It can help with dry skin.
In studies, xylitol has been shown to improve dry skin. It decreased transepidermal water loss, or when water passes through the skin and evaporates. Xylitol also showed to help improve the biomechanical properties of the skin barrier.
The prebiotic property of xylitol may also help reinforce our skin's natural microbiome. Having a healthy microbiome prevents infection by bad bacteria and helps with hydration.
As a humectant, Xylitol helps draw moisture from both the air and from deeper skin layers. This helps keep skin hydrated.
Xylitol is a sugar alcohol and commonly used as a sugar substitute. It is naturally occurring in plants such as strawberries and pumpkin.
Learn more about Xylitol
