What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Behentrimonium Chloride
Preservative
Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emollient
Propanediol
Solvent
Stearalkonium Chloride
Preservative
Heptyl Undecylenate
EmollientCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Hydroxypropylgluconamide
HumectantHydroxypropylammonium Gluconate
HumectantAspergillus Ferment
Skin ConditioningArginine
Masking
Rice Amino Acids
Skin Conditioning
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Mauritia Flexuosa Fruit Oil
Skin Conditioning
Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil
Humectant
Cetrimonium Chloride
Antimicrobial
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingTetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Parfum
Masking
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningWater, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Chloride, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Propanediol, Stearalkonium Chloride, Heptyl Undecylenate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Hydroxypropylgluconamide, Hydroxypropylammonium Gluconate, Aspergillus Ferment, Arginine, Rice Amino Acids, Persea Gratissima Oil, Mauritia Flexuosa Fruit Oil, Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil, Cetrimonium Chloride, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Parfum, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin
Water
Skin ConditioningBehentrimonium Chloride
Preservative
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Honey
Humectant
Butyrospermum Parkii Oil
Emollient
Yogurt Powder
Yogurt Extract
Skin ConditioningCocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Simmondsia Chinensis Butter
Skin Conditioning
Hydrogenated Jojoba Oil
Abrasive
Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil
Emollient
Trichilia Emetica Seed Oil PEG-8 Esters
Emollient
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein Pg-Propyl Silanetriol
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
Antioxidant
Triethyl Citrate
Masking
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Inulin
Skin Conditioning
Benzoic Acid
Masking
Parfum
Masking
Water, Behentrimonium Chloride, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Stearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Honey, Butyrospermum Parkii Oil, Yogurt Powder, Yogurt Extract, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Butter, Hydrogenated Jojoba Oil, Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil, Trichilia Emetica Seed Oil PEG-8 Esters, Allantoin, Panthenol, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein Pg-Propyl Silanetriol, Tocopherol, Triethyl Citrate, Caprylyl Glycol, Inulin, Benzoic Acid, Parfum
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
This ingredient is a preservative and often used for it's anti-static properties. You'll most likely see this ingredient in hair conditioners.
It does not cause irritation or sensitization in leave-on products at 1-5%.
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (aka MCT Oil) is a lightweight emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping to prevent moisture loss.
Though it behaves like an oil, it is not technically one due to its chemical composition. One perk of this ingredient is that 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. Just 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.
This ingredient is treated as the gold standard fungal acne safe oil. Even though it is coconut derived, the problematic lauric acid is stripped out.
This leaves just caprylic (C8) and capric (C10) acid. These chain lengths actually trend antifungal; a 2020 study found caprylic acid was enough to disrupt Malassezia furfur cell membrane, with a caprylic acid derivative damaging membrane structures at concentrations as low as 0.2%.
Learn more about Caprylic/Capric TriglycerideCetearyl 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.
A 2019 study has also observed Malassezia growth in the presence of this ingredient, confirming it to be not-fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Cetearyl AlcoholHydrogenated Castor Oil (aka "castor wax") is what you get when castor oil is turned into a wax.
Its dominant fatty acid is ricinoleic acid, giving it both emollient and mild humectant properties.
According to EU CosIng, this ingredient helps soften skin, keep oil and water stay mixed, and thickens products.
Hydrogenated castor oil at 30% did not trigger a positive patch-test reaction and is well-tolerated.
Since this ingredient is based on an 18-carbon fatty acid, it falls into the chain-length range that Malassezia can feed on and may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Hydrogenated Castor OilParfum 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
