What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Ricinus Communis Seed Oil
Masking
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate Citrate
Emollient
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Extract
Skin Conditioning
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder
Skin Conditioning
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Rosa Canina Seed Oil
Emollient
Rosa Moschata Seed Oil
Emollient
Rosa Rubiginosa Seed Oil
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSclerotium Gum
Emulsion StabilisingMaltodextrin
Absorbent
Sodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningWater, Pentylene Glycol, Glycerin, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Persea Gratissima Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Rosa Canina Seed Oil, Rosa Moschata Seed Oil, Rosa Rubiginosa Seed Oil, Tocopherol, Xanthan Gum, Sclerotium Gum, Maltodextrin, Sodium Gluconate
Water
Skin ConditioningCamellia Oleifera Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Ricinus Communis Seed Oil
Masking
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Lactobacillus Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Beta-Sitosterol
Emulsion Stabilising
Rosa Damascena Flower Oil
Masking
Squalene
Emollient
Pelargonium Graveolens Oil
Masking
Sodium Levulinate
Skin ConditioningLavandula Angustifolia Oil
Masking
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Litsea Cubeba Fruit Oil
Masking
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingCitronellol
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Water, Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Lactobacillus Ferment, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Tocopherol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Beta-Sitosterol, Rosa Damascena Flower Oil, Squalene, Pelargonium Graveolens Oil, Sodium Levulinate, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Lactic Acid, Litsea Cubeba Fruit Oil, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Citronellol, Limonene, Geraniol
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.
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 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 GlycerinThis ingredient is also known as sweet almond oil. It is a lightweight, cold-pressed oil from the ripe seeds of the sweet almond tree.
Sweet almond oil is rich in skin-nourishing fatty acids such as oleic acid (55-86%) and linolenic acid (7-35%).
As an emollient, it softens and hydrates skin by forming a thin barrier that locks in moisture.
Clinical studies have found it to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing. The CIR Expert Panel has evaluated the available safety data and concluded it is safe for topical use.
Because of the oleic acid content, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis OilThis ingredient is also known as castor oil. It is a skin conditioning ingredient.
The star component of castor oil is ricinoleic acid, an unusual fatty acid that makes up ~80-92% of its composition.
In skincare, it is an emollient that dries down to a solid film with water-binding properties. This helps keep skin hydrated and helps reduce transepidermal water loss (TEWL).
A 2026 dermatology review pulls together its broader uses:
Human clinical testing found this ingredient to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing.
Because castor oil contains fatty acids in the C11-24 range, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
At this time, the literature does not support castor oil in regrowing hair. A 2022 systematic review found no strong evidence that it supports hair growth and only weak evidence that it improves hair shine.
Castor oil itself carries "perfuming" and "masking" function tags according to the official CosIng database. This is because of its mild odor and odor-dampening properties.
Learn more about Ricinus Communis Seed OilTocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.
You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.
Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.
It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.
This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.
This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.
In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.
Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.
Learn more about TocopherolWater. 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
