What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningNiacinamide
Smoothing
Glycerin
Humectant
Hexyldecanol
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Paraffin
Perfuming
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Polyacrylamide
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Hydrogenated Polydecene
EmollientTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4
Skin Conditioning
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Laureth-7
EmulsifyingCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Arachidyl Alcohol
Emollient
Disodium EDTA
PEG-100 Stearate
Polysilicone-11
C13-14 Alkane
SolventPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Water, Niacinamide, Glycerin, Hexyldecanol, Dimethicone, Paraffin, Stearyl Alcohol, Polyacrylamide, Panthenol, Cetyl Alcohol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Tocopheryl Acetate, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4, Hydroxyacetophenone, Laureth-7, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Behenyl Alcohol, Arachidyl Alcohol, Disodium EDTA, PEG-100 Stearate, Polysilicone-11, C13-14 Alkane, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Alcohol
Hydrolyzed Collagen 65.23%
Emollient
Propanediol
Solvent
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Squalane
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate
Emulsifying
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Di-C12-13 Alkyl Malate
EmollientPentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate
Emollient
Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Tromethamine
BufferingHydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientWater
Skin ConditioningStearic Acid
Cleansing
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Disodium EDTA
Glycerin
Humectant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Dipalmitoyl Hydroxyproline
Skin Conditioning
Hydrolyzed Lupine Protein
Skin ConditioningMyristic Acid
Cleansing
Lauric Acid
Cleansing
Hydrolyzed Collagen 65.23%, Propanediol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Squalane, Butylene Glycol, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, 1,2-Hexanediol, Di-C12-13 Alkyl Malate, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Carbomer, Glyceryl Stearate, Tromethamine, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Glyceryl Caprylate, Water, Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Disodium EDTA, Glycerin, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sorbitan Isostearate, Dipalmitoyl Hydroxyproline, Hydrolyzed Lupine Protein, Myristic Acid, Lauric 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.
This ingredient is also known as shea butter. It is a plant-derived extract from the nuts of the Africa shea tree and one of the most well-studied emollients.
Because it has a high concentration of fatty acids (primarily oleic, stearic, and linoleic) it is able to form a protective barrier on the skin's surface. This helps seal in moisture and prevents transepidermal water loss (TEWL).
In vitro research found an increase in skin hydration by 58% and a decrease in TEWL by 37.8% after 24 hours of applying this ingredient (pretty impressive for a single ingredient!).
Besides hydration, shea butter also contains triterpenes that have anti-inflammatory potential. In particule, lupeol cinnamate has shown the highest anti-inflammatory activity in vivo.
Shea butter also contains vitamins A and E which may contribute to antioxidant activity.
While Shea Butter has an SPF rating of about 3-4, it is not a sunscreen replacement.
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe because its fatty acids fall within the C11-C24 range that the Malassezia yeast can metabolize.
Learn more about Butyrospermum Parkii ButterCetearyl 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 AlcoholDisodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).
Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAGlycerin (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 GlycerinWater. 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
