What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Colloidal Oatmeal 0.5%
AbsorbentWater
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantIsohexadecane
EmollientNiacinamide
SmoothingDimethicone
EmollientIsopropyl Isostearate
EmollientStearyl Alcohol
EmollientCetyl Alcohol
EmollientHydrogenated Shea Butter
Skin ConditioningPanthenol
Skin ConditioningPalmitoyl Pentapeptide-4
Skin ConditioningEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningHydroxyacetophenone
AntioxidantDimethiconol
EmollientC13-14 Isoparaffin
EmollientCetearyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingCetearyl Alcohol
EmollientLaureth-7
EmulsifyingStearic Acid
CleansingPalmitic Acid
EmollientBehenyl Alcohol
EmollientDisodium EDTA
Polyacrylamide
PEG-100 Stearate
Phenoxyethanol
PreservativeAvena Sativa Peptide
Skin ConditioningColloidal Oatmeal 0.5%, Water, Glycerin, Isohexadecane, Niacinamide, Dimethicone, Isopropyl Isostearate, Stearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Hydrogenated Shea Butter, Panthenol, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hydroxyacetophenone, Dimethiconol, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Cetearyl Glucoside, Cetearyl Alcohol, Laureth-7, Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Behenyl Alcohol, Disodium EDTA, Polyacrylamide, PEG-100 Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Avena Sativa Peptide
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
HumectantGlycerin
Humectant1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningHydrogenated Didecene
Skin ConditioningAllantoin
Skin ConditioningTrehalose
HumectantHamamelis Virginiana Extract
AntiseborrhoeicPanthenol
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
HumectantSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantSodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
HumectantSodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
HumectantHydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate
Skin ConditioningGlyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer
HumectantPvm/Ma Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingHydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion Stabilising2,3-Butanediol
HumectantCetearyl Alcohol
EmollientC14-22 Alcohols
Emulsion StabilisingC12-20 Alkyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingPentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningSorbitan Isostearate
EmulsifyingCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
MaskingMelia Azadirachta Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningMelia Azadirachta Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningCoccinia Indica Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningSolanum Melongena Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningOcimum Sanctum Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningCurcuma Longa Root Extract
MaskingCorallina Officinalis Extract
Skin ConditioningSalvia Sclarea Extract
AntiseborrhoeicLavandula Angustifolia Flower Extract
CleansingHyacinthus Orientalis Extract
Skin ConditioningChamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
MaskingCentaurea Cyanus Flower Extract
AstringentBorago Officinalis Extract
EmollientDisodium EDTA
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingTromethamine
BufferingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingGlutathione
Malachite Extract
AntioxidantEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningWater, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Hydrogenated Didecene, Allantoin, Trehalose, Hamamelis Virginiana Extract, Panthenol, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Pvm/Ma Copolymer, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, 2,3-Butanediol, Cetearyl Alcohol, C14-22 Alcohols, C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside, Pentylene Glycol, Sorbitan Isostearate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract, Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Salvia Sclarea Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia Flower Extract, Hyacinthus Orientalis Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Centaurea Cyanus Flower Extract, Borago Officinalis Extract, Disodium EDTA, Carbomer, Tromethamine, Xanthan Gum, Glutathione, Malachite Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin
Reviews
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.
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 EDTAEthylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about EthylhexylglycerinGlycerin (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 GlycerinPanthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It is found naturally in our skin and hair.
There are two forms of panthenol: D and L.
D-panthenol is also known as dexpanthenol. Most cosmetics use dexpanthenol or a mixture of D and L-panthenol.
Panthenol is famous due to its ability to go deeper into the skin's layers. Using this ingredient has numerous pros (and no cons):
Like hyaluronic acid, panthenol is a humectant. Humectants are able to bind and hold large amounts of water to keep skin hydrated.
This ingredient works well for wound healing. It works by increasing tissue in the wound and helps close open wounds.
Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.
This ingredient is also referred to as pro-vitamin B5.
Learn more about PanthenolWater. 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