What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningDimethicone
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Neopentyl Glycol Diethylhexanoate
Emollient
Isopentyldiol
Humectant
Glycine Soja Sterols
Emollient
Dihydroxymethylsilylpropoxy Hydroxypropyl Hydrolyzed Casein
Skin ConditioningIsodecyl Neopentanoate
EmollientPEG-12 Dimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Maltitol
HumectantArginine
Masking
Glycine
Buffering
Aspartic Acid
Masking
Serine
Masking
Threonine
Valine
MaskingAlanine
Masking
Proline
Skin Conditioning
Phenylalanine
Masking
Isoleucine
Skin ConditioningHistidine
Humectant
PCA
Humectant
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
Sorbitol
Humectant
PPG-10 Methyl Glucose Ether
Skin ConditioningPhenyl Trimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Behentrimonium Methosulfate
Surfactant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose Stearoxy Ether
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Cetrimonium Chloride
Antimicrobial
Citric Acid
Buffering
Disodium EDTA
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Dimethicone, Cetearyl Alcohol, Neopentyl Glycol Diethylhexanoate, Isopentyldiol, Glycine Soja Sterols, Dihydroxymethylsilylpropoxy Hydroxypropyl Hydrolyzed Casein, Isodecyl Neopentanoate, PEG-12 Dimethicone, Maltitol, Arginine, Glycine, Aspartic Acid, Serine, Threonine, Valine, Alanine, Proline, Phenylalanine, Isoleucine, Histidine, PCA, Sodium PCA, Sodium Lactate, Sorbitol, PPG-10 Methyl Glucose Ether, Phenyl Trimethicone, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Butylene Glycol, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose Stearoxy Ether, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetrimonium Chloride, Citric Acid, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol
Water
Skin ConditioningCocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Parfum
Masking
Brassica Campestris Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Melia Azadirachta Seed Oil
Emollient
Sodium Lauroyl Hydrolyzed Silk
Skin ConditioningGlycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Tricholoma Matsutake Extract
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
Antioxidant
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Hibiscus Rosa-Sinensis Flower Extract
HumectantSalvia Officinalis Leaf Extract
CleansingGelidiella Acerosa Extract
Skin ProtectingEquisetum Arvense Extract
AstringentDaucus Carota Sativa Root Extract
Skin Conditioning
Beta-Carotene
Skin ConditioningGlyceryl Caprylate
EmollientTriethyl Citrate
Masking
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Benzoic Acid
Masking
Water, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Cetearyl Alcohol, Parfum, Brassica Campestris Seed Oil, Panthenol, Melia Azadirachta Seed Oil, Sodium Lauroyl Hydrolyzed Silk, Glycine Soja Oil, Tricholoma Matsutake Extract, Tocopherol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Hibiscus Rosa-Sinensis Flower Extract, Salvia Officinalis Leaf Extract, Gelidiella Acerosa Extract, Equisetum Arvense Extract, Daucus Carota Sativa Root Extract, Beta-Carotene, Glyceryl Caprylate, Triethyl Citrate, Caprylyl Glycol, Benzoic 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.
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 AlcoholWater. 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
