What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCocos Nucifera Fruit Extract
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil
Emollient
Glycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Di-PPG-3 Myristyl Ether Adipate
EmollientTheobroma Cacao Seed Butter
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Coffea Robusta Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningCocos Nucifera Water
Masking
Gardenia Taitensis Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningPrunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil
Emollient
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Antimicrobial
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningTetrasodium EDTA
Sodium Polyacrylate
Absorbent
Isopropyl Myristate
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Benzyl Benzoate
Antimicrobial
Coumarin
Perfuming
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Water, Cocos Nucifera Fruit Extract, Glycerin, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Glycine Soja Oil, Di-PPG-3 Myristyl Ether Adipate, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Dimethicone, PEG-100 Stearate, Tocopherol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Coffea Robusta Seed Extract, Cocos Nucifera Water, Gardenia Taitensis Flower Extract, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tetrasodium EDTA, Sodium Polyacrylate, Isopropyl Myristate, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum, Benzyl Benzoate, Coumarin, Benzyl Alcohol
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 AlcoholEthylhexylglycerin 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 GlycerinPhenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.
Water. 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
