What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Behentrimonium Methosulfate
Surfactant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Biotin
AntiseborrhoeicPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Ricinus Communis Seed Oil
Masking
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
Antioxidant
Mel
EmollientCocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil
Emollient
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Butyrospermum Parkii Oil
Emollient
Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein Pg-Propyl Silanetriol
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Polyquaternium-37
Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate
EmollientEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningTrideceth-3
EmulsifyingTrideceth-15
EmulsifyingCetrimonium Chloride
Antimicrobial
Amodimethicone
Parfum
Masking
PPG-1 Trideceth-6
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Aminomethyl Propanol
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Citric Acid
Buffering
Alcohol
Antimicrobial
Acetic Acid
BufferingPotassium Sorbate
Preservative
Disodium EDTA
Linalool
Perfuming
Amyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Butylphenyl Methylpropional
Perfuming
Benzyl Benzoate
Antimicrobial
Hydroxycitronellal
Perfuming
Citronellol
Perfuming
Coumarin
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Hexyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Butylene Glycol, Biotin, Panthenol, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, Persea Gratissima Oil, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Mel, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii Oil, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein Pg-Propyl Silanetriol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Tocopherol, Polyquaternium-37, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Trideceth-3, Trideceth-15, Cetrimonium Chloride, Amodimethicone, Parfum, PPG-1 Trideceth-6, Glycerin, Aminomethyl Propanol, Phenoxyethanol, Citric Acid, Alcohol, Acetic Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Disodium EDTA, Linalool, Amyl Cinnamal, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Benzyl Benzoate, Hydroxycitronellal, Citronellol, Coumarin, Limonene, Hexyl Cinnamal
Water
Skin ConditioningBehentrimonium Methosulfate
Surfactant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Oryza Sativa Bran Oil
Emollient
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Ricinus Communis Seed Oil
Masking
Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil
Emollient
Sorbitol
Humectant
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Oryza Sativa
Milk
Skin Conditioning
Rosa Canina Fruit Oil
Emollient
Ceteareth-20
CleansingUlmus Fulva Bark Extract
MoisturisingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Diethyl Phthalate
Masking
Water, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Persea Gratissima Oil, Oryza Sativa Bran Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Sorbitol, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Oryza Sativa, Milk, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Ceteareth-20, Ulmus Fulva Bark Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Diethyl Phthalate
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Behentrimonium Methosulfate is an ammonium salt. It is mainly used to prevent static in haircare products as a surfactant.
Surfactants have differing ends: one side is hydrophilic while the other end is hydrophobic.
Surfactants also help your cleansers remove pollutants more easily from the skin.
Learn more about Behentrimonium MethosulfateCetearyl 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 AlcoholThis ingredient is also known as Avocado oil. It's the cold-pressed oil from the flesh of the avocado fruit packed with fatty acids (mostly oleic acid).
The rich fatty acid profile allows it to function as a skin conditioning agent and emollient; it helps soften and smooth skin while reducing water loss.
Preclinical research has found that topical avocado oil increased collagen synthesis and reduced inflammation during wound healing, giving it some skin-repairing credibility.
The unsaponifiable fraction of the oil is also interesting: studies on avocado unsaponifiables showed that it helped skin produce more collagen and other structural compounds that support healing.
The CIR Expert Panel has found this ingredient to be non-irritating in formulations.
It's a great ingredient for dry or compromised skin. Just know it may not be fungal acne safe. This is because the oleic acid content falls within the range that Malassezia can use as a food source.
Learn more about Persea Gratissima OilPhenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.
On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).
You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.
Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.
Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.
Learn more about PhenoxyethanolThis 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 OilWater. 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
