What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycolic Acid
Buffering
Cyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingPEG-100 Stearate
Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate
Antioxidant
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract
AstringentEpilobium Angustifolium Extract
Skin ConditioningAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingDisodium EDTA
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Glycolic Acid, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, Stearic Acid, Cetyl Alcohol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Sodium Hydroxide, PEG-100 Stearate, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract, Epilobium Angustifolium Extract, Allantoin, Butylene Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Benzoate, Phenoxyethanol
Water
Skin ConditioningGluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Octyldodecanol
Emollient
C10-18 Triglycerides
Emollient
C15-19 Alkane
SolventSodium Hydroxide
BufferingLactic Acid
Buffering
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingParfum
Masking
Sorbitan Caprylate
EmulsifyingPolyglyceryl-2 Stearate
Emulsifying
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningPolyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Emulsion StabilisingGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Microcrystalline Cellulose
AbsorbentStearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Propanediol
Solvent
Benzoic Acid
Masking
Sphingomonas Ferment Extract
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Water, Gluconolactone, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Octyldodecanol, C10-18 Triglycerides, C15-19 Alkane, Sodium Hydroxide, Lactic Acid, Cetearyl Alcohol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Parfum, Sorbitan Caprylate, Polyglyceryl-2 Stearate, Citric Acid, Sodium Gluconate, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Glyceryl Stearate, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Stearyl Alcohol, Propanediol, Benzoic Acid, Sphingomonas Ferment Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Isostearate
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Glycerin (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 GlycerinGlyceryl Stearate is made by reacting glycerin with stearic acid (typically sourced from plant oils like palm or coconut). It's an emulsifier, emollient, and mild occlusive.
Emulsifiers help ingredients like oil and water stay mixed so your formula stays nicely blended and uniform in texture.
This ingredient is typically used in concentrations between 1-10%. Studies have found it to be non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.
A close cousin of this ingredient is Glyceryl Stearate SE ("self-emulsifying"). This just has a small amount of sodium or potassium stearate added so it can emulsify without a co-emulsifier.
Since this ingredient is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize within the C11-C24 range.
Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.
Learn more about Glyceryl StearateSodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.
In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.
Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.
"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.
Learn more about Sodium HydroxideWater. 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
