What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Cyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter
Emollient
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialStearic Acid
Cleansing
Potassium Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Squalane
Emollient
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Hydrolyzed Silk
Humectant
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningHydrastis Canadensis Extract
MaskingLavandula Angustifolia Flower Extract
Cleansing
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialThymus Vulgaris Flower/Leaf Extract
MaskingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingWater, Glycerin, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Stearic Acid, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Polysorbate 60, Allantoin, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Squalane, Tocopheryl Acetate, Hydrolyzed Silk, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hydrastis Canadensis Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia Flower Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Thymus Vulgaris Flower/Leaf Extract, Sodium Hydroxide
Water
Skin ConditioningPetrolatum
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
Masking
Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Hydrogenated Polyisobutene
EmollientPPG-2 Myristyl Ether Propionate
Emollient
Cyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Linum Usitatissimum Seed Oil
Perfuming
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
C10-30 Cholesterol/Lanosterol Esters
Emulsifying
Cyclohexasiloxane
Emollient
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingAllium Fistulosum Bulb Extract
Skin ConditioningArachidyl Alcohol
Emollient
Arachidyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingBehenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Beeswax
Emulsion Stabilising
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Cyclomethicone
Emollient
Dimethiconol
Emollient
Disodium EDTA
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Hexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingOlea Europaea Oil Unsaponifiables
Skin Conditioning
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Phytosterols
Skin Conditioning
Rosa Canina Fruit Oil
Emollient
Triethanolamine
BufferingWater, Petrolatum, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, PPG-2 Myristyl Ether Propionate, Cyclopentasiloxane, Linum Usitatissimum Seed Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Cetyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Glucoside, C10-30 Cholesterol/Lanosterol Esters, Cyclohexasiloxane, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Allium Fistulosum Bulb Extract, Arachidyl Alcohol, Arachidyl Glucoside, Behenyl Alcohol, Beeswax, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Caprylyl Glycol, Cyclomethicone, Dimethiconol, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, Hexylene Glycol, Olea Europaea Oil Unsaponifiables, PEG-100 Stearate, Persea Gratissima Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Phytosphingosine, Phytosterols, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Triethanolamine
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer is a synthetic polymer. It is used to thicken, emulsify, and improve the texture of products.
As an emulsifier, it helps stabilize oil-in-water emulsions to give products an elegant feel when applied.
It can also form a thin protective film on skin. One study found that a formula using this polymer helped slow down how quickly other ingredients (like DEET) were absorbed through skin.
A 2024 study of over 1,300 patients confirmed that sensitization to this ingredient is rare. It is also non-mutagenic and has a clean track record.
Learn more about Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate CrosspolymerThis ingredient is also known as shea butter. It is a plant-derived extract from the nuts of the Africa shea tree and one of the most well-studied emollients.
Because it has a high concentration of fatty acids (primarily oleic, stearic, and linoleic) it is able to form a protective barrier on the skin's surface. This helps seal in moisture and prevents transepidermal water loss (TEWL).
In vitro research found an increase in skin hydration by 58% and a decrease in TEWL by 37.8% after 24 hours of applying this ingredient (pretty impressive for a single ingredient!).
Besides hydration, shea butter also contains triterpenes that have anti-inflammatory potential. In particule, lupeol cinnamate has shown the highest anti-inflammatory activity in vivo.
Shea butter also contains vitamins A and E which may contribute to antioxidant activity.
While Shea Butter has an SPF rating of about 3-4, it is not a sunscreen replacement.
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe because its fatty acids fall within the C11-C24 range that the Malassezia yeast can metabolize.
Learn more about Butyrospermum Parkii ButterC12-15 Alkyl Benzoate is a lightweight emollient made by combinig benzoic acid with fatty alcohols that are 12-15 carbons long.
In cosmetics, it plays several roles:
The Cosmetic Review Expert Panel has concluded the alkyl benzoate group to be safe as used in cosmetics; it wasn't found to be a skin irritant and unlikely to be absorbed due to its low water solubility.
This report recorded almost 1000 reported uses with concentrations up to 59% in leave-on products but your cosmetics will typically use 0.5-15% depending on the product.
It's often called a "SPF booster": this is because it keeps UV filters properly dissolved and evenly distributed to support a sunscreen's performance. It doesn't actually raise SPF on its own.
Overall, this ingredient is well tolerated.
This ingredient is fungal acne safe because it is an ester of benzoic acid.
Think of this ingredient as two parts stuck together: an oily part and an acid part. Malassezia only gets a meal when it can snip off a fatty acid to eat. With C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, the acid part is benzoic acid, which isn't a fatty acid and which the yeast can't use as food.
Benzoic acid is actually used as a preservative to stop yeast from growing.
The oily part is a blend of C12-15 fatty alcohols but fatty alcohols in this size range can support only a little Malassezia growth (mostly for one species of Malassezia as well).
In the ingredient, those alcohols stay locked inside the molecule. The yeast can only reach them by snipping the benzoate bond, and that type of bond is harder for it to cut than a normal fatty bond.
So not much gets released. And whatever does get snipped comes packaged with benzoic acid, which discourages yeast growth.
Learn more about C12-15 Alkyl BenzoateCetyl Alcohol is a fatty alcohol. Fatty Alcohols are most often used as an emollient or to thicken a product.
Its main roles are:
Though it has "alcohol" in the name, it is not related to denatured alcohol or ethyl alcohol.
The FDA allows products labeled "alcohol-free" to have fatty alcohols.
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe. It is a primary fatty alcohol with a chain length above 12 carbons. A study from 2019 show Malassezia can feed on fatty alcohols in this range, so it may trigger fungal acne in those prone to it.
Learn more about Cetyl AlcoholCyclopentasiloxane (D5) is a lightweight silicone that mostly acts as an emollient and solvent in cosmetics. Its the reason your products feel silky, fast-spreading, and non-greasy.
Since D5 is volatile, it does its thing and then evaporates off the skin quickly.
The safety profile of this ingredient is reassuring; the US CIR Expert Panel concluded D5 is safe as used in cosmetics and Health Canada concluded that D5 is not harmful to human health or the environment as currently used in cosmetics
There's a study that people mention about D5 in a rat study showing tumors. This study is related to long-term inhalation of high D5 levels.
Regulatory bodies have judged this study to be not applicable in topical skincare since skin absorption of D5 is very low and we're not really inhaling huge amounts of D5.
The only restriction for this ingredient is environmental. The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) restricted D5 in wash-off cosmetics at or above 0.1% due to their persistence in water.
Learn more about CyclopentasiloxaneEthylhexylglycerin 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 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 StearatePhenoxyethanol 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
