What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Cyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Gossypium Herbaceum Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Linum Usitatissimum Seed Oil
Perfuming
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Lactobionic Acid
Buffering
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate
Cleansing
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
Cleansing
Glycyrrhetinic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Triethanolamine
BufferingBisabolol
Antioxidant
Lecithin
Emollient
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPEG-8
HumectantTocopherol
Antioxidant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Ascorbyl Palmitate
Antioxidant
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Ascorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Panthenol, Cyclopentasiloxane, Niacinamide, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Glycerin, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Gossypium Herbaceum Seed Oil, Linum Usitatissimum Seed Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Lactobionic Acid, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Glycyrrhetinic Acid, Triethanolamine, Bisabolol, Lecithin, Ethylhexylglycerin, PEG-8, Tocopherol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Ascorbic Acid, Citric Acid
Water
Skin ConditioningPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Decyl Oleate
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate
Cleansing
Lactobionic Acid
Buffering
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Perfluorodecalin
Skin ConditioningRetinol
Skin Conditioning
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantBHT
Antioxidant
Boswellia Serrata Gum
Masking
Disodium Phosphate
BufferingSorbitol
Humectant
Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate
Emollient
Potassium Phosphate
BufferingTocopherol
Antioxidant
BHA
Antioxidant
Lecithin
Emollient
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Disodium EDTA
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientOleic Acid
Emollient
CI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Propylene Glycol, Decyl Oleate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Lactic Acid, Salicylic Acid, Glycerin, Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate, Lactobionic Acid, Benzyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Polysorbate 20, Perfluorodecalin, Retinol, Dipropylene Glycol, BHT, Boswellia Serrata Gum, Disodium Phosphate, Sorbitol, Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate, Potassium Phosphate, Tocopherol, BHA, Lecithin, Xanthan Gum, Caprylyl Glycol, Disodium EDTA, Glyceryl Caprylate, Oleic Acid, CI 77491
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 AlcoholGlycerin (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 GlycerinLactobionic Acid is a PHA. PHAs are the gentle cousins to AHAS.
Like AHAs, they exfoliate the top layer of skin. Lactobionic acid also exhibits significant antioxidant activity.
PHAs are more gentle than AHAs due to their larger structure. This means they do not penetrate as deeply as AHAs and take a longer time to dissolve dead cells. Studies show PHAs do not cause as much irritation.
By removing dead skin cells, PHAs leave the skin brighter and with even-texture.
Learn more about Lactobionic AcidLecithin is a term for a group of substances found in the cell membranes of plants, animals, and humans. They are made up of phospholipids.
Thanks to its amphiphilic structure (water-loving head and oil-loving tail), it is a true multitasker:
It plays well with most ingredients and is typically used at 0.1-1%. However, concentrations up to 50% have been reported in moisturizers.
Depending on the source of this ingredient, lecithin may not be fungal acne safe. This is because some sources of lecithin come from soybean oil, which may feed the malassezia yeast that causes fungal acne.
We recommend reaching out to the brand you are purchasing from to inquire about the source of their lecithin.
Learn more about LecithinPhenoxyethanol 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.
Potassium Sorbate is a preservative used to prevent yeast and mold in products. It is commonly found in both cosmetic and food products.
This ingredient comes from potassium salt derived from sorbic acid. Sorbic acid is a natural antibiotic and effective against fungus.
Both potassium sorbate and sorbic acid can be found in baked goods, cheeses, dried meats, dried fruit, ice cream, pickles, wine, yogurt, and more.
You'll often find this ingredient used with other preservatives.
Learn more about Potassium SorbateSodium Cetearyl Sulfate is a type of sulfate.
Tocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.
You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.
Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.
It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.
This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.
This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.
In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.
Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.
Learn more about TocopherolWater. 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
