What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Colloidal Oatmeal 1%
Absorbent
Water
Skin ConditioningSqualane
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Hydrogenated Sunflower Seed Oil Polyglyceryl-3 Esters
Emulsifying
Hydroxystearic/Linolenic/Oleic Polyglycerides
EmollientButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Jojoba Esters
Emollient
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Sodium Phytate
Hydrogenated Sunflower Seed Oil Glyceryl Esters
Emulsifying
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Propanediol
Solvent
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate
EmulsifyingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPotassium Sorbate
Preservative
Citric Acid
Buffering
Colloidal Oatmeal 1%, Water, Squalane, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Hydrogenated Sunflower Seed Oil Polyglyceryl-3 Esters, Hydroxystearic/Linolenic/Oleic Polyglycerides, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Jojoba Esters, Ceramide NP, Tocopherol, Sodium Phytate, Hydrogenated Sunflower Seed Oil Glyceryl Esters, Cetearyl Alcohol, Propanediol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Xanthan Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid
Colloidal Oatmeal 1%
Absorbent
Avena Sativa Kernel Extract
Abrasive
Avena Sativa Kernel Oil
Skin Conditioning
Benzoic Acid
Masking
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Citric Acid
Buffering
Dimethicone
Emollient
Dipotassium Phosphate
BufferingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Isocetyl Alcohol
Emollient
P-Anisic Acid
Masking
Potassium Phosphate
BufferingSodium Cetearyl Sulfate
Cleansing
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingStearic Acid
Cleansing
Water
Skin ConditioningColloidal Oatmeal 1%, Avena Sativa Kernel Extract, Avena Sativa Kernel Oil, Benzoic Acid, Benzyl Alcohol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Ceramide NP, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Citric Acid, Dimethicone, Dipotassium Phosphate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Glycerin, Isocetyl Alcohol, P-Anisic Acid, Potassium Phosphate, Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate, Sodium Hydroxide, Stearic Acid, Water
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
This ingredient is a lightweight emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping the skin prevent moisture loss.
It helps thicken a product's formula and makes it easier to spread by dissolving clumping compounds.
Caprylic Triglyceride is made by combining glycerin with coconut oil, forming a clear liquid. Though it behaves like an oil, it is not technically one due to its chemical composition. It is very stable, resistant to oxidation, and unlikely to go rancid. In practice, that translates to a long shelf life and a consistently elegant skin feel.
While there is an assumption Caprylic Triglyceride can clog pores due to it being derived from coconut oil, there is no research supporting this. Be sure to patch test if you have concerns.
Fractionated coconut oil and MCT Oil are both listed as Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride according to INCI. This is because INCI names are based on the ingredient’s final chemical composition and not its marketing name or source.
Learn more about Caprylic/Capric TriglycerideCeramide NP (formerly known as Ceramide 3) is one of the skin's naturally occurring lipids.
Since ceramides are the major lipid components of the skin, they are crucial for maintaining skin barrier and hydration. Ceramide NP most closely mirrors the dominant kind in human skin amongst ceramide subtypes.
This ceramide works by slotting into gaps within the stratum corneum's lipid matrix to limit trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) and shield the skin against external irritants.
A study with 312 patients found that using a ceramide-containing routine for 4 weeks reduced the severity of atopic dermatitis by over 61%.
Another clinical study in subjects aged 60 and older found that a ceramide body wash and moisturizer improved skin dryness and itchy skin in 15 days.
Overall, ceramides are considered non-irritating and safety tests have found little to no observable adverse effects from using this ingredient.
Ceramide NP is usually sourced from plants (like soybean or rice bran), or produced synthetically.
Learn more about Ceramide NPCetearyl 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.
Learn more about Cetearyl AlcoholCitric Acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) naturally found in citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes.
Like other AHAs, citric acid can exfoliate skin by breaking down the bonds that hold dead skin cells together. This helps reveal smoother and brighter skin underneath.
However, this exfoliating effect only happens at high concentrations (20%) which can be hard to find in cosmetic products.
Due to this, citric acid is usually included in small amounts as a pH adjuster. This helps keep products slightly more acidic and compatible with skin's natural pH.
In skincare formulas, citric acid can:
While it can provide some skin benefits, research shows lactic acid and glycolic acid are generally more effective and less irritating exfoliants.
Most citric acid used in skincare today is made by fermenting sugars (usually from molasses). This synthetic version is identical to the natural citrus form but easier to stabilize and use in formulations.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Citric AcidAccording to INCI standards, this ingredient refers to the physical ground up oatmeal. If you are looking for colloidal oatmeal in skincare, you'll most likely see Avena Sativa Kernel Extract on your ingredient list.
Physical colloidal oatmeal is an abrasive meaning it provides physical exfoliation.
Ethylhexylglycerin 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 GlycerinWater. 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
