What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Copernicia Cerifera Wax
Oryza Sativa Bran Wax
Skin Conditioning
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Vp/Va Copolymer
Glycerin
Humectant
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingVp/Hexadecene Copolymer
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sorbitol
Humectant
Aminomethyl Propanol
BufferingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Bis-PEG/PPG-16/16 PEG/PPG-16/16 Dimethicone
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
PPG-17/Ipdi/Dmpa Copolymer
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Isopropyl Myristate
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate
Preservative
Bambusa Vulgaris Leaf/Stem Extract
HumectantIron Oxides
Water, Sorbitan Olivate, Copernicia Cerifera Wax, Oryza Sativa Bran Wax, Stearic Acid, Vp/Va Copolymer, Glycerin, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Vp/Hexadecene Copolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Sorbitol, Aminomethyl Propanol, Tocopherol, Bis-PEG/PPG-16/16 PEG/PPG-16/16 Dimethicone, Dimethicone, PPG-17/Ipdi/Dmpa Copolymer, Panthenol, Isopropyl Myristate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Bambusa Vulgaris Leaf/Stem Extract, Iron Oxides
Water
Skin ConditioningCopernicia Cerifera Cera
Emollient
Tribehenin
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Oryza Sativa Bran Wax
Skin Conditioning
Pvp
Emulsion StabilisingStearic Acid
Cleansing
Vp/Eicosene Copolymer
Glycerin
Humectant
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
Trimethylpentanediol/Adipic Acid/Glycerin Crosspolymer
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Caesalpinia Spinosa Gum
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
Antioxidant
Ascorbyl Palmitate
Antioxidant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Cellulose
Absorbent
Sorbitan Sesquioleate
Emulsifying
Aminomethyl Propanediol
BufferingVp/Hexadecene Copolymer
Hexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Iron Oxides
Water, Copernicia Cerifera Cera, Tribehenin, Glyceryl Stearate, Oryza Sativa Bran Wax, Pvp, Stearic Acid, Vp/Eicosene Copolymer, Glycerin, Myristic Acid, Trimethylpentanediol/Adipic Acid/Glycerin Crosspolymer, Sodium Hyaluronate, Caesalpinia Spinosa Gum, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Panthenol, Cellulose, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Aminomethyl Propanediol, Vp/Hexadecene Copolymer, Hexylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Iron Oxides
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 GlycerinOryza Sativa Bran Wax is wax from the outer layer of a rice kernel. It has moisturizing properties due to its polysaccharides and omega-3 fatty acids content.
This ingredient is a byproduct of milling rice, or the operation to produce a whole grain rice product.
Panthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It is found naturally in our skin and hair.
There are two forms of panthenol: D and L.
D-panthenol is also known as dexpanthenol. Most cosmetics use dexpanthenol or a mixture of D and L-panthenol.
Panthenol is famous due to its ability to go deeper into the skin's layers. Using this ingredient has numerous pros (and no cons):
Like hyaluronic acid, panthenol is a humectant. Humectants are able to bind and hold large amounts of water to keep skin hydrated.
This ingredient works well for wound healing. It works by increasing tissue in the wound and helps close open wounds.
Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.
This ingredient is also referred to as pro-vitamin B5.
Learn more about PanthenolPhenoxyethanol 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.
Stearic Acid is a fatty acid that is already found in your skin. It's one of the free fatty acids that works alongside ceramides and cholesterols to maintain your barrier.
In cosmetics, it is a multitasker:
Safety-wise, the CIR Expert Panel has concluded it to be safe in cosmetics when formulated to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing.
Free stearic acid is a C18 fatty acid that the Malassezia yeast can substrate, so this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Stearic AcidTocopherol (also known as Vitamin E) is a common antioxidant used to help protect the skin from free-radicals and strengthen the skin barrier. It's also fat soluble - this means our skin is great at absorbing it.
Vitamin E also helps keep your natural skin lipids healthy. Your lipid skin barrier naturally consists of lipids, ceramides, and fatty acids. Vitamin E offers extra protection for your skin’s lipid barrier, keeping your skin healthy and nourished.
Another benefit is a bit of UV protection. Vitamin E helps reduce the damage caused by UVB rays. (It should not replace your sunscreen). Combining it with Vitamin C can decrease sunburned cells and hyperpigmentation after UV exposure.
You might have noticed Vitamin E + C often paired together. This is because it is great at stabilizing Vitamin C. Using the two together helps increase the effectiveness of both ingredients.
There are often claims that Vitamin E can reduce/prevent scarring, but these claims haven't been confirmed by scientific research.
Learn more about TocopherolVP/Hexadecene Copolymer is a synthetic film-forming agent. It has both water and oil loving properties, allowing it to create a flexible, even film on the skin.
This ingredient helps enhance texture, smoothness, and wear resistance in makeup products while reducing tackiness.
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 WaterThis ingredient is a combination of red, black, and yellow iron oxide pigments. This combination of colors is usually found in foundation, because it results in a "skin" color.
The EU typically uses CI numbers for colorants when applicable, such as CI 77489. In the US, iron oxides are regulated as color additives and "iron oxides" is the most commonly used name in US cosmetic practice.
A 2021 paper looked at skincare formulations containing iron oxides and found that they reduced transmission of blue light when measured optically. In simple terms, the pigment particles helped block or scatter part of the visible light spectrum in lab testing and the authors suggest this could translate into better protection against blue-light-related skin effects.
There is also clinical and experimental research showing that tinted products containing iron oxides can reduce visible light-induced pigmentation:
Please note, whether a product reduces visible or blue light depends on things like:
In the EU's CosIng database, iron oxides are only listed as a colorant. CosIng groups ingredients by their main cosmetic role, such as colorant, preservative, or UV filter.
Though studies say iron oxides can "attenuate blue light", they're describing an optical property and not an officially recognized cosmetic function.
So CosIng isn’t contradicting the research. It’s just classifying iron oxides by what they officially are: pigments that add color.
Learn more about Iron Oxides
