What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningParaffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Isopropyl Palmitate
Emollient
Petrolatum
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Ceresin
Emulsion StabilisingStearic Acid
Cleansing
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Sorbitan Oleate
Emulsifying
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Triethanolamine
BufferingPEG-4 Laurate
Emulsifying
PEG-4 Dilaurate
Emulsifying
Laureth-23
Cleansing
Parfum
Masking
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingPEG-4
HumectantIodopropynyl Butylcarbamate
Preservative
Tetrasodium EDTA
Disodium EDTA
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
BHT
Antioxidant
Citrus Limon Fruit Extract
Masking
Citrus Nobilis Peel Extract
Masking
Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
Perfuming
Amyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Benzyl Salicylate
Perfuming
Citronellol
Perfuming
Citrus Aurantium Peel Oil
Citrus Limon Peel Oil
Masking
Eugenol
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Hexyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Linalyl Acetate
Masking
Terpineol
Masking
Tetramethyl Acetyloctahydronaphthalenes
Masking
Trimethylbenzenepropanol
Masking
Vanillin
Masking
Water, Paraffinum Liquidum, Isopropyl Palmitate, Petrolatum, Glycerin, Ceresin, Stearic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, Sorbitan Oleate, Cetyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Triethanolamine, PEG-4 Laurate, PEG-4 Dilaurate, Laureth-23, Parfum, Carbomer, PEG-4, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Tetrasodium EDTA, Disodium EDTA, Tocopherol, BHT, Citrus Limon Fruit Extract, Citrus Nobilis Peel Extract, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Amyl Cinnamal, Benzyl Salicylate, Citronellol, Citrus Aurantium Peel Oil, Citrus Limon Peel Oil, Eugenol, Geraniol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Limonene, Linalool, Linalyl Acetate, Terpineol, Tetramethyl Acetyloctahydronaphthalenes, Trimethylbenzenepropanol, Vanillin
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Ethylhexyl Palmitate
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Petrolatum
Emollient
Cyclomethicone
Emollient
Glycine Soja Sterols
Emollient
Isopropyl Isostearate
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
PEG-10 Soy Sterol
EmulsifyingGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingTetrasodium EDTA
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingDiazolidinyl Urea
Preservative
Ethylparaben
Preservative
Methylparaben
Preservative
Propylparaben
Preservative
Water, Glycerin, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Dimethicone, Petrolatum, Cyclomethicone, Glycine Soja Sterols, Isopropyl Isostearate, Cetyl Alcohol, PEG-10 Soy Sterol, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Carbomer, Tetrasodium EDTA, Sodium Hydroxide, Diazolidinyl Urea, Ethylparaben, Methylparaben, Propylparaben
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Carbomer is a synthetic thickening and gelling agent. It's basically the ingredient that gives a lot of serums, gels, creams, and sunscreens their smooth, non-sticky texture.
Although legally permitted at very high levels, carbomers are normally used at concentrations below 1%.
It also needs to be neutralized to actually thicken, and because it is a large molecule, it doesn't really penetrate the skin barrier.
Allergy-wise, the risk is very low. Clinical studies show carbomers have low potential for skin irritation/sensitization even at concentrations up to 100%.
A 2024 UK study patch-tested 1,302 patients and found true allergy to the parent group of carbomer to be rare with no confirmed relevant reactions.
Learn more about CarbomerCetyl 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 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 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 StearatePetrolatum is more commonly known as petroleum jelly. It is created by mixing waxes and mineral oils.
This ingredient is effective at reducing water loss by 99%. This is because it is an occlusive. Occlusives create a hydrophobic barrier on the skin to prevent evaporation. This property makes it great for hydrating dry skin.
Pro tip: Use occlusives, such as this ingredient, on damp skin for the best results.
The quality or origin of petrolatum is only known when disclosed by the brand. Most cosmetic petrolatum has gone through several purification stages.
Another benefit of occlusives is it protects your skin against infection or allergies.
Petrolatum is fungal acne safe. It is a hydrocarbon with no fatty acid structure, so Malassezia cannot metabolize it. In-vitro studies support negligible growth stimulation as well.
It's also worth noting that petrolatum has a comedogenic rating of 0. In updated rabbit ear testing (and in human testing), petrolatum was found to be not comedogenic. This means it didn’t promote comedone formation in standard models.
Learn more about PetrolatumTetrasodium EDTA is the salt formed from neutralizing ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid with sodium hydroxide. It is a chelating agent and used to prevent metal ions from binding to other ingredients. This helps keep the product and ingredients stable.
Tetrasodium EDTA comes as a white solid and is soluble in water.
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
