What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Pramoxine Hcl 0.5%
AntioxidantWater
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantDistearyldimonium Chloride
Petrolatum
EmollientIsopropyl Palmitate
EmollientCetyl Alcohol
EmollientPanthenol
Skin ConditioningDimethicone
EmollientAvena Sativa Kernel Flour
AbrasiveBenzyl Alcohol
PerfumingCetyl Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingChlorphenesin
AntimicrobialSteareth-20
CleansingAloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
EmollientSodium Chloride
MaskingAvena Sativa Kernel Extract
AbrasivePramoxine Hcl 0.5%, Water, Glycerin, Distearyldimonium Chloride, Petrolatum, Isopropyl Palmitate, Cetyl Alcohol, Panthenol, Dimethicone, Avena Sativa Kernel Flour, Benzyl Alcohol, Cetyl Hydroxyethylcellulose, Chlorphenesin, Steareth-20, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Sodium Chloride, Avena Sativa Kernel Extract
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Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Benzyl Alcohol is an aromatic alcohol with several roles: it's a preservative, solvent, and mild fragrance component with a floral scent.
This ingredient has been deemed safe for use in cosmetic formulations at concentrations up to 5%, and up to 10% in hair dyes. You'll typically see 0.5-2% in most rinse-off or leave-on products.
As a preservative, it works by disrupting the membrane of microbial proteins. This helps keep bacteria and fungi from growing in your products.
The sensitization picture is actually quite assuring as well:of nearly 71,000 patients patch tested with benzyl alcohol, only 0.21% showed a positive reaction with most of them being weakly positive.
This led researchers to conclude that benzyl alcohol cannot be regarded as a significant contact allergen.
It is worth noting this ingredient is classified as one of the EU's regulated fragrance allergens and restricted to 1% in finished products.
Labels must also declare it in concentrations above 0.001% in leave-on products and 0.01% in rinse-off products.
At concentrations around 5%, localized redness and itching can appear as a direct irritant response and not as a true allergic reaction.
Learn more about Benzyl AlcoholIsopropyl Palmitate is a lightweight emollient made by combining isopropyl alcohol and palmitic acid.
It is an emollient that leaves skin feeling smooth and silky without leaving a greasy feel.
Typical usage concentrations range from 1-5%.
Human testing shows it's non-irritating and non-sensitizing, and the EU Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) has cleared it at very high levels (79% in leave-on products).
The one thing worth knowing about its comedogenic score of 3-4 is to keep it in perspective: these ratings come from old rabbit-ear tests using 100% of pure ingredient and doesn't reflect how it behaves at low levels in a finished product.
Because it is an ester of palmitic acid (C16), it falls into the range that the Malassezia yeast can feed on and is considered not fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Isopropyl PalmitateWater. 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