What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Ectoin
Skin Conditioning
Urea
Buffering
Cetearyl Isononanoate
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Hydrogenated Polydecene
EmollientHydroxyethyl Urea
Humectant
Triacetin
AntimicrobialPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Lecithin
Emollient
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate
Cleansing
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningWater, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ectoin, Urea, Cetearyl Isononanoate, Glycerin, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Pentylene Glycol, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Triacetin, Panthenol, Lecithin, Allantoin, Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate, Xanthan Gum, Cetearyl Glucoside, Sodium Lactate, Ethylhexylglycerin
Water
Skin ConditioningOctyldodecanol
Emollient
Squalane
Emollient
Shea Butter Ethyl Esters
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-4 Diisostearate/Polyhydroxystearate/Sebacate
Emulsifying
Propanediol
Solvent
C13-15 Alkane
SolventCrambe Abyssinica Seed Oil Phytosterol Esters
Emulsifying
Urea
Buffering
Glycerin
Humectant
Silica
Abrasive
Polyglyceryl-3 Polyricinoleate
Emulsifying
Sodium Chloride
MaskingSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Silybum Marianum Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Cholesterol
Emollient
Oleic Acid
Emollient
Blakeslea Trispora Mycelium Extract
Salicornia Herbacea Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Disteardimonium Hectorite
StabilisingPhytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Hydrogenated Poly(C6-14 Olefin)
EmollientBenzotriazolyl Dodecyl P-Cresol
UV AbsorberHydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Butylene/Ethylene/Styrene Copolymer
Ethylene/Propylene/Styrene Copolymer
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingCitric Acid
Buffering
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
Antioxidant
Sodium Sulfate
Sodium Carbonate
BufferingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Caprylhydroxamic Acid
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
CI 77742
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Octyldodecanol, Squalane, Shea Butter Ethyl Esters, Polyglyceryl-4 Diisostearate/Polyhydroxystearate/Sebacate, Propanediol, C13-15 Alkane, Crambe Abyssinica Seed Oil Phytosterol Esters, Urea, Glycerin, Silica, Polyglyceryl-3 Polyricinoleate, Sodium Chloride, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Silybum Marianum Seed Oil, Ceramide NP, Cholesterol, Oleic Acid, Blakeslea Trispora Mycelium Extract, Salicornia Herbacea Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Phytosphingosine, Hydrogenated Poly(C6-14 Olefin), Benzotriazolyl Dodecyl P-Cresol, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Lactic Acid, Butylene/Ethylene/Styrene Copolymer, Ethylene/Propylene/Styrene Copolymer, Stearic Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Citric Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Sodium Sulfate, Sodium Carbonate, Tocopherol, Caprylyl Glycol, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, 1,2-Hexanediol, Phenoxyethanol, CI 77742
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
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 GlycerinJojoba oil is one of the most well-studied plant-derived ingredients in cosmetics. It is an emollient with a special structure.
Because it is made up of 97-98% wax esters, it closely mirrors the linear monoesters found in human sebum. This makes it skin compatible, non-greasy, and lightweight.
Unlike other plant oils, jojoba wax doesn't easily penetrate skin. It mostly works in the uppermost layers as an emollient. This just means it forms a light barrier on the skin to help retain moisture.
Formulations with jojoba esters up to 90% reduced transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and increased barrier recovery by 81% (outperforming bisabolol at 47%).
Besides barrier support, the science also suggests jojoba to have anti-inflammatory effects and potential applications for skin infections, aging, and wound healing.
Fun fact: Indigenous cultures have used jojoba as a moisturizer and to help treat burns for centuries.
Fungal acne: The Malassezia yeast is known to metabolize fatty acids in the C11-24 range and jojoba's dominant fatty acid components fall into this range. This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Simmondsia Chinensis Seed OilUrea is also called carbamide and is the diamide of carbonic acid. In cosmetics, urea is used to hydrate the skin. It also provides exfoliation in higher concentrations.
As a humectant, urea helps draw moisture from the air and from deep within the skin. This helps hydrate your skin. Studies show urea is an effective moisturizer for dry skin conditions. 40% urea is typical in medications for treating eczema and other skin conditions.
Urea has the strongest exfoliation effect in concentrations higher than 10%. It is a keratolytic agent, meaning it breaks down the keratin protein in the top layer of skin. This helps remove dead skin cells and flaking skin.
In medicine, urea has been shown to help increase the potency of other ingredients, such as fungal treatments.
Humans and animals use urea to metabolize nitrogen-containing compounds. Urea is highly soluble in water. Once dissolved, it is neither acidic nor alkaline.
Urea is actually one of the more well-studied and well-supported ingredients out there if you have eczema.
Clinical trials have shown that urea creams in the 5 - 10% range can:
Higher concentrations (20 -30%) can also help with thickened, scaly patches but is also more likely to sting on active flares.
Skip urea if you have rosacea. The AAD (American Academy of Dermatology) lists it alongside alcohol, menthol, and fragrance as a potential irritant for rosacea-prone skin. Urea's keratolytic and penetration-enhancing properties can trigger stinging, burning, and redness.
As always, your skin is unique, so definitely check in with your dermatologist.
Learn more about UreaWater. 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
