What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningStearic Acid
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Paraffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
C13-14 Isoparaffin
Emollient
Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil
Emollient
Triethanolamine
BufferingPolysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Laureth-7
EmulsifyingTitanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Sodium Bicarbonate
Abrasive
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Squalene
Emollient
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Silk Amino Acids
HumectantAscorbic Acid Polypeptide
Antioxidant
Ubiquinone
Antioxidant
Polyacrylamide
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
DMDM Hydantoin
Preservative
Methylparaben
Preservative
Propylparaben
Preservative
Water, Stearic Acid, Glycerin, Paraffinum Liquidum, Cetyl Alcohol, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Triethanolamine, Polysorbate 20, Laureth-7, Titanium Dioxide, Sodium Bicarbonate, Sodium Benzoate, Squalene, Sodium PCA, Silk Amino Acids, Ascorbic Acid Polypeptide, Ubiquinone, Polyacrylamide, Propylene Glycol, DMDM Hydantoin, Methylparaben, Propylparaben
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Paraffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Ammonium Lactate
Buffering
Triethanolamine
BufferingSalicylic Acid
Masking
Behentrimonium Methosulfate
PEG-100 Stearate
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Dimethicone
Emollient
Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
EmulsifyingDisodium EDTA
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Cholesterol
Emollient
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Ceramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Water, Glycerin, Paraffinum Liquidum, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Cetearyl Alcohol, Niacinamide, Cetyl Alcohol, Ammonium Lactate, Triethanolamine, Salicylic Acid, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, PEG-100 Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Dimethicone, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Disodium EDTA, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Phytosphingosine, Cholesterol, Xanthan Gum, Carbomer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ceramide EOP
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Cetyl 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.
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 GlycerinParaffinum Liquidum is a highly-refined cosmetic-grade mineral oil. It is also known as liquid paraffin.
Despite its controversial reputation, the science is pretty clear: it's one of the most well-studied and effective moisturizing ingredients out there.
As an occlusive, it forms a protective layer on the skin that locks in moisture and prevents transepidermal water loss (TEWL). This makes it especially great for compromised skin barriers.
The "it clogs your pores" myth has been around for decades; a study found that industrial-grade mineral oil may be comedogenic but cosmetic-grade mineral oil is not (these two are very, very different).
A 2017 review concluded that cosmetic use of mineral oils and waxes does not present a risk to consumers due to absorption.
Mineral oil got a bad rap from the old rabbit ear studies. When tested on actual human skin, cosmetic-grade mineral oil showed no comedogenic activity. The rating of 0 is a correction of outdated science.
Mineral oil is an inert substance with no fatty acids so there's nothing to feed Malassezia. This ingredient is fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Paraffinum LiquidumTriethanolamine (TEA) is an emulsifier and pH adjuster. It is created using ethylene oxide and ammonia. This gives Triethanolamine a nitrogen core and a similar scent to ammonia.
As an emulsifier, it prevents ingredients from separating and enhances texture by adding volume to a product.
PH adjusters are common in cosmetic products. The pH of a product can affect the effectiveness of other ingredients. A product with a high pH may also irritate the skin.
If you are looking for the tea leaf ingredient, click here.
Learn more about TriethanolamineWater. 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
