What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil
Emollient
Withania Somnifera Extract
Skin ConditioningNelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningDipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Hemidesmus Indicus Root Powder
Skin ConditioningMesua Ferrea Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningElettaria Cardamomum Seed Oil
Masking
Amomum Subulatum Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningSolanum Lycocarpum Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningSolanum Indicum Root Powder
Skin ConditioningCorallina Officinalis Powder
Terminalia Bellerica Fruit
AstringentTerminalia Chebula Extract
AstringentCyperus Rotundus Tuber Extract
Skin ConditioningPrunus Cerasoides Extract
Boerhavia Diffusa Root Extract
Skin Protecting
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Oryza Sativa Powder
Cetearyl Olivate
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Dehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Acacia Senegal Gum
MaskingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Pelargonium Graveolens Oil
Masking
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Fermented Vegetable
EmollientWater, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil, Withania Somnifera Extract, Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Hemidesmus Indicus Root Powder, Mesua Ferrea Seed Extract, Elettaria Cardamomum Seed Oil, Amomum Subulatum Seed Extract, Solanum Lycocarpum Fruit Extract, Solanum Indicum Root Powder, Corallina Officinalis Powder, Terminalia Bellerica Fruit, Terminalia Chebula Extract, Cyperus Rotundus Tuber Extract, Prunus Cerasoides Extract, Boerhavia Diffusa Root Extract, Glyceryl Stearate, Oryza Sativa Powder, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Dehydroacetic Acid, Benzyl Alcohol, Acacia Senegal Gum, Xanthan Gum, Tocopherol, Pelargonium Graveolens Oil, Sodium Benzoate, Fermented Vegetable
Water
Skin ConditioningTridecyl Stearate
Emollient
Tridecyl Trimellitate
EmollientDipentaerythrityl Hexacaprylate/Hexacaprate
EmulsifyingButylene Glycol
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Silica
Abrasive
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Ceteareth-20
CleansingSorbitol
Humectant
Hexyldecyl Stearate
EmollientBisabolol
Antioxidant
Disodium Cocoamphodipropionate
CleansingTriethanolamine
BufferingOleth-10 Phosphate
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingDisodium EDTA
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Water, Tridecyl Stearate, Tridecyl Trimellitate, Dipentaerythrityl Hexacaprylate/Hexacaprate, Butylene Glycol, Glyceryl Stearate, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Silica, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ceteareth-20, Sorbitol, Hexyldecyl Stearate, Bisabolol, Disodium Cocoamphodipropionate, Triethanolamine, Oleth-10 Phosphate, Caprylyl Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Stearyl Alcohol, Carbomer, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Chlorphenesin
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Cetearyl alcohol is a waxy mixture of two fatty alcohols: cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. It is an emollient and emulsifier.
Despite having "alcohol" in its name, it has nothing to do with drying solvent alcohols; the FDA also allows "alcohol-free" products to contain fatty alcohols like this ingredient.
It plays several roles in a formula:
Typical use levels for this ingredient sit around 1-10% and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has affirmed safety at concentrations up to 25% in leave-on products.
Multiple assessments have found it to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing to most people.
However, there have been some cases of allergic contact dermatitis in patients with chronically compromised skin barriers.
Cetearyl alcohol has a comedogenic rating of 2 and irritancy rating of 1. Both of these numbers come from the 1989 study that used rabbit ears; a "2" means mildly comedogenic and a "1" means low irritancy.
Here's the catch: rabbit skin is more sensitive than human skin and throws a lot of false positives. A 1996 reappraisal found that ingredients rated 1-2 in the rabbit ear tests are generally safe for humans.
Remember comedogenic ratings are unable to assess the entire formula of a product or how it will react on your skin. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure about certain ingredients.
This ingredient is not fungal acne safe. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol with chain lengths that fall within the range that Malassezia can metabolize.
Learn more about Cetearyl AlcoholGlyceryl 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 StearateWater. 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
