What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil
Emollient
Rubia Cordifolia Root Powder
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Cetearyl Olivate
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Dehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Acacia Senegal Gum
MaskingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Pelargonium Graveolens Oil
Masking
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine
Cleansing
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil
Masking
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
Arginine
Masking
Serine
Masking
Glycine
Buffering
Valine
MaskingIsoleucine
Skin ConditioningProline
Skin Conditioning
Alanine
Masking
Threonine
Phenylalanine
Masking
Histidine
Humectant
PCA
Humectant
Sodium Cocoyl Apple Amino Acids
Skin Conditioning
Nymphaea Alba Root Extract
Skin ConditioningNelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Arthrospira Platensis Extract
Antioxidant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Phenethyl Alcohol
MaskingSodium Chloride
MaskingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingAspartic Acid
Masking
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningHexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingTetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Water, Glycerin, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Glyceryl Stearate, Stearic Acid, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Cetearyl Alcohol, Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil, Sodium PCA, Sodium Lactate, Arginine, Serine, Glycine, Valine, Isoleucine, Proline, Alanine, Threonine, Phenylalanine, Histidine, PCA, Sodium Cocoyl Apple Amino Acids, Nymphaea Alba Root Extract, Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract, Panthenol, Arthrospira Platensis Extract, Tocopherol, Phenethyl Alcohol, Sodium Chloride, Xanthan Gum, Aspartic Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Gluconate, Hexylene Glycol, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
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 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 StearateTocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.
You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.
Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.
It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.
This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.
This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.
In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.
Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.
Learn more about TocopherolWater. 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 WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum
