What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningZinc Oxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Clay
Absorbent
Kaolin
Abrasive
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Paraffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Ceteareth-20
CleansingHydrolyzed Collagen
Emollient
Hydrolyzed Elastin
EmollientPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingParfum
Masking
Disodium EDTA
Citric Acid
Buffering
BHT
Antioxidant
Water
Skin ConditioningPrunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Isopropyl Palmitate
Emollient
Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
Masking
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Ceteareth-20
CleansingPrunus Armeniaca Seed Powder
Abrasive
Beta-Carotene
Skin ConditioningAcrylates/Palmeth-25 Acrylate Copolymer
Avena Sativa Kernel Protein
Skin ConditioningCucurbita Pepo Seed Oil
Emollient
Cucurbita Pepo Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningChamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Lavandula Angustifolia Flower Extract
Cleansing
Melissa Officinalis Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningCinnamomum Cassia Leaf Oil
Masking
Eugenia Caryophyllus Leaf Oil
Masking
Myristica Fragrans Kernel Oil
Masking
Elettaria Cardamomum Seed Oil
Masking
Zingiber Officinale Root Oil
Masking
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingTetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningHexyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Eugenol
Perfuming
Water, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Glycerin, Isopropyl Palmitate, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ceteareth-20, Prunus Armeniaca Seed Powder, Beta-Carotene, Acrylates/Palmeth-25 Acrylate Copolymer, Avena Sativa Kernel Protein, Cucurbita Pepo Seed Oil, Cucurbita Pepo Seed Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia Flower Extract, Melissa Officinalis Leaf Extract, Cinnamomum Cassia Leaf Oil, Eugenia Caryophyllus Leaf Oil, Myristica Fragrans Kernel Oil, Elettaria Cardamomum Seed Oil, Zingiber Officinale Root Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Xanthan Gum, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hexyl Cinnamal, Eugenol
Alternatives
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Ceteareth-20 is an emulsifier and surfactant made by reacting cetearyl alcohol with 20 moles of ethylene oxide.
This gives it both oil and water-loving properties that makes it an effect emulsifier; it's really great at pulling oil droplets into water to create a stable, creamy, and easy-to-spread base.
Typical use ranges from 0.5-30%. Most leave-on products are in the 1-10% zone.
The 20 ethylene oxide units is well above the PEG-10 threshold and therefore not a food source for Malassezia (it's fungal acne safe).
This ingredient has a comedogenic rating of 2 and an irritancy rating of 3. These numbers come from testing the raw ingredient on rabbit ears and doesn't reflect how it will behave in a finished product.
In practice, this ingredient is a well-tolerated ingredient. The ratings reflect cautious lab conditions and not real-world use. Just be sure to patch test any formulas you feel unsure about.
Learn more about Ceteareth-20Cetearyl 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.
A 2019 study has also observed Malassezia growth in the presence of this ingredient, confirming it to be not-fungal acne safe.
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 GlycerinPhenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.
On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).
You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.
Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.
Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.
Learn more about PhenoxyethanolThis ingredient is also known as sweet almond oil. It is a lightweight, cold-pressed oil from the ripe seeds of the sweet almond tree.
Sweet almond oil is rich in skin-nourishing fatty acids such as oleic acid (55-86%) and linolenic acid (7-35%).
As an emollient, it softens and hydrates skin by forming a thin barrier that locks in moisture.
Clinical studies have found it to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing. The CIR Expert Panel has evaluated the available safety data and concluded it is safe for topical use.
Because of the oleic acid content, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis OilWater. 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
