What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningNiacinamide
Smoothing
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Enantia Chlorantha Bark Extract
Skin ConditioningOleanolic Acid
Skin ConditioningEthylhexyl Palmitate
Emollient
Sorbitan Oleate
Emulsifying
Sorbitan Laurate
Emulsifying
Myristyl Malate Phosphonic Acid
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Isononyl Isononanoate
EmollientHydroxyethyl Acrylate/Methoxyethyl Acrylate Copolymer
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
PEG-100 Stearate
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Cetyl Palmitate
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningZinc PCA
Humectant
Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Emulsion StabilisingMagnesium Aspartate
Skin ConditioningZinc Gluconate
Skin Conditioning
Copper Gluconate
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingCaesalpinia Spinosa Gum
Skin ConditioningDisodium EDTA
Triethanolamine
BufferingWater, Niacinamide, Butylene Glycol, Enantia Chlorantha Bark Extract, Oleanolic Acid, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Sorbitan Oleate, Sorbitan Laurate, Myristyl Malate Phosphonic Acid, Glycerin, Isononyl Isononanoate, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Methoxyethyl Acrylate Copolymer, Cetearyl Alcohol, Coco-Glucoside, PEG-100 Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetyl Palmitate, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Zinc PCA, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Magnesium Aspartate, Zinc Gluconate, Copper Gluconate, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Caesalpinia Spinosa Gum, Disodium EDTA, Triethanolamine
Water
Skin ConditioningCyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
C13-15 Alkane
SolventSqualane
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Sorbitan Stearate
Emulsifying
Xylitylglucoside
Humectant
PEG-100 Stearate
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Anhydroxylitol
Humectant
Xylitol
Humectant
Polyacrylate-13
Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Emulsion Stabilising
BHT
Antioxidant
Polyisobutene
Glucose
Humectant
Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate
UV Filter
Dimethiconol
Emollient
Disodium EDTA
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningEthylhexyl Triazone
UV Absorber
Acacia Senegal Gum
MaskingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingParfum
Masking
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialPhenyl Trimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Cetearyl Alcohol, C13-15 Alkane, Squalane, Glyceryl Stearate, Sorbitan Stearate, Xylitylglucoside, PEG-100 Stearate, Stearic Acid, Tocopheryl Acetate, Phenoxyethanol, Anhydroxylitol, Xylitol, Polyacrylate-13, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, BHT, Polyisobutene, Glucose, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Cetearyl Glucoside, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate, Dimethiconol, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Ethylhexyl Triazone, Acacia Senegal Gum, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Hydroxide, Parfum, Polysorbate 20, Sorbitan Isostearate, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Phenyl Trimethicone
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 AlcoholDisodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).
Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAEthylhexylglycerin 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 EthylhexylglycerinGlyceryl 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 StearatePeg-100 Stearate is an emollient and emulsifier. As an emollient, it helps keep skin soft by trapping moisture in. On the other hand, emulsifiers help prevent oil and water from separating in a product.
PEGS are a hydrophilic polyether compound . There are 100 ethylene oxide monomers in Peg-100 Stearate. Peg-100 Stearate is polyethylene glycol ester of stearic acid.
Phenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.
Water. 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
