What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningDimethicone
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Ethylhexyl Hydroxystearate
Emollient
Isodecyl Neopentanoate
EmollientTetrahydroxypropyl Ethylenediamine
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Ceteareth-20
CleansingSteareth-10
Emulsifying
Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate
Absorbent
Glycolic Acid
Buffering
Squalane
Emollient
Parfum
Masking
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Methylparaben
Preservative
Citric Acid
Buffering
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPropylparaben
Preservative
Retinol
Skin Conditioning
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
BHT
Antioxidant
Disodium EDTA
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Ascorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Magnesium Aspartate
Skin ConditioningZinc Gluconate
Skin Conditioning
Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Copper Gluconate
Skin Conditioning
Water, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Ethylhexyl Hydroxystearate, Isodecyl Neopentanoate, Tetrahydroxypropyl Ethylenediamine, Stearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Ceteareth-20, Steareth-10, Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Caprylyl Glycol, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Glycolic Acid, Squalane, Parfum, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Methylparaben, Citric Acid, Xanthan Gum, Propylparaben, Retinol, Polysorbate 20, BHT, Disodium EDTA, Polysorbate 60, Ascorbic Acid, Magnesium Aspartate, Zinc Gluconate, Sorbitan Isostearate, Copper Gluconate
Water
Skin ConditioningVinyl Dimethicone/Methicone Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer
Glycerin
Humectant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Isohexadecane
EmollientIsopropyl Isostearate
Emollient
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Dimethicone
Emollient
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Dimethiconol
Emollient
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Disodium EDTA
PEG-100 Stearate
Sodium Polyacrylate Starch
Absorbent1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Avena Sativa Peptide
Skin Conditioning
Water, Vinyl Dimethicone/Methicone Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Isohexadecane, Isopropyl Isostearate, Panthenol, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4, Sodium Hyaluronate, Dimethicone, Caprylyl Glycol, Dimethiconol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Cetearyl Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Stearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Behenyl Alcohol, Disodium EDTA, PEG-100 Stearate, Sodium Polyacrylate Starch, 1,2-Hexanediol, Phenoxyethanol, Avena Sativa Peptide
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid or alcohol, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolCetearyl 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 AlcoholDimethicone is a type of synthetic silicone created from natural materials such as quartz. It is also known as polydimethylsiloxane.
What it does:
Dimethicone comes in different viscosities:
Depending on the viscosity, dimethicone has different properties.
Ingredients lists don't always show which type is used, so we recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the viscosity.
This ingredient is unlikely to cause irritation because it does not get absorbed into skin. However, people with silicone allergies should be careful about using this ingredient.
Note: Dimethicone may contribute to pilling. This is because it is not oil or water soluble, so pilling may occur when layered with products. When mixed with heavy oils in a formula, the outcome is also quite greasy.
Learn more about DimethiconeDisodium 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 EDTAGlycerin (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 GlycerinPeg-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.
Stearyl Alcohol is a type of fatty alcohol from stearic acid. It is a white, waxy compound used to emulsify ingredients used as an emollient or to thicken a product.
Emollients help soothe and hydrate the skin by trapping moisture.
Fatty alcohols are usually derived from natural fats and oils and therefore do not have the same drying or irritating effect as solvent (ethanol) alcohols.
The FDA allows products labeled "alcohol-free" to have fatty alcohols.
Learn more about Stearyl AlcoholWater. 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
