What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
C13-15 Alkane
SolventGlycerin
Humectant
Shea Butter Cetyl Esters
Skin Conditioning
Squalane
Emollient
Behentrimonium Chloride
Preservative
Hydrolyzed Ceratonia Siliqua Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningZea Mays Starch
Absorbent
Moringa Oleifera Seed Extract
Skin Conditioning
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
Antioxidant
Polyquaternium-7
Disodium EDTA
Vp/Va Copolymer
Disodium Phosphate
BufferingCitric Acid
Buffering
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSodium Benzoate
Masking
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, C13-15 Alkane, Glycerin, Shea Butter Cetyl Esters, Squalane, Behentrimonium Chloride, Hydrolyzed Ceratonia Siliqua Seed Extract, Zea Mays Starch, Moringa Oleifera Seed Extract, Bisabolol, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Tocopherol, Polyquaternium-7, Disodium EDTA, Vp/Va Copolymer, Disodium Phosphate, Citric Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate
Water
Skin ConditioningPrunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Cereus Grandiflorus Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningCocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Cetrimonium Chloride
Antimicrobial
Polyquaternium-7
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Steareth-2
EmulsifyingSteareth-21
CleansingAminomethyl Propanol
BufferingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningParfum
Masking
Water, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Stearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Cereus Grandiflorus Flower Extract, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Panthenol, Glycerin, Cetrimonium Chloride, Polyquaternium-7, Palmitic Acid, Steareth-2, Steareth-21, Aminomethyl Propanol, Tocopherol, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Parfum
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 AlcoholEthylhexylglycerin 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 EthylhexylglycerinGlycerin (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 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.
Polyquaternium-7 is a light to clear colored liquid. It is commonly found in haircare products for its film-forming and anti-static properties.
According to a manufacturer, it is a non-paraben and specially developed for negatively charged surfactant systems. This makes it a great hairstyle holder and helps to improve wet hair detangling without adding buildup.
Tocopherol 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 Water
