What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
C13-15 Alkane
SolventNeopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate
EmollientCetyl Palmitate
Emollient
Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine
EmulsifyingBehentrimonium Chloride
Preservative
Shea Butter Cetyl Esters
Skin Conditioning
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Glycerin
Humectant
Polysorbate 80
Emulsifying
Polyquaternium-37
Citric Acid
Buffering
Hydrogenated Polydecene
EmollientDisodium EDTA
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningTrideceth-6
EmulsifyingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, C13-15 Alkane, Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate, Cetyl Palmitate, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Behentrimonium Chloride, Shea Butter Cetyl Esters, Bisabolol, Glycerin, Polysorbate 80, Polyquaternium-37, Citric Acid, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Trideceth-6, Tocopherol, Phenoxyethanol
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Behentrimonium Chloride
Preservative
Sorbitol
Humectant
Isopentyldiol
Humectant
Hydrogenated Raspberry Seed Oil
Emollient
PPG-3 Caprylyl Ether
SolventBis-Ethoxydiglycol Cyclohexane 1,4-Dicarboxylate
EmollientIsostearic Acid
Cleansing
Isostearoyl Hydrolyzed Collagen
Cleansing
Isostearoyl Hydrolyzed Silk
Skin ConditioningSphingolipids
Emollient
Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate
Glycolipids
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Soy Protein
Humectant
Gluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine
EmulsifyingPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Isomerized Safflower Acid
Skin ConditioningAmodimethicone
Bis-Isobutyl PEG/PPG-10/7/Dimethicone Copolymer
Emulsifying
Dicocodimonium Chloride
EmulsifyingSteartrimonium Chloride
Preservative
Phytosteryl Isostearyl Dimer Dilinoleate
EmollientIsopropyl Alcohol
Solvent
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Arginine
Masking
PEG-90m
Emulsion StabilisingWater, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Behentrimonium Chloride, Sorbitol, Isopentyldiol, Hydrogenated Raspberry Seed Oil, PPG-3 Caprylyl Ether, Bis-Ethoxydiglycol Cyclohexane 1,4-Dicarboxylate, Isostearic Acid, Isostearoyl Hydrolyzed Collagen, Isostearoyl Hydrolyzed Silk, Sphingolipids, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Glycolipids, Butylene Glycol, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Gluconolactone, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Pentylene Glycol, Isomerized Safflower Acid, Amodimethicone, Bis-Isobutyl PEG/PPG-10/7/Dimethicone Copolymer, Dicocodimonium Chloride, Steartrimonium Chloride, Phytosteryl Isostearyl Dimer Dilinoleate, Isopropyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Tocopherol, Citric Acid, Arginine, PEG-90m
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
This ingredient is a preservative and often used for it's anti-static properties. You'll most likely see this ingredient in hair conditioners.
It does not cause irritation or sensitization in leave-on products at 1-5%.
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 AlcoholCitric Acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) naturally found in citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes.
Like other AHAs, citric acid can exfoliate skin by breaking down the bonds that hold dead skin cells together. This helps reveal smoother and brighter skin underneath.
However, this exfoliating effect only happens at high concentrations (20%) which can be hard to find in cosmetic products.
Due to this, citric acid is usually included in small amounts as a pH adjuster. This helps keep products slightly more acidic and compatible with skin's natural pH.
In skincare formulas, citric acid can:
While it can provide some skin benefits, research shows lactic acid and glycolic acid are generally more effective and less irritating exfoliants.
Most citric acid used in skincare today is made by fermenting sugars (usually from molasses). This synthetic version is identical to the natural citrus form but easier to stabilize and use in formulations.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Citric AcidGlycerin (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.
We don't have a description for Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine yet.
Tocopherol (also known as Vitamin E) is a common antioxidant used to help protect the skin from free-radicals and strengthen the skin barrier. It's also fat soluble - this means our skin is great at absorbing it.
Vitamin E also helps keep your natural skin lipids healthy. Your lipid skin barrier naturally consists of lipids, ceramides, and fatty acids. Vitamin E offers extra protection for your skin’s lipid barrier, keeping your skin healthy and nourished.
Another benefit is a bit of UV protection. Vitamin E helps reduce the damage caused by UVB rays. (It should not replace your sunscreen). Combining it with Vitamin C can decrease sunburned cells and hyperpigmentation after UV exposure.
You might have noticed Vitamin E + C often paired together. This is because it is great at stabilizing Vitamin C. Using the two together helps increase the effectiveness of both ingredients.
There are often claims that Vitamin E can reduce/prevent scarring, but these claims haven't been confirmed by scientific research.
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
