What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningC13-15 Alkane
SolventCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Squalane
Emollient
Behentrimonium Chloride
Preservative
Hydrolyzed Ceratonia Siliqua Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningMoringa Oleifera Seed Extract
Skin Conditioning
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Zea Mays Starch
Absorbent
Polyquaternium-7
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
Antioxidant
Disodium EDTA
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPotassium Sorbate
Preservative
Disodium Phosphate
BufferingSodium Benzoate
Masking
Citric Acid
Buffering
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, C13-15 Alkane, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Squalane, Behentrimonium Chloride, Hydrolyzed Ceratonia Siliqua Seed Extract, Moringa Oleifera Seed Extract, Bisabolol, Zea Mays Starch, Polyquaternium-7, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Tocopherol, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Potassium Sorbate, Disodium Phosphate, Sodium Benzoate, Citric Acid, Phenoxyethanol
Water
Skin ConditioningButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Cetrimonium Chloride
Antimicrobial
Dicetyldimonium Chloride
EmulsifyingAdansonia Digitata Seed Oil
Emollient
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Polyquaternium-37
Dicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientLauryl Glucoside
CleansingCyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Ceteareth-20
CleansingPhenyl Trimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Parfum
Masking
Coumarin
Perfuming
Hydroxycitronellol
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Water, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Glycerin, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Cetrimonium Chloride, Dicetyldimonium Chloride, Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Tocopherol, Panthenol, Persea Gratissima Oil, Polyquaternium-37, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Lauryl Glucoside, Cyclopentasiloxane, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ceteareth-20, Phenyl Trimethicone, Polysorbate 20, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Parfum, Coumarin, Hydroxycitronellol, Linalool
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 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.
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
