What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Orbignya Oleifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Isoamyl Laurate
Emollient
Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
Behentrimonium Chloride
Preservative
Erythritol
Humectant
Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil
Emollient
Plukenetia Volubilis Seed Oil
Emollient
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Parfum
Masking
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Lactic Acid
Buffering
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Sodium Citrate
BufferingDiethylhexyl Syringylidenemalonate
Skin ProtectingCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Orbignya Oleifera Seed Oil, Glycerin, Isoamyl Laurate, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Behentrimonium Chloride, Erythritol, Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil, Plukenetia Volubilis Seed Oil, Hydroxyacetophenone, Parfum, Sodium Benzoate, Lactic Acid, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Citrate, Diethylhexyl Syringylidenemalonate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Water
Skin ConditioningCetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer
Skin ConditioningDistearyldimonium Chloride
Glycerin
Humectant
Heptyl Undecylenate
EmollientCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingAstrocaryum Murumuru Seed Butter
Emollient
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil
Masking
Citrus Paradisi Peel Oil
Masking
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil
Emollient
Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate
Antioxidant
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningTrisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Behentrimonium Chloride
Preservative
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer, Distearyldimonium Chloride, Glycerin, Heptyl Undecylenate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Astrocaryum Murumuru Seed Butter, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Citrus Paradisi Peel Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Panthenol, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract, Polysorbate 20, Potassium Sorbate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Behentrimonium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol
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%.
This ingredient is also known as shea butter. It is a plant-derived extract from the nuts of the Africa shea tree and one of the most well-studied emollients.
Because it has a high concentration of fatty acids (primarily oleic, stearic, and linoleic) it is able to form a protective barrier on the skin's surface. This helps seal in moisture and prevents transepidermal water loss (TEWL).
In vitro research found an increase in skin hydration by 58% and a decrease in TEWL by 37.8% after 24 hours of applying this ingredient (pretty impressive for a single ingredient!).
Besides hydration, shea butter also contains triterpenes that have anti-inflammatory potential. In particule, lupeol cinnamate has shown the highest anti-inflammatory activity in vivo.
Shea butter also contains vitamins A and E which may contribute to antioxidant activity.
While Shea Butter has an SPF rating of about 3-4, it is not a sunscreen replacement.
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe because its fatty acids fall within the C11-C24 range that the Malassezia yeast can metabolize.
Learn more about Butyrospermum Parkii ButterCetearyl 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 AlcoholGlycerin (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 GlycerinStearyl 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
