What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Behentrimonium Methosulfate
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Parfum
Masking
Behentrimonium Chloride
Preservative
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Mangifera Indica Seed Butter
Skin Conditioning
Trichilia Emetica Seed Butter
Emollient
Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil
Emollient
Hydrolyzed Rice Protein
Skin ConditioningHydrogenated Vegetable Oil
Emollient
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Honey
Humectant
Cetrimonium Chloride
Antimicrobial
Ficus Carica Fruit/Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Caprylhydroxamic Acid
Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Glycerin, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Stearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Cetyl Alcohol, Parfum, Behentrimonium Chloride, Panthenol, Mangifera Indica Seed Butter, Trichilia Emetica Seed Butter, Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil, Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Persea Gratissima Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Honey, Cetrimonium Chloride, Ficus Carica Fruit/Leaf Extract, Caprylyl Glycol, Caprylhydroxamic Acid
Water
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Kaolin
Abrasive
Glycerin
Humectant
Vinegar
Charcoal Powder
Abrasive
Oryza Sativa Bran Oil
Emollient
Behentrimonium Methosulfate
Olea Europaea Fruit Extract
BleachingButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Stearalkonium Chloride
Preservative
Hydrolyzed Quinoa
Skin ConditioningEpilobium Angustifolium Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract
Skin ConditioningPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Hydrolyzed Adansonia Digitata Seed Extract
Sodium Levulinate
Skin ConditioningStearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Thiamine Hcl
MaskingBenzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Glycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Cananga Odorata Flower Oil
Masking
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil
Masking
Lavandula Angustifolia Oil
Masking
Pogostemon Cablin Leaf Oil
Masking
Salvia Sclarea Oil
Masking
Linalool
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Kaolin, Glycerin, Vinegar, Charcoal Powder, Oryza Sativa Bran Oil, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Olea Europaea Fruit Extract, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Stearalkonium Chloride, Hydrolyzed Quinoa, Epilobium Angustifolium Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Panthenol, Potassium Sorbate, Hydrolyzed Adansonia Digitata Seed Extract, Sodium Levulinate, Stearyl Alcohol, Thiamine Hcl, Benzyl Alcohol, Sodium Benzoate, Glycine Soja Oil, Cananga Odorata Flower Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Pogostemon Cablin Leaf Oil, Salvia Sclarea Oil, Linalool, Limonene
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Behentrimonium Methosulfate is an ammonium salt. It is mainly used to prevent static in haircare products as a surfactant.
Surfactants have differing ends: one side is hydrophilic while the other end is hydrophobic.
Surfactants also help your cleansers remove pollutants more easily from the skin.
Learn more about Behentrimonium MethosulfateThis 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 GlycerinPanthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It is found naturally in our skin and hair.
There are two forms of panthenol: D and L.
D-panthenol is also known as dexpanthenol. Most cosmetics use dexpanthenol or a mixture of D and L-panthenol.
Panthenol is famous due to its ability to go deeper into the skin's layers. Using this ingredient has numerous pros (and no cons):
Like hyaluronic acid, panthenol is a humectant. Humectants are able to bind and hold large amounts of water to keep skin hydrated.
This ingredient works well for wound healing. It works by increasing tissue in the wound and helps close open wounds.
Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.
This ingredient is also referred to as pro-vitamin B5.
Learn more about PanthenolStearyl 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
