What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Urea
Buffering
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Paraffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Squalane
Emollient
Petrolatum
Emollient
Silicon
Abrasive
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Behenic Acid
Cleansing
Triisostearoyl 3-Glyceryl Ascorbate
HumectantPEG-5 Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Methyl Stearic Acid
Skin ConditioningGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingSodium Citrate
BufferingSodium Acetate
BufferingSodium Paraben
Preservative
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Urea, Tocopheryl Acetate, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Paraffinum Liquidum, Squalane, Petrolatum, Silicon, Cetearyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Stearic Acid, Behenic Acid, Triisostearoyl 3-Glyceryl Ascorbate, PEG-5 Castor Oil, Methyl Stearic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Acetate, Sodium Paraben, Sodium Hyaluronate
Centella Asiatica Leaf Water
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Betaine
Humectant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Olivate
Elaeis Guineensis Oil
Emollient
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Triethylhexanoin
MaskingBeeswax
Emulsion Stabilising
Elaeis Guineensis Kernel Oil
Emollient
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCyclohexasiloxane
Emollient
Cassia Obtusifolia Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningSucrose Distearate
Emollient
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Limonene
Perfuming
Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil
Masking
Asiaticoside
Antioxidant
Asiatic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Madecassic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Linalool
Perfuming
Centella Asiatica Leaf Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Alcohol, Betaine, 1,2-Hexanediol, Cetearyl Olivate, Elaeis Guineensis Oil, Ceramide NP, Sorbitan Olivate, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Triethylhexanoin, Beeswax, Elaeis Guineensis Kernel Oil, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Cyclohexasiloxane, Cassia Obtusifolia Seed Extract, Sucrose Distearate, Dipropylene Glycol, Panthenol, Niacinamide, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Glyceryl Stearate, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Hyaluronate, Limonene, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil, Asiaticoside, Asiatic Acid, Madecassic Acid, 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.
Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.
Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.
Learn more about Butylene GlycolCetearyl 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 GlycerinGlyceryl Stearate is made by reacting glycerin with stearic acid (typically sourced from plant oils like palm or coconut). It's an emulsifier, emollient, and mild occlusive.
Emulsifiers help ingredients like oil and water stay mixed so your formula stays nicely blended and uniform in texture.
This ingredient is typically used in concentrations between 1-10%. Studies have found it to be non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.
A close cousin of this ingredient is Glyceryl Stearate SE ("self-emulsifying"). This just has a small amount of sodium or potassium stearate added so it can emulsify without a co-emulsifier.
Since this ingredient is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize within the C11-C24 range.
Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.
Learn more about Glyceryl StearateSodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.
In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.
Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.
You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium Hyaluronate
