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
Water
Skin ConditioningUrea
Buffering
Glycerin
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Ethylhexyl Cocoate
Emollient
Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides
Emollient
Octyldodecanol
Emollient
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Distarch Phosphate
AbsorbentCeramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Arginine Hcl
Skin ConditioningSodium PCA
Humectant
Cholesterol
Emollient
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Alanine
Masking
Carnitine
Cleansing
Glycine
Buffering
Sodium Chloride
MaskingDimethicone
Emollient
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingSorbitan Stearate
Emulsifying
Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate
Cleansing
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Urea, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glyceryl Stearate, Ethylhexyl Cocoate, Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides, Octyldodecanol, Sodium Lactate, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Distarch Phosphate, Ceramide NP, Lactic Acid, Arginine Hcl, Sodium PCA, Cholesterol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Alanine, Carnitine, Glycine, Sodium Chloride, Dimethicone, Carbomer, Sorbitan Stearate, Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate, Phenoxyethanol
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 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 StearateUrea is also called carbamide and is the diamide of carbonic acid. In cosmetics, urea is used to hydrate the skin. It also provides exfoliation in higher concentrations.
As a humectant, urea helps draw moisture from the air and from deep within the skin. This helps hydrate your skin. Studies show urea is an effective moisturizer for dry skin conditions. 40% urea is typical in medications for treating eczema and other skin conditions.
Urea has the strongest exfoliation effect in concentrations higher than 10%. It is a keratolytic agent, meaning it breaks down the keratin protein in the top layer of skin. This helps remove dead skin cells and flaking skin.
In medicine, urea has been shown to help increase the potency of other ingredients, such as fungal treatments.
Humans and animals use urea to metabolize nitrogen-containing compounds. Urea is highly soluble in water. Once dissolved, it is neither acidic nor alkaline.
Urea is actually one of the more well-studied and well-supported ingredients out there if you have eczema.
Clinical trials have shown that urea creams in the 5 - 10% range can:
Higher concentrations (20 -30%) can also help with thickened, scaly patches but is also more likely to sting on active flares.
Skip urea if you have rosacea. The AAD (American Academy of Dermatology) lists it alongside alcohol, menthol, and fragrance as a potential irritant for rosacea-prone skin. Urea's keratolytic and penetration-enhancing properties can trigger stinging, burning, and redness.
As always, your skin is unique, so definitely check in with your dermatologist.
Learn more about Urea
