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
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Glycerin (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 GlycerinSodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.
In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.
Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.
"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.
Learn more about Sodium HydroxideTocopheryl Acetate is AKA Vitamin E. It is an antioxidant and protects your skin from free radicals. Free radicals damage the skin by breaking down collagen.
One study found using Tocopheryl Acetate with Vitamin C decreased the number of sunburned cells.
Tocopheryl Acetate is commonly found in both skincare and dietary supplements.
Learn more about Tocopheryl Acetate
