What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningDimethicone
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Isohexadecane
EmollientDimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Skin Conditioning
Saccharide Isomerate
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Beheneth-25 Methacrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Dimethiconol
Emollient
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Disodium EDTA
Citric Acid
Buffering
C12-14 Pareth-12
EmulsifyingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Sodium Citrate
BufferingChlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Glucose
Humectant
Zingiber Officinale Root Juice
Skin ConditioningWater, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Isohexadecane, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Saccharide Isomerate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Beheneth-25 Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Cetearyl Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Dimethiconol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Disodium EDTA, Citric Acid, C12-14 Pareth-12, Sodium Hydroxide, Tocopheryl Acetate, Niacinamide, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Sodium Citrate, Chlorphenesin, Glucose, Zingiber Officinale Root Juice
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate
EmollientCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Isodecyl Neopentanoate
EmollientNiacinamide
Smoothing
Cyclomethicone
Emollient
Polymethyl Methacrylate
Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Skin Conditioning
C12-14 Pareth-12
EmulsifyingCera Alba
Emollient
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Sucrose Stearate
EmollientZinc PCA
Humectant
Polyacrylamide
C30-45 Alkyl Methicone
Emollient
C13-14 Isoparaffin
Emollient
Methylparaben
Preservative
Laureth-7
EmulsifyingPropylparaben
Preservative
Diazolidinyl Urea
Preservative
Water, Butylene Glycol, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Isodecyl Neopentanoate, Niacinamide, Cyclomethicone, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, C12-14 Pareth-12, Cera Alba, Cetearyl Glucoside, Sucrose Stearate, Zinc PCA, Polyacrylamide, C30-45 Alkyl Methicone, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Methylparaben, Laureth-7, Propylparaben, Diazolidinyl Urea
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 GlycolC12-14 Pareth-12 is created from a mixture of synthetic C12-14 alcohols that have about 12 moles of ethylene oxide.
It is an emulsifying and cleansing ingredient. Emulsifier help prevent ingredients from separating, such as oils and waters.
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 AlcoholCetearyl Glucoside is a sugar-based emulsifier. It is usually made by combining cetearyl alcohol and glucose.
Belonging to the aklyl polyglucoside (APG) family, Cetearyl Glucoside has a sugar "head" that loves water and a fatty "tail" that loves oil. This means it can shuffle oil and water into a stable and smooth emulsion.
Typical use levels are between 1-5% and this ingredient is considered to be non-irritating by the CIR Expert Panel Review.
Once applied, your skin's glucoside hydrolases breaks it down to the parent fatty alcohol and glucose. This is why this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Cetearyl GlucosideThis ingredient is a silicone elastomer that works as a texture enhancer, adds a silky slip, and also helps absorb excess oil.
Because it's a large macromolecule that's insoluble in water and chemically inert, it's not expected to penetrate or be absorbed into skin.
Human patch tests with a facial lotion containing 1% of this ingredient found no sensitization.
Learn more about Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone CrosspolymerNiacinamide is a multitasking form of vitamin B3 that strengthens the skin barrier, reduces pores and dark spots, regulates oil, and improves signs of aging.
And the best part? It's gentle and well-tolerated by most skin types, including sensitive and reactive skin.
You might have heard of "niacin flush", or the reddening of skin that causes itchiness. Niacinamide has not been found to cause this.
In very rare cases, some individuals may not be able to tolerate niacinamide at all or experience an allergic reaction to it.
If you are experiencing flaking, irritation, and dryness with this ingredient, be sure to double check all your products as this ingredient can be found in all categories of skincare.
When incorporating niacinamide into your routine, look out for concentration amounts. Typically, 5% niacinamide provides benefits such as fading dark spots. However, if you have sensitive skin, it is better to begin with a smaller concentration.
When you apply niacinamide to your skin, your body converts it into nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). NAD is an essential coenzyme that is already found in your cells as "fuel" and powers countless biological processes.
In your skin, NAD helps repair cell damage, produce new healthy cells, support collagen production, strengthen the skin barrier, and fight environmental stressors (like UV and pollution).
Our natural NAD levels start to decline with age, leading to slower skin repair, visible aging, and a weaker skin barrier. By providing your skin niacinamide, you're recharging your skin's NAD levels. This leads to stronger, healthier, and younger looking skin.
Another name for vitamin B3 is nicotinamide. This vitamin is water-soluble and our bodies don't store it. We obtain Vitamin B3 from either food or skincare. Meat, fish, wheat, yeast, and leafy greens contain vitamin B3.
The type of niacinamide used in skincare is synthetically created.
Learn more about NiacinamideWater. 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
