What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningDimethicone
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Propanediol
Solvent
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Isohexadecane
EmollientCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder
Skin Conditioning
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Beheneth-25 Methacrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Dimethiconol
Emollient
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingGlucose
Humectant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Pantolactone
Humectant
Water, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Propanediol, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Isohexadecane, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Caprylyl Glycol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Tocopheryl Acetate, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Beheneth-25 Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Cetearyl Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Dimethiconol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Sodium Hydroxide, Glucose, Citric Acid, Panthenol, Pantolactone
Water
Skin ConditioningSesamum Indicum Seed Oil
Emollient
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Ceteareth-20
CleansingRosa Canina Fruit Oil
Emollient
Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Triticum Vulgare Germ Oil
Emollient
Daucus Carota Sativa Seed Oil
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract
Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract
Astringent
Spirulina Platensis Extract
Skin ProtectingChlorella Vulgaris Extract
Skin ConditioningPetroselinum Crispum Extract
Skin ConditioningBrassica Oleracea Acephala Leaf Extract
HumectantPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Parfum
Masking
Citronellol
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Water, Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Ceteareth-20, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Persea Gratissima Oil, Triticum Vulgare Germ Oil, Daucus Carota Sativa Seed Oil, Tocopherol, Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract, Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract, Spirulina Platensis Extract, Chlorella Vulgaris Extract, Petroselinum Crispum Extract, Brassica Oleracea Acephala Leaf Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Alcohol, Parfum, Citronellol, Geraniol, 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.
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 GlycerinWater. 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
