What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialNiacinamide
Smoothing
Squalane
Emollient
Cyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Ceteareth-20
CleansingCeteareth-12
EmulsifyingCetyl Palmitate
Emollient
Potassium Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingSodium PCA
Humectant
Dimethiconol
Emollient
Lecithin
Emollient
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningTetrasodium EDTA
Water, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glyceryl Stearate, Sodium Hyaluronate, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Niacinamide, Squalane, Cyclopentasiloxane, Ceramide NP, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Panthenol, Propylene Glycol, Ceteareth-20, Ceteareth-12, Cetyl Palmitate, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium PCA, Dimethiconol, Lecithin, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tetrasodium EDTA
Water
Skin ConditioningDi-C12-13 Alkyl Malate
EmollientPropanediol
Solvent
Propylheptyl Caprylate
EmollientGlycerin
Humectant
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate
Emulsion StabilisingArachidyl Alcohol
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Arachidyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingSodium Citrate
BufferingChondrus Crispus Extract
Skin Conditioning
Mannitol
Humectant
Propyl Gallate
Antioxidant
Xylitol
Humectant
Rhamnose
HumectantSodium Metabisulfite
Antioxidant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Parfum
Masking
Water, Di-C12-13 Alkyl Malate, Propanediol, Propylheptyl Caprylate, Glycerin, Salicylic Acid, Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Arachidyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behenyl Alcohol, Coco-Glucoside, Arachidyl Glucoside, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Citrate, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Mannitol, Propyl Gallate, Xylitol, Rhamnose, Sodium Metabisulfite, Tocopherol, Parfum
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 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 HydroxideWater. 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
