What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningMethyl Glucose Sesquistearate
Emollient
Phenyl Trimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Dodecane
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Parfum
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate Citrate
Emollient
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Oil
Skin Conditioning
Theobroma Grandiflorum Seed Butter
Skin Conditioning
Bertholletia Excelsa Seed Oil
Emollient
Paullinia Cupana Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningIlex Guayusa Leaf Extract
Skin ProtectingIlex Paraguariensis Leaf Extract
Perfuming
Bixa Orellana Seed Extract
MaskingDaucus Carota Sativa Seed Oil
Emollient
Squalane
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Sodium Phytate
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingGlyceryl Caprylate
EmollientEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingHydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Mica
Cosmetic ColorantBenzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Benzyl Benzoate
Antimicrobial
Benzyl Salicylate
Perfuming
Citral
Perfuming
Coumarin
Perfuming
Eugenol
Perfuming
Butylphenyl Methylpropional
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Water, Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate, Phenyl Trimethicone, Dodecane, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Alcohol, Parfum, Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Oil, Theobroma Grandiflorum Seed Butter, Bertholletia Excelsa Seed Oil, Paullinia Cupana Seed Extract, Ilex Guayusa Leaf Extract, Ilex Paraguariensis Leaf Extract, Bixa Orellana Seed Extract, Daucus Carota Sativa Seed Oil, Squalane, Tocopherol, Sodium Phytate, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Glyceryl Caprylate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Xanthan Gum, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Sorbitan Isostearate, Phenoxyethanol, Mica, Benzyl Alcohol, Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Salicylate, Citral, Coumarin, Eugenol, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Limonene, Linalool
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate
Absorbent
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Ceteareth-20
CleansingIsopropyl Myristate
Emollient
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingSynthetic Wax
Abrasive
Dimethicone
Emollient
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Diazolidinyl Urea
Preservative
Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate
Preservative
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 AlcoholCetyl Alcohol is a fatty alcohol. Fatty Alcohols are most often used as an emollient or to thicken a product.
Its main roles are:
Though it has "alcohol" in the name, it is not related to denatured alcohol or ethyl alcohol.
The FDA allows products labeled "alcohol-free" to have fatty alcohols.
Learn more about Cetyl 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
