What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Glycol Stearate
Emollient
Isopropyl Palmitate
Emollient
Glycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Triethanolamine
BufferingCocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingHydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingStearamide Amp
BHT
Antioxidant
Disodium EDTA
Caramel
Cosmetic ColorantButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Avena Sativa Meal Extract
SoothingPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Nitrate
SoothingDisodium Phosphate
BufferingPolysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Sodium Phosphate
BufferingCitric Acid
Buffering
Benzyl Salicylate
Perfuming
Citrus Aurantium Peel Oil
Coumarin
Perfuming
Hexyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Tetramethyl Acetyloctahydronaphthalenes
Masking
CI 17200
Cosmetic ColorantCI 19140
Cosmetic ColorantCI 15985
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Glycerin, Stearic Acid, Glycol Stearate, Isopropyl Palmitate, Glycine Soja Oil, Glyceryl Stearate, Triethanolamine, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Cetyl Alcohol, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum, Carbomer, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Stearamide Amp, BHT, Disodium EDTA, Caramel, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Avena Sativa Meal Extract, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Nitrate, Disodium Phosphate, Polysorbate 60, Sodium Phosphate, Citric Acid, Benzyl Salicylate, Citrus Aurantium Peel Oil, Coumarin, Hexyl Cinnamal, Limonene, Tetramethyl Acetyloctahydronaphthalenes, CI 17200, CI 19140, CI 15985
Salicylic Acid 2%
Masking
Water
Skin ConditioningJuglans Regia Shell Powder
Abrasive
Glycol Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate
CleansingZea Mays Kernel Meal
Abrasive
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Triethanolamine
BufferingCetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Prunus Armeniaca Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningCetyl Acetate
Emollient
Ceteareth-20
CleansingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingPolysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Acetylated Lanolin Alcohol
Emollient
Parfum
Masking
PPG-2 Methyl Ether
Perfuming
Phenethyl Alcohol
MaskingMethylisothiazolinone
Preservative
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantSalicylic Acid 2%, Water, Juglans Regia Shell Powder, Glycol Stearate Se, Glycerin, Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate, Zea Mays Kernel Meal, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Cetearyl Alcohol, Triethanolamine, Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Prunus Armeniaca Fruit Extract, Cetyl Acetate, Ceteareth-20, Carbomer, Polysorbate 60, Acetylated Lanolin Alcohol, Parfum, PPG-2 Methyl Ether, Phenethyl Alcohol, Methylisothiazolinone, CI 77891
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Carbomer is a high-molecular weight polymer of acrylic acid. It is used to form gels and thicken formulas.
Due to its large molecular size, carbomer has minimal skin penetration and is considered an inert ingredient.
A high amount of carbomer can cause pilling or balling up of products. Don't worry, most products contain 1% or less of carbomer.
Learn more about CarbomerCetyl 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 GlycerinGlyceryl Stearate is made by reacting glycerin with stearic acid (typically sourced from plant oils like palm or coconut). It's an emulsifier, emollient, and mild occlusive.
Emulsifiers help ingredients like oil and water stay mixed so your formula stays nicely blended and uniform in texture.
This ingredient is typically used in concentrations between 1-10%. Studies have found it to be non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.
A close cousin of this ingredient is Glyceryl Stearate SE ("self-emulsifying"). This just has a small amount of sodium or potassium stearate added so it can emulsify without a co-emulsifier.
Since this ingredient is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize within the C11-C24 range.
Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.
Learn more about Glyceryl StearateParfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.
Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.
For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.
The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.
For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.
One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.
Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.
Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.
The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.
Learn more about ParfumPolysorbate 60 is used to help stabilize products. It is a surfactant and emulsifier. These properties help keep ingredients together in a product. Surfactants help reduce surface tension between ingredients with different states, such as liquids and solids. Emulsifiers help prevent oils and waters from separating.
Polysorbate 60 is sorbitol-based and created from the ethoxylation of sorbitan. Ethoxylation is a chemical reaction used to add ethylene oxide. Sorbitan is a the dehydrated version of sorbitol, a sugar found in fruits.
In this case, the 60 comes from reacting 60 units of ethylene oxide with sorbitan.
Polysorbates are commonly used in medicine and foods.
Learn more about Polysorbate 60Triethanolamine (TEA) is an emulsifier and pH adjuster. It is created using ethylene oxide and ammonia. This gives Triethanolamine a nitrogen core and a similar scent to ammonia.
As an emulsifier, it prevents ingredients from separating and enhances texture by adding volume to a product.
PH adjusters are common in cosmetic products. The pH of a product can affect the effectiveness of other ingredients. A product with a high pH may also irritate the skin.
If you are looking for the tea leaf ingredient, click here.
Learn more about TriethanolamineWater. 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
