What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Polyisobutene
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Wheat Amino Acids
Skin ConditioningMyristyl Alcohol
Emollient
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSorbitan Oleate
Emulsifying
Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside
CleansingLauryl Alcohol
Emollient
Parfum
Masking
Disodium EDTA
Natto Gum
Bakuchiol
Antimicrobial
Acetyl Hexapeptide-8
Humectant
Oligopeptide-32
Antiseborrhoeic
Oligopeptide-29
Antioxidant
Copper Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4
Skin Conditioning
Procollagen
Skin Conditioning
Water, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Cetyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Sorbitan Olivate, Polyisobutene, Stearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Wheat Amino Acids, Myristyl Alcohol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sorbitan Oleate, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Lauryl Alcohol, Parfum, Disodium EDTA, Natto Gum, Bakuchiol, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Oligopeptide-32, Oligopeptide-29, Copper Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4, Procollagen
Water
Skin ConditioningStearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientCetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Cholesterol
Emollient
Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract
Masking
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Avena Sativa Kernel Flour
Abrasive
Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-19
Skin Conditioning
Althaea Officinalis Leaf/Root Extract
EmollientSodium PCA
Humectant
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
Arginine
Masking
Aspartic Acid
Masking
PCA
Humectant
Glycine
Buffering
Alanine
Masking
Serine
Masking
Valine
MaskingProline
Skin Conditioning
Threonine
Isoleucine
Skin ConditioningHistidine
Humectant
Phenylalanine
Masking
Glyceryl Stearate Citrate
Emollient
Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
EmulsifyingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPlant Ash
Water, Stearyl Alcohol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Caprylate, Cetyl Alcohol, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Phytosphingosine, Cholesterol, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Niacinamide, Avena Sativa Kernel Flour, Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-19, Althaea Officinalis Leaf/Root Extract, Sodium PCA, Sodium Lactate, Arginine, Aspartic Acid, PCA, Glycine, Alanine, Serine, Valine, Proline, Threonine, Isoleucine, Histidine, Phenylalanine, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Xanthan Gum, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Plant Ash
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
This ingredient is a lightweight emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping the skin prevent moisture loss.
It helps thicken a product's formula and makes it easier to spread by dissolving clumping compounds.
Caprylic Triglyceride is made by combining glycerin with coconut oil, forming a clear liquid. Though it behaves like an oil, it is not technically one due to its chemical composition. It is very stable, resistant to oxidation, and unlikely to go rancid. In practice, that translates to a long shelf life and a consistently elegant skin feel.
While there is an assumption Caprylic Triglyceride can clog pores due to it being derived from coconut oil, there is no research supporting this. Be sure to patch test if you have concerns.
Fractionated coconut oil and MCT Oil are both listed as Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride according to INCI. This is because INCI names are based on the ingredient’s final chemical composition and not its marketing name or source.
Learn more about Caprylic/Capric TriglycerideCetearyl 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 AlcoholEthylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about EthylhexylglycerinGlycerin (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 GlycerinStearyl Alcohol is a type of fatty alcohol from stearic acid. It is a white, waxy compound used to emulsify ingredients used as an emollient or to thicken a product.
Emollients help soothe and hydrate the skin by trapping moisture.
Fatty alcohols are usually derived from natural fats and oils and therefore do not have the same drying or irritating effect as solvent (ethanol) alcohols.
The FDA allows products labeled "alcohol-free" to have fatty alcohols.
Learn more about Stearyl AlcoholWater. 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
