General Moisturizer
General Moisturizer
American United States
American United States

What's inside

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Show highlights for:

Water

Skin Conditioning

Butyrospermum Parkii Butter

Skin Conditioning
Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Barrier Repair IconBad for Acne Prone Skin IconMay worsen Oily Skin IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Glycerin

Humectant
0 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Scar Healing IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Bis-Stearyl Dimethicone

Emollient
Silicon Icon

Myristyl Nicotinate

Skin Conditioning

Trimethylolpropane Tricaprylate/Tricaprate

Emollient

Cetearyl Alcohol

Emollient
2 / 1 Fatty Alcohol IconCoconut Derived IconBad for Acne Prone Skin IconMay worsen Oily Skin IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Isononyl Isononanoate

Emollient

Behenyl Alcohol

Emollient
Fatty Alcohol Icon

Propanediol

Solvent
Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Masking
Coconut Derived IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Glyceryl Stearate

Emollient
1 / 0 Not safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Oryza Sativa Bran Extract

Skin Conditioning
Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Helianthus Annuus Extract

Emollient
Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Adenosine

Skin Conditioning
Helps with Anti-Aging IconHelps reduce irritation IconGood for Scar Healing Icon

Arctostaphylos Uva Ursi Leaf Extract

Skin Conditioning
Good for Dark Spots Icon

Oryza Sativa Extract

Absorbent
Helps with Anti-Aging IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps reduce irritation IconGood for Dark Spots Icon

Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract

Antimicrobial

Nannochloropsis Oculata Extract

Humectant

Acmella Oleracea Extract

Skin Protecting

Oryza Sativa Germ Extract

Emollient

Acetyl Dipeptide-1 Cetyl Ester

Skin Conditioning
Peptide IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconHelps reduce irritation IconHelps reduce Skin Redness Icon

Glycine Soja Oil

Emollient
3 / 0 Oil IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps reduce irritation IconGood for Dark Spots IconBad for Acne Prone Skin IconMay worsen Oily Skin IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Pentapeptide-76 Amide

Peptide Icon

Butylene Glycol

Humectant
1 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

Emulsion Stabilising

Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate

Emulsifying
4 / 0 Bad for Acne Prone Skin IconMay worsen Oily Skin IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer

Emulsion Stabilising

Ceteareth-20

Cleansing
2 / 3

Sorghum Bicolor Stalk Juice

Skin Conditioning

Sclareolide

Masking
Fragrance Icon

Pentylene Glycol

Skin Conditioning
Good for Barrier Repair Icon

Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate

Polyisobutene

Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonate

Emulsion Stabilising

Hydrated Silica

Abrasive
Exfoliant Icon

Ethylhexyl Isononanoate

Emollient

1,2-Hexanediol

Skin Conditioning
Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Pullulan

Caprylhydroxamic Acid

Beta-Glucan

Skin Conditioning
Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps reduce irritation IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconGood for Scar Healing IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Caprylyl Glycol

Emollient
Fatty Alcohol Icon

Sorbitan Oleate

Emulsifying
3 / 0 Bad for Acne Prone Skin IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Hydroxyethylcellulose

Emulsion Stabilising

Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside

Cleansing

Sorbitan Laurate

Emulsifying
1-2 / 1-2 Not safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Tocopherol

Antioxidant
0-3 / 0-3 Vitamin E IconAntioxidant IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps brighten skin IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconGood for Dark Spots IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

PEG-40 Stearate

Emulsifying
Not safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Parfum

Masking
Synthetic Fragrance IconFragrance IconMay worsen Eczema IconMay worsen Rosacea Icon

Aminomethyl Propanol

Buffering

Potassium Sorbate

Preservative
Preservative Icon

Sodium Benzoate

Masking
Preservative Icon

Citric Acid

Buffering
AHA IconHelps brighten skin IconMay worsen Rosacea Icon

Limonene

Perfuming
Fragrance IconMay worsen Eczema IconMay cause irritation IconMay worsen Rosacea IconEU Allergen Icon

Reviews

4.50
Overall rating
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Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

Masking, Skin Conditioning

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 Triglyceride
Emollient, Emulsifying, Emulsion Stabilising

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 Alcohol
Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting

Glycerin (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 Glycerin
Solvent

Propanediol is an all-star ingredient. It softens, hydrates, and smooths the skin. 

It’s often used to:

Propanediol is not likely to cause sensitivity and considered safe to use. It is derived from corn or petroleum with a clear color and no scent.

Learn more about Propanediol
Masking, Preservative

Sodium Benzoate is a preservative. It's used in both cosmetic and food products to inhibit the growth of mold and bacteria. It is typically produced synthetically.

Both the US FDA and EU Health Committee have approved the use of sodium benzoate. In the US, levels of 0.1% (of the total product) are allowed.

Sodium benzoate works as a preservative by inhibiting the growth of bacteria inside of cells. It prevents the cell from fermenting a type of sugar using an enzyme called phosphofructokinase.

It is the salt of benzoic acid. Foods containing sodium benzoate include soda, salad dressings, condiments, fruit juices, wines, and snack foods.

Studies for using ascorbic acid and sodium benzoate in cosmetics are lacking, especially in skincare routines with multiple steps.

We always recommend speaking with a professional, such as a dermatologist, if you have any concerns.

Learn more about Sodium Benzoate
Antioxidant, Masking, Skin Conditioning

Tocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.

You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.

Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.

It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.

This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.

This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.

In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.

Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.

Learn more about Tocopherol
Skin Conditioning, Solvent

Water. 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

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