What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Menthol
Masking
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Propanediol
Solvent
Cyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialCeramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide As
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide Ns
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Cholesterol
Emollient
PCA
Humectant
Saccharide Isomerate
Humectant
Arginine
Masking
Phytosteryl/Octyldodecyl Lauroyl Glutamate
Skin ConditioningCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Cyclohexasiloxane
Emollient
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Carbomer
Emulsion Stabilising1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantCitric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Citrate
BufferingTropolone
Skin ConditioningHydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Water, Glycerin, Menthol, Cetyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Palmitic Acid, Propanediol, Cyclopentasiloxane, Stearic Acid, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide As, Ceramide Ns, Ceramide EOP, Cholesterol, PCA, Saccharide Isomerate, Arginine, Phytosteryl/Octyldodecyl Lauroyl Glutamate, Caprylyl Glycol, Cyclohexasiloxane, Cetearyl Glucoside, Carbomer, 1,2-Hexanediol, Dipropylene Glycol, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Tropolone, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Glyceryl Stearate
Water
Skin ConditioningGluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Isopropyl Myristate
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingAmmonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Dimethicone
Emollient
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialIsohexadecane
EmollientGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Ceteth-10 Phosphate
CleansingDicetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingParfum
Masking
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingDisodium EDTA
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder
Skin Conditioning
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Glyceryl Glucoside
Humectant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Alanine
Masking
Arginine
Masking
Aspartic Acid
Masking
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Chondrus Crispus Extract
Skin Conditioning
Cysteine
Antioxidant
Glucose
Humectant
Glutamic Acid
Humectant
Glycine
Buffering
Histidine
Humectant
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate
Skin Conditioning
Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate
Isoleucine
Skin ConditioningLeucine
Skin ConditioningLysine
Skin ConditioningMethionine
Skin ConditioningPhenylalanine
Masking
Potassium Hyaluronate
Skin ConditioningProline
Skin Conditioning
Serine
Masking
Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
Humectant
Threonine
Tyrosine
MaskingValine
MaskingWater, Gluconolactone, Glycerin, Isopropyl Myristate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Potassium Hydroxide, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Salicylic Acid, Dimethicone, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Isohexadecane, Glyceryl Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, PEG-100 Stearate, Ceteth-10 Phosphate, Dicetyl Phosphate, Parfum, Chlorphenesin, Xanthan Gum, Disodium EDTA, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Tocopheryl Acetate, Glyceryl Glucoside, 1,2-Hexanediol, Alanine, Arginine, Aspartic Acid, Butylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Cysteine, Glucose, Glutamic Acid, Glycine, Histidine, Hyaluronic Acid, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, Potassium Hyaluronate, Proline, Serine, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Threonine, Tyrosine, Valine
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.
It is a:
- Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
- Emollient, helping to soften skin
- Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
- Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives
Arginine is a semi-essential amino acid. This just means our bodies can product a bit on its own, but sometimes needs a little boost from food sources.
It is a part of your skin's natural moisturizing factor (NMF), or the water-loving molecules in your outermost layer of skin (stratum corneum) that keeps everything hydrated and happy.
Here's an interesting thing about Arginine: your skin converts it into urea through the Krebs-Henseleit urea cycle. Urea is one of the most effective humectants your skin naturally produces.
A clinical study showed applying 2.5% arginine hydrochloride to atopic dermatitis skin showed significant urea levels in the stratum corneum and improved moisture in just four weeks.
Arginine is also a precursor to nitric oxide; nitric oxide improves microcirculation and supports wound healing and collagen synthesis.
One study found that an amino acid complex containing Arginine reduced skin irritation, improved hydration, and accelerated skin repair in clinical / in-vivo studies.
Arginine itself is an amino acid and not a fatty acid, oil, or ester. On its own, it's not a direct food source for Malassezia, or the yeast that causes fungal acne.
Learn more about ArginineC12-15 Alkyl Benzoate is a lightweight emollient made by combinig benzoic acid with fatty alcohols that are 12-15 carbons long.
In cosmetics, it plays several roles:
The Cosmetic Review Expert Panel has concluded the alkyl benzoate group to be safe as used in cosmetics; it wasn't found to be a skin irritant and unlikely to be absorbed due to its low water solubility.
This report recorded almost 1000 reported uses with concentrations up to 59% in leave-on products but your cosmetics will typically use 0.5-15% depending on the product.
It's often called a "SPF booster": this is because it keeps UV filters properly dissolved and evenly distributed to support a sunscreen's performance. It doesn't actually raise SPF on its own.
Overall, this ingredient is well tolerated.
This ingredient is fungal acne safe because it is an ester of benzoic acid.
Think of this ingredient as two parts stuck together: an oily part and an acid part. Malassezia only gets a meal when it can snip off a fatty acid to eat. With C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, the acid part is benzoic acid, which isn't a fatty acid and which the yeast can't use as food.
Benzoic acid is actually used as a preservative to stop yeast from growing.
The oily part is a blend of C12-15 fatty alcohols but fatty alcohols in this size range can support only a little Malassezia growth (mostly for one species of Malassezia as well).
In the ingredient, those alcohols stay locked inside the molecule. The yeast can only reach them by snipping the benzoate bond, and that type of bond is harder for it to cut than a normal fatty bond.
So not much gets released. And whatever does get snipped comes packaged with benzoic acid, which discourages yeast growth.
Learn more about C12-15 Alkyl BenzoateCaprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolCetearyl 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.
A 2019 study has also observed Malassezia growth in the presence of this ingredient, confirming it to be not-fungal acne safe.
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 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 StearateWater. 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
