What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Olivate
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Cetyl Palmitate
Emollient
Sorbitan Palmitate
Emulsifying
Matrixyl 3000
Cetyl Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Silicone Quaternium-16
Skin Conditioning
Undeceth-11
EmollientButyloctanol
HumectantUndeceth-5
EmulsifyingGlycerin
Humectant
Thermus Thermophillus Ferment
Skin ConditioningTheobroma Cacao Seed Butter
Emollient
Sodium Polyacrylate
Absorbent
Parfum
Masking
Water, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Cetyl Palmitate, Sorbitan Palmitate, Matrixyl 3000, Cetyl Hydroxyethylcellulose, Cetearyl Alcohol, Silicone Quaternium-16, Undeceth-11, Butyloctanol, Undeceth-5, Glycerin, Thermus Thermophillus Ferment, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Sodium Polyacrylate, Parfum
Water
Skin ConditioningCitrullus Lanatus Seed Oil
Emollient
Squalane
Emollient
Triolein
Skin Conditioning
Musa Sapientum Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Betaine
Humectant
Cetearyl Olivate
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Crambe Abyssinica Seed Oil Phytosterol Esters
Emulsifying
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Jojoba Esters
Emollient
Selaginella Lepidophylla Extract
EmollientCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetyl Palmitate
Emollient
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Nicotiana Benthamiana Hexapeptide-40 Sh-Polypeptide-76
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Salix Alba Bark Extract
Astringent
Genipa Americana Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningSorbitan Palmitate
Emulsifying
Sorbitan Oleate
Emulsifying
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCitric Acid
Buffering
Water, Citrullus Lanatus Seed Oil, Squalane, Triolein, Musa Sapientum Leaf Extract, Glycerin, Betaine, Cetearyl Olivate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Crambe Abyssinica Seed Oil Phytosterol Esters, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Jojoba Esters, Selaginella Lepidophylla Extract, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Palmitate, Sorbitan Olivate, Nicotiana Benthamiana Hexapeptide-40 Sh-Polypeptide-76, Butylene Glycol, Salix Alba Bark Extract, Genipa Americana Fruit Extract, Sorbitan Palmitate, Sorbitan Oleate, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid
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 AlcoholCetearyl Olivate is an emulsifier and texture enhancer. It is derived from the fatty acids of olive oil and Cetearyl alcohol, and is biodegradable.
As an emulsifier, it is used to prevent oils and waters from separating. It can also
This ingredient is also known as part of Olivem 1000, with Sorbitan Olivate being the other part.
According to a manufacturer, this ingredient helps preserve the natural microbiome of skin. Having a healthy microbiome helps keep our skin healthy and protects against harmful bacteria.
Please note, having a healthy microbiome is different from fungal acne; a healthy microbiome includes small amounts of yeast that normally live on your skin without causing problems.
Fungal acne happens when one type of yeast (Malassezia) grows out of control. This is usually because it's feeding on certain oils or fatty acids. Due to the olive oil base, this ingredient may feed that yeast, so it may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Cetearyl OlivateCetyl Palmitate is a wax-like substance.
It comes from palmitic acid and palmityl alcohol. Cetyl Palmitate may not be safe for Malassezia folliculitis, or fungal-acne.
This ingredient is naturally found in the guava fruit and stony corals.
Learn more about Cetyl PalmitateGlycerin (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 GlycerinSorbitan Olivate is created from the fatty acids in olive oil and sorbitol.
This ingredient is an oil in water emulsifier. It helps stabilize a product by preventing oils and waters from separating. Sorbitan Olivate also helps hydrate the skin.
This ingredient is also known as part of Olivem 1000, with Cetearyl Olivate being the other part.
According to a manufacturer, this ingredient helps preserve the natural microbiome of skin. Having a healthy microbiome helps keep our skin healthy and protects against harmful bacteria.
Please note, having a healthy microbiome is different from fungal acne; a healthy microbiome includes small amounts of yeast that normally live on your skin without causing problems.
Fungal acne happens when one type of yeast (Malassezia) grows out of control. This is usually because it's feeding on certain oils or fatty acids. Due to the olive oil base, this ingredient may feed that yeast, so it may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Sorbitan OlivateSorbitan Palmitate is an emulsifier.
It is created by reacting sorbitol with palmitic acid.
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
