What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Cyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Sodium Polyacrylate
Absorbent
Dimethicone
Emollient
Trideceth-6
EmulsifyingPEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone
Emulsifying
Glycerin
Humectant
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Dicetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingCeteth-10 Phosphate
CleansingSaccharide Isomerate
Humectant
Avena Sativa Bran Extract
Abrasive
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingCetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Citrate
BufferingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingBHT
Antioxidant
Disodium EDTA
Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cyclopentasiloxane, Sodium Polyacrylate, Dimethicone, Trideceth-6, PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone, Glycerin, Salicylic Acid, Cetearyl Alcohol, Dicetyl Phosphate, Ceteth-10 Phosphate, Saccharide Isomerate, Avena Sativa Bran Extract, Carbomer, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Hydroxide, BHT, Disodium EDTA
Water
Skin ConditioningNiacinamide
Smoothing
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Enantia Chlorantha Bark Extract
Skin ConditioningOleanolic Acid
Skin ConditioningEthylhexyl Palmitate
Emollient
Sorbitan Oleate
Emulsifying
Sorbitan Laurate
Emulsifying
Myristyl Malate Phosphonic Acid
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Isononyl Isononanoate
EmollientHydroxyethyl Acrylate/Methoxyethyl Acrylate Copolymer
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Cetyl Palmitate
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningZinc PCA
Humectant
Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Emulsion StabilisingMagnesium Aspartate
Skin ConditioningZinc Gluconate
Skin Conditioning
Copper Gluconate
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingCaesalpinia Spinosa Gum
Skin ConditioningDisodium EDTA
Triethanolamine
BufferingWater, Niacinamide, Butylene Glycol, Enantia Chlorantha Bark Extract, Oleanolic Acid, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Sorbitan Oleate, Sorbitan Laurate, Myristyl Malate Phosphonic Acid, Glycerin, Isononyl Isononanoate, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Methoxyethyl Acrylate Copolymer, Cetearyl Alcohol, Coco-Glucoside, PEG-100 Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetyl Palmitate, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Zinc PCA, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Magnesium Aspartate, Zinc Gluconate, Copper Gluconate, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Caesalpinia Spinosa Gum, Disodium EDTA, Triethanolamine
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 AlcoholDisodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).
Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAEthylhexylglycerin 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 GlycerinPhenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.
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
