What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
Solvent
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Betaine
Humectant
Cyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate
EmollientIsododecane
EmollientSqualane
Emollient
3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate
Emulsifying
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5
Skin Conditioning
Polyacrylate-13
Polyisobutene
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Glyceryl Stearate Citrate
Emollient
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Xylitylglucoside
Humectant
Anhydroxylitol
Humectant
Xylitol
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingTriethanolamine
BufferingSodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningWater, Propanediol, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Niacinamide, Betaine, Cyclopentasiloxane, Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate, Isododecane, Squalane, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Ceramide NP, PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Polyacrylate-13, Polyisobutene, Polysorbate 20, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Centella Asiatica Extract, Xylitylglucoside, Anhydroxylitol, Xylitol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Allantoin, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Triethanolamine, Sodium Gluconate
Water
Skin ConditioningButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Isopropyl Myristate
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Arginine
Masking
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Cholesterol
Emollient
Glycine Soja Hull
Abrasive
Ceramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Polyacrylate
Absorbent
Triethanolamine
BufferingSodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Lauroyl Lactylate
EmulsifyingSodium Benzoate
Masking
Water, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Centella Asiatica Extract, Isopropyl Myristate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Bisabolol, Arginine, Stearic Acid, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Phytosphingosine, Cholesterol, Glycine Soja Hull, Ceramide EOP, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Polyacrylate, Triethanolamine, Sodium Gluconate, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Xanthan Gum, Carbomer, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Sodium Benzoate
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Centella Asiatica Extract (Centella) is derived from an herb native to Southeast Asia. It is famous for its anti-inflammatory and soothing properties.
Centella is rich in antioxidants and amino acids, such as Madecassic Acid and Asiaticoside.
Studies show the compounds in centella help with:
The combination of all these properties makes centella effective at soothing, hydrating, and protecting the skin.
Other great components of centella include Vitamin A, vitamin C, several B vitamins, and Asiatic Acid.
Fun fact: Centella has been used as a medicine and in food for many centuries. As a medicine, it is used to treat burns, scratches, and wounds.
Learn more about Centella Asiatica ExtractCeramide NP (formerly known as Ceramide 3) is one of the skin's naturally occurring lipids.
Since ceramides are the major lipid components of the skin, they are crucial for maintaining skin barrier and hydration. Ceramide NP most closely mirrors the dominant kind in human skin amongst ceramide subtypes.
This ceramide works by slotting into gaps within the stratum corneum's lipid matrix to limit trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) and shield the skin against external irritants.
A study with 312 patients found that using a ceramide-containing routine for 4 weeks reduced the severity of atopic dermatitis by over 61%.
Another clinical study in subjects aged 60 and older found that a ceramide body wash and moisturizer improved skin dryness and itchy skin in 15 days.
Overall, ceramides are considered non-irritating and safety tests have found little to no observable adverse effects from using this ingredient.
Ceramide NP is usually sourced from plants (like soybean or rice bran), or produced synthetically.
Learn more about Ceramide NPCetearyl 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 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 EthylhexylglycerinGlyceryl 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 StearatePhenoxyethanol 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.
This is the synthetic salt of gluconic acid, a form of PHA and mild exfoliant.
It is mainly used to stabilize oil and butter formulations from going bad. Sodium gluconate is a humectant, pH regulator, and chelating agent.
Chelating agents help neutralize unwanted metals from affecting the formulation.
Sodium gluconate is water-soluble.
Learn more about Sodium GluconateTriethanolamine (TEA) is an emulsifier and pH adjuster. It is created using ethylene oxide and ammonia. This gives Triethanolamine a nitrogen core and a similar scent to ammonia.
As an emulsifier, it prevents ingredients from separating and enhances texture by adding volume to a product.
PH adjusters are common in cosmetic products. The pH of a product can affect the effectiveness of other ingredients. A product with a high pH may also irritate the skin.
If you are looking for the tea leaf ingredient, click here.
Learn more about TriethanolamineWater. 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
