What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Isopropyl PCA
HumectantGlycerin
Humectant
Behentrimonium Chloride
Preservative
Aminopropyl Dimethicone
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
Arginine
Masking
Glycine Hcl
BufferingHydroxyethyl Urea
Humectant
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Hydroxypropyl Starch
Steapyrium Chloride
AntimicrobialLysine Glutamate
Skin ConditioningUrea
Buffering
Saccharomyces Lysate Extract
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Conchiolin Protein
Skin ConditioningGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Amodimethicone
Isopropyl Alcohol
Solvent
Isosteareth-10
EmulsifyingPPG-2-Deceth-12
EmulsifyingDisodium EDTA
Ammonium Lactate
Buffering
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Carbonate
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Benzoic Acid
Masking
Parfum
Masking
Water, Propylene Glycol, Dipropylene Glycol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Isopropyl PCA, Glycerin, Behentrimonium Chloride, Aminopropyl Dimethicone, Sodium Lactate, Arginine, Glycine Hcl, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Lactic Acid, Hydroxypropyl Starch, Steapyrium Chloride, Lysine Glutamate, Urea, Saccharomyces Lysate Extract, Hydrolyzed Conchiolin Protein, Glyceryl Stearate, Tocopherol, Amodimethicone, Isopropyl Alcohol, Isosteareth-10, PPG-2-Deceth-12, Disodium EDTA, Ammonium Lactate, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Carbonate, Phenoxyethanol, Benzoic Acid, Parfum
Water
Skin ConditioningCyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Dimethiconol
Emollient
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Parfum
Masking
Cetrimonium Chloride
Antimicrobial
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingHydroxyethyl Urea
Humectant
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Snail Secretion Filtrate
Skin Conditioning
Hydrolyzed Keratin
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Collagen
Emollient
Hexyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Propylene Glycol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, Dimethiconol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Parfum, Cetrimonium Chloride, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Tocopheryl Acetate, Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil, Snail Secretion Filtrate, Hydrolyzed Keratin, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Hexyl Cinnamal, Limonene
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 AlcoholDimethicone is a type of synthetic silicone created from natural materials such as quartz. It is also known as polydimethylsiloxane.
What it does:
Dimethicone comes in different viscosities:
Depending on the viscosity, dimethicone has different properties.
Ingredients lists don't always show which type is used, so we recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the viscosity.
This ingredient is unlikely to cause irritation because it does not get absorbed into skin. However, people with silicone allergies should be careful about using this ingredient.
Note: Dimethicone may contribute to pilling. This is because it is not oil or water soluble, so pilling may occur when layered with products. When mixed with heavy oils in a formula, the outcome is also quite greasy.
Learn more about DimethiconeGlycerin (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 StearateParfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.
Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.
For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.
The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.
For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.
One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.
Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.
Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.
The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.
Learn more about ParfumPropylene Glycol is a synthetic, colorless, odorless liquid that has been a staple in cosmetics for decades. It is a skin conditioning agent, humectant, and solvent.
As a humectant, it draw water to the skin to reduce flaking and restore suppleness. It's also a solvent that helps dissolve other actives and keeps formulas stable across temperature changes.
The CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be nontoxic and clinical studies show no sensitization at cosmetic use concentrations.
True allergic reactions are quite rare: a 15-year retrospective study of 6,751 patients found only 0.31% had a positive reaction (and less than half were considered clinically relevant).
It seemed that when sensitization does occur, it's most commonly linked to topical medication (like corticosteroids) and not cosmetics. Allergic contact dermatitis also appears largely limited to individuals with underlying skin conditions.
Overall, propylene glycol is a well-studied ingredient that most people can tolerate without issue.
Learn more about Propylene GlycolWater. 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
