What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningParaffin
Perfuming
Synthetic Beeswax
Emulsion Stabilising
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Acacia Senegal Gum
MaskingButylene Glycol
Humectant
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Polybutene
Oryza Sativa Bran Wax
Skin Conditioning
Ozokerite
Emulsion StabilisingHydrogenated Vegetable Oil
Emollient
Vp/Eicosene Copolymer
Copernicia Cerifera Wax
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Stearyl Stearate
Emollient
Acetyl Hexapeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Trimethylpentanediol/Adipic Acid/Glycerin Crosspolymer
Skin ConditioningHydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingDisodium EDTA
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
Polyester-11
Skin ConditioningLauric Acid
Cleansing
Oleic Acid
Emollient
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Disodium Phosphate
BufferingAminomethyl Propanol
BufferingSodium Phosphate
BufferingDextran
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
CI 77499
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77492
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Paraffin, Synthetic Beeswax, Glyceryl Stearate, Acacia Senegal Gum, Butylene Glycol, Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Polybutene, Oryza Sativa Bran Wax, Ozokerite, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Vp/Eicosene Copolymer, Copernicia Cerifera Wax, Tocopherol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Glycerin, Stearyl Stearate, Acetyl Hexapeptide-1, Trimethylpentanediol/Adipic Acid/Glycerin Crosspolymer, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Disodium EDTA, Myristic Acid, Polyester-11, Lauric Acid, Oleic Acid, Polysorbate 60, Disodium Phosphate, Aminomethyl Propanol, Sodium Phosphate, Dextran, Phenoxyethanol, CI 77499, CI 77491, CI 77492
Water
Skin ConditioningCopernicia Cerifera Cera
Emollient
Tribehenin
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Oryza Sativa Bran Wax
Skin Conditioning
Pvp
Emulsion StabilisingStearic Acid
Cleansing
Vp/Eicosene Copolymer
Glycerin
Humectant
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
Trimethylpentanediol/Adipic Acid/Glycerin Crosspolymer
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Caesalpinia Spinosa Gum
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
Antioxidant
Ascorbyl Palmitate
Antioxidant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Cellulose
Absorbent
Sorbitan Sesquioleate
Emulsifying
Aminomethyl Propanediol
BufferingVp/Hexadecene Copolymer
Hexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Iron Oxides
Water, Copernicia Cerifera Cera, Tribehenin, Glyceryl Stearate, Oryza Sativa Bran Wax, Pvp, Stearic Acid, Vp/Eicosene Copolymer, Glycerin, Myristic Acid, Trimethylpentanediol/Adipic Acid/Glycerin Crosspolymer, Sodium Hyaluronate, Caesalpinia Spinosa Gum, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Panthenol, Cellulose, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Aminomethyl Propanediol, Vp/Hexadecene Copolymer, Hexylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Iron Oxides
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Glycerin (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 StearateMyristic Acid is a saturated fatty acid. It is naturally found in milk fat. Other sources include palm oil, coconut oil, and butter fat.
Myristic Acid is an emulsifer and cleanser. As an emulsifer, it stabilizes a product by preventing ingredients from separating. Myristic Acid helps clean your skin by acting as a surfactant. It tends to gather oil and dirt on your skin to be easily rinsed away.
One study from 2021 found Myristic Acid to have anti-inflammatory properties.
Learn more about Myristic AcidOryza Sativa Bran Wax is wax from the outer layer of a rice kernel. It has moisturizing properties due to its polysaccharides and omega-3 fatty acids content.
This ingredient is a byproduct of milling rice, or the operation to produce a whole grain rice product.
Phenoxyethanol 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.
Stearic Acid is a fatty acid that is already found in your skin. It's one of the free fatty acids that works alongside ceramides and cholesterols to maintain your barrier.
In cosmetics, it is a multitasker:
Safety-wise, the CIR Expert Panel has concluded it to be safe in cosmetics when formulated to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing.
Free stearic acid is a C18 fatty acid that the Malassezia yeast can substrate, so this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Stearic AcidTocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.
You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.
Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.
It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.
This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.
This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.
In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.
Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.
Learn more about TocopherolWe don't have a description for Trimethylpentanediol/Adipic Acid/Glycerin Crosspolymer yet.
We don't have a description for Vp/Eicosene Copolymer yet.
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
