What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSynthetic Beeswax
Emulsion StabilisingAcacia Senegal Gum
MaskingStearic Acid
CleansingPalmitic Acid
EmollientCopernicia Cerifera Wax
Butylene Glycol
HumectantGlyceryl Stearate
EmollientPolybutene
Vp/Eicosene Copolymer
Aminomethyl Propanol
BufferingPentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeCaprylyl Glycol
EmollientSodium Dehydroacetate
PreservativePotassium Sorbate
PreservativeHydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingSoluble Collagen
HumectantMyristic Acid
CleansingArachidic Acid
CleansingBehenic Acid
CleansingGlycerin
HumectantPropylene Glycol
HumectantOleic Acid
EmollientMel Extract
MoisturisingSodium PCA
HumectantHydrolyzed Elastin
EmollientGlycogen
HumectantSerine
MaskingCI 77499
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Synthetic Beeswax, Acacia Senegal Gum, Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Copernicia Cerifera Wax, Butylene Glycol, Glyceryl Stearate, Polybutene, Vp/Eicosene Copolymer, Aminomethyl Propanol, Pentylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Potassium Sorbate, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Soluble Collagen, Myristic Acid, Arachidic Acid, Behenic Acid, Glycerin, Propylene Glycol, Oleic Acid, Mel Extract, Sodium PCA, Hydrolyzed Elastin, Glycogen, Serine, CI 77499
Water
Skin ConditioningParaffin
Skin ConditioningPotassium Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingCopernicia Cerifera Cera
EmollientEthylene/Acrylic Acid Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingStyrene/Acrylates/Ammonium Methacrylate Copolymer
Beeswax
Emulsion StabilisingSynthetic Beeswax
Emulsion StabilisingBis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2
EmollientPolybutene
Cetyl Alcohol
EmollientSteareth-20
CleansingGlyceryl Dibehenate
EmollientSteareth-2
EmulsifyingTribehenin
EmollientAcacia Senegal Gum
MaskingGlyceryl Behenate
EmollientSodium Laureth Sulfate
CleansingDisodium EDTA
Propylene Glycol
HumectantHydrogenated Jojoba Oil
AbrasiveHydrogenated Palm Oil
EmollientHydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingCaprylyl Glycol
EmollientTetrasodium EDTA
Trisodium EDTA
Soluble Collagen
HumectantButylene Glycol
HumectantBHT
AntioxidantPotassium Sorbate
PreservativeSodium Dehydroacetate
PreservativePhenoxyethanol
PreservativeCI 77499
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Paraffin, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Copernicia Cerifera Cera, Ethylene/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Styrene/Acrylates/Ammonium Methacrylate Copolymer, Beeswax, Synthetic Beeswax, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Polybutene, Cetyl Alcohol, Steareth-20, Glyceryl Dibehenate, Steareth-2, Tribehenin, Acacia Senegal Gum, Glyceryl Behenate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Disodium EDTA, Propylene Glycol, Hydrogenated Jojoba Oil, Hydrogenated Palm Oil, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Caprylyl Glycol, Tetrasodium EDTA, Trisodium EDTA, Soluble Collagen, Butylene Glycol, BHT, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Phenoxyethanol, CI 77499
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Acacia Senegal Gum has skin soothing, thickening, and formulation stabilizing properties. It comes from the Acacia tree that is native to sub-Saharan Africa.
Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.
Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.
Learn more about Butylene GlycolCaprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolCi 77499 is also hydrated iron III oxide. It is created from mixing red and black iron oxides. This helps give shades of darkness to a product.
Iron III oxides are classified as inorganic chemicals for coloring.
Hydroxyethylcellulose is used to improve the texture of products. It is created from a chemical reaction involving ethylene oxide and alkali-cellulose. Cellulose is a sugar found in plant cell walls and help give plants structure.
This ingredient helps stabilize products by preventing ingredients from separating. It can also help thicken the texture of a product.
This ingredient can also be found in pill medicines to help our bodies digest other ingredients.
Learn more about HydroxyethylcellulosePhenoxyethanol 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.
Polybutene is used to help control the viscosity of a product. This just means it helps adjusts the texture.
It is a polymer and does not get absorbed into the skin due to its large size.
Studies found this ingredient did not irritate skin in concentrations below 15%.
Learn more about PolybutenePotassium Sorbate is a preservative used to prevent yeast and mold in products. It is commonly found in both cosmetic and food products.
This ingredient comes from potassium salt derived from sorbic acid. Sorbic acid is a natural antibiotic and effective against fungus.
Both potassium sorbate and sorbic acid can be found in baked goods, cheeses, dried meats, dried fruit, ice cream, pickles, wine, yogurt, and more.
You'll often find this ingredient used with other preservatives.
Learn more about Potassium SorbatePropylene 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 GlycolSodium Dehydroacetate is a synthetic preservative and sodium salt form of dehydroacetic acid. It stops bacteria, mold, and yeast from growing in your products at low concentrations.
Clinical testing found it to be non-irritating, non-sensitizing, and non-photosensitizing. It's also not significantly absorbed through skin.
There are a very small number of reported cases of contact dermatitis in cases linked to wound-care creams used over compromised skin (rather than skincare).
Overall, this is a well-studied and low-risk preservative just doing its job.
Typical concentrations run up to 0.6%, which is also the maximum amount permitted under both EU CosIng regulations and US FDA guidelines.
Learn more about Sodium DehydroacetateSoluble collagen is a large, water-loving protein typically extracted from cattle hides or marine sources like fish skin.
In cosmetics, it works purely as a humectant and film-former.
Despite the marketing that surrounds the word "collagen", its molecule is far too large to penetrate skin so it can't rebuild the collagen in your dermis.
Instead, it sits on the surface and binds water to help reduce transepidermal water loss and leave skin feeling soft, plump, and temporarily tightened.
Suppliers commonly recommend using it around 3-6% though industry data shows concentrations are often much lower (down to a fraction of a percent).
This ingredient has been found safe to use in cosmetics with no reported irritation, sensitization, or phototoxicity.
Learn more about Soluble CollagenSynthetic beeswax is created to be identical in structure to beeswax without involving bees, making it a go-to for vegan formulas.
It's mainly used an an emulsion stabilizer and thickener.
This ingredient (alongside other synthetic waxes) have been concluded to be safe in cosmetics under the present practices.
Reported usage goes up to 18% and it is non-sensitizing.
Just one caveat for fungal acne: This ingredient is made up of C16-32 fatty acids and fatty acid esters. Part of this overlaps with the C11-24 range that the Malassezia yeast can feed on, so it's not fungal-acne safe.
Learn more about Synthetic BeeswaxWater. 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