What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
C13-15 Alkane
SolventBehentrimonium Chloride
Preservative
Polyglyceryl-3 Betainate Acetate
Squalane
Emollient
Jojoba Esters
Emollient
Hydroxyethyl Diethylenetriamine Dioleamide/Palmitamide
Linoleamidopropyl Dimethylamine Dimer Dilinoleate
Skin ConditioningPolyglycerin-3
Humectant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Wax
Skin Conditioning
Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters
Skin Conditioning
Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate
Emulsifying
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Ethyl Lauroyl Arginate Hcl
Skin ConditioningPhytantriol
HumectantFurcellaria Lumbricalis Extract
Skin ConditioningHydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingHydroxypropyl Methylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingLactic Acid
Buffering
Parfum
Masking
Linalool
Perfuming
Hexyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Citronellol
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, C13-15 Alkane, Behentrimonium Chloride, Polyglyceryl-3 Betainate Acetate, Squalane, Jojoba Esters, Hydroxyethyl Diethylenetriamine Dioleamide/Palmitamide, Linoleamidopropyl Dimethylamine Dimer Dilinoleate, Polyglycerin-3, Helianthus Annuus Seed Wax, Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethyl Lauroyl Arginate Hcl, Phytantriol, Furcellaria Lumbricalis Extract, Hydroxyacetophenone, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Glycerin, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Lactic Acid, Parfum, Linalool, Hexyl Cinnamal, Citronellol, Limonene
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Caprylyl 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 or alcohol, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolCetearyl 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 AlcoholGlycerin (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 GlycerinWater. 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
