What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningMyristic Acid
Cleansing
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingGlycerin
Humectant
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingOlea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Salvia Officinalis Leaf Extract
CleansingArnica Montana Flower Extract
Masking
Hydrastis Canadensis Extract
MaskingEquisetum Hyemale Extract
Skin ConditioningAlchemilla Vulgaris Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract
AstringentCymbopogon Schoenanthus Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningCitrus Aurantifolia Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningCitrus Aurantium Dulcis Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningSaponaria Officinalis Root Extract
Skin ConditioningNasturtium Officinale Flower/Leaf Extract
AntiseborrhoeicPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningWater, Myristic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Glycerin, Stearic Acid, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Allantoin, Salvia Officinalis Leaf Extract, Arnica Montana Flower Extract, Hydrastis Canadensis Extract, Equisetum Hyemale Extract, Alchemilla Vulgaris Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Cymbopogon Schoenanthus Leaf Extract, Citrus Aurantifolia Fruit Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Flower Extract, Saponaria Officinalis Root Extract, Nasturtium Officinale Flower/Leaf Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin
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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 GlycerinStearic 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 AcidWater. 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
