What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningParaffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Petrolatum
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingMethylparaben
Preservative
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingPropylparaben
Preservative
Xanthophylls
Skin ConditioningDisodium EDTA
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPotassium Carbonate
BufferingRetinyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
BHT
Antioxidant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Water, Paraffinum Liquidum, Glycerin, Petrolatum, Stearic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Hydroxide, Methylparaben, Carbomer, Propylparaben, Xanthophylls, Disodium EDTA, Xanthan Gum, Potassium Carbonate, Retinyl Palmitate, Panthenol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Tocopherol, BHT, Citric Acid
Water
Skin ConditioningHydroxyethyl Urea
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Petrolatum
Emollient
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Steareth-21
CleansingJojoba Esters
Emollient
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Distearyldimonium Chloride
Stearamidopropyl Pg-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate
Ceramide Ng
Skin Conditioning
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Methyl Gluceth-20
Humectant
Behentrimonium Methosulfate
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters
Skin Conditioning
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Silk Amino Acids
HumectantPotassium Hydroxide
BufferingC12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialTribehenin
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Citric Acid
Buffering
PEG-10 Phytosterol
EmulsifyingParfum
Masking
EDTA
Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12
Skin Conditioning
Water, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Glycerin, Stearyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Petrolatum, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Steareth-21, Jojoba Esters, Tocopheryl Acetate, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Niacinamide, Panthenol, Distearyldimonium Chloride, Stearamidopropyl Pg-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate, Ceramide Ng, Polysorbate 60, Methyl Gluceth-20, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Propylene Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters, Hydroxyacetophenone, Silk Amino Acids, Potassium Hydroxide, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Tribehenin, Butylene Glycol, Citric Acid, PEG-10 Phytosterol, Parfum, EDTA, Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Cetyl Alcohol is a fatty alcohol. Fatty Alcohols are most often used as an emollient or to thicken a product.
Its main roles are:
Though it has "alcohol" in the name, it is not related to denatured alcohol or ethyl alcohol.
The FDA allows products labeled "alcohol-free" to have fatty alcohols.
Learn more about Cetyl AlcoholCitric Acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) naturally found in citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes.
Like other AHAs, citric acid can exfoliate skin by breaking down the bonds that hold dead skin cells together. This helps reveal smoother and brighter skin underneath.
However, this exfoliating effect only happens at high concentrations (20%) which can be hard to find in cosmetic products.
Due to this, citric acid is usually included in small amounts as a pH adjuster. This helps keep products slightly more acidic and compatible with skin's natural pH.
In skincare formulas, citric acid can:
While it can provide some skin benefits, research shows lactic acid and glycolic acid are generally more effective and less irritating exfoliants.
Most citric acid used in skincare today is made by fermenting sugars (usually from molasses). This synthetic version is identical to the natural citrus form but easier to stabilize and use in formulations.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Citric AcidGlycerin (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 StearatePanthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It is found naturally in our skin and hair.
There are two forms of panthenol: D and L.
D-panthenol is also known as dexpanthenol. Most cosmetics use dexpanthenol or a mixture of D and L-panthenol.
Panthenol is famous due to its ability to go deeper into the skin's layers. Using this ingredient has numerous pros (and no cons):
Like hyaluronic acid, panthenol is a humectant. Humectants are able to bind and hold large amounts of water to keep skin hydrated.
This ingredient works well for wound healing. It works by increasing tissue in the wound and helps close open wounds.
Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.
This ingredient is also referred to as pro-vitamin B5.
Learn more about PanthenolPetrolatum is more commonly known as petroleum jelly. It is created by mixing waxes and mineral oils.
This ingredient is effective at reducing water loss by 99%. This is because it is an occlusive. Occlusives create a hydrophobic barrier on the skin to prevent evaporation. This property makes it great for hydrating dry skin.
Pro tip: Use occlusives, such as this ingredient, on damp skin for the best results.
The quality or origin of petrolatum is only known when disclosed by the brand. Most cosmetic petrolatum has gone through several purification stages.
Another benefit of occlusives is it protects your skin against infection or allergies.
Petrolatum is fungal acne safe. It is a hydrocarbon with no fatty acid structure, so Malassezia cannot metabolize it. In-vitro studies support negligible growth stimulation as well.
It's also worth noting that petrolatum has a comedogenic rating of 0. In updated rabbit ear testing (and in human testing), petrolatum was found to be not comedogenic. This means it didn’t promote comedone formation in standard models.
Learn more about PetrolatumPotassium hydroxide is commonly known as caustic potash. It is used to fix the pH of a product or as a cleaning agent in soap. In cleansers, it is used for the saponification of oils.
Sapnification is the process of creating fatty acid metal salts from triglycerides and a strong base. During this process, Potassium Hydroxide is used up and is not present in the final product.
Using high concentrations of Potassium Hydroxide have shown to irritate the skin.
Learn more about Potassium HydroxideWater. 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
