What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Isopropyl Palmitate
Emollient
Glycol Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Dimethicone
Emollient
Paraffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Petrolatum
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Methylparaben
Preservative
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingTriethanolamine
BufferingPropylparaben
Preservative
Stearamide Amp
Disodium EDTA
Water, Glycerin, Stearic Acid, Isopropyl Palmitate, Glycol Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Dimethicone, Paraffinum Liquidum, Glyceryl Stearate, Petrolatum, Cetyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Triethanolamine, Propylparaben, Stearamide Amp, Disodium EDTA
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Propanediol
Solvent
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Sorbitol
Humectant
Dimethicone
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Caffeine
Skin Conditioning
Citric Acid
Buffering
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Ceteareth-20
CleansingGlyceryl Stearate Citrate
Emollient
Disodium Ethylene Dicocamide PEG-15 Disulfate
Cleansing
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingDisodium EDTA
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingBHT
Antioxidant
Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Propanediol, Pentylene Glycol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Sorbitol, Dimethicone, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behenyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Sodium Hydroxide, Tocopheryl Acetate, Allantoin, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ceramide NP, Panthenol, Caffeine, Citric Acid, Cetyl Alcohol, Ceteareth-20, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Disodium Ethylene Dicocamide PEG-15 Disulfate, Niacinamide, Caprylyl Glycol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Disodium EDTA, Xanthan Gum, BHT
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer is a synthetic polymer. It is used to thicken, emulsify, and improve the texture of products.
As an emulsifier, it helps stabilize oil-in-water emulsions to give products an elegant feel when applied.
It can also form a thin protective film on skin. One study found that a formula using this polymer helped slow down how quickly other ingredients (like DEET) were absorbed through skin.
A 2024 study of over 1,300 patients confirmed that sensitization to this ingredient is rare. It is also non-mutagenic and has a clean track record.
Learn more about Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate CrosspolymerCetyl 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 AlcoholDimethicone is a type of synthetic silicone created from natural materials such as quartz. It is also known as polydimethylsiloxane.
What it does:
Dimethicone comes in different viscosities:
Depending on the viscosity, dimethicone has different properties.
Ingredients lists don't always show which type is used, so we recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the viscosity.
This ingredient is unlikely to cause irritation because it does not get absorbed into skin. However, people with silicone allergies should be careful about using this ingredient.
Note: Dimethicone may contribute to pilling. This is because it is not oil or water soluble, so pilling may occur when layered with products. When mixed with heavy oils in a formula, the outcome is also quite greasy.
Learn more about DimethiconeDisodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).
Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAGlycerin (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 StearateWater. 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
