What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningIsopropyl Myristate
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Dimethicone
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate
Emulsifying
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Tapioca Starch
Methylparaben
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingStearic Acid
Cleansing
Propylparaben
Preservative
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Disodium EDTA
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingTheobroma Cacao Seed Butter
Emollient
Petrolatum
Emollient
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Coumarin
Perfuming
Hexyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Hydroxycitronellal
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Water, Isopropyl Myristate, Glycerin, Sorbitan Isostearate, Dimethicone, Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate, Phenoxyethanol, Tapioca Starch, Methylparaben, Parfum, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum, Stearic Acid, Propylparaben, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Hydroxide, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Petrolatum, Benzyl Alcohol, Coumarin, Hexyl Cinnamal, Hydroxycitronellal, Linalool
Water
Skin ConditioningCocos Nucifera Fruit Extract
Emollient
Glycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Isopropyl Myristate
Emollient
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Gardenia Taitensis Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningPrunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil
Emollient
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Nonfat Dry Milk
Skin ConditioningCitric Acid
Buffering
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Triethanolamine
BufferingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingGlycerin
Humectant
PEG-40 Stearate
Emulsifying
Tetrasodium EDTA
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Decylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Benzyl Benzoate
Antimicrobial
Coumarin
Perfuming
Water, Cocos Nucifera Fruit Extract, Glycine Soja Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Isopropyl Myristate, Propylene Glycol, Cetyl Alcohol, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Tocopherol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Gardenia Taitensis Flower Extract, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Nonfat Dry Milk, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Triethanolamine, Ethylhexylglycerin, Carbomer, Glycerin, PEG-40 Stearate, Tetrasodium EDTA, Pentylene Glycol, Decylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Stearyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum, Benzyl Alcohol, Benzyl Benzoate, Coumarin
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Benzyl Alcohol is most commonly used as a preservative. It also has a subtle, sweet smell. Small amounts of Benzyl Alcohol is not irritating and safe to use in skincare products. Most Benzyl Alcohol is derived from fruits such as apricots.
Benzyl Alcohol has both antibacterial and antioxidant properties. These properties help lengthen the shelf life of products. Benzyl Alcohol is a solvent and helps dissolve other ingredients. It can also improve the texture and spreadability.
Alcohol comes in many different forms. Different types of alcohol will have different effects on skin. This ingredient is an astringent alcohol.
Using high concentrations of these alcohols are drying on the skin. They may strip away your skin's natural oils and even damage your skin barrier. Astringent alcohols may also irritate skin.
Other types of astringent alcohols include:
According to the National Rosacea Society based in the US, you should be mindful of products with these alcohols in the top half of ingredients.
Any type of sanitizing product will have high amounts of alcohol to help kill bacteria and viruses.
Learn more about Benzyl AlcoholCarbomer is a high-molecular weight polymer of acrylic acid. It is used to form gels and thicken formulas.
Due to its large molecular size, carbomer has minimal skin penetration and is considered an inert ingredient.
A high amount of carbomer can cause pilling or balling up of products. Don't worry, most products contain 1% or less of carbomer.
Learn more about CarbomerCoumarins are a group of substances found naturally in plants. There are over 1300 types of coumarins identified. It has a natural vanilla scent.
Coumarin is an identified EU known allergy, meaning it may cause an allergic reaction when applied to the skin.
In many countries, coumarin is banned as a food additive. However, it can be found in soaps, tobacco products, and some alcohol drinks.
Plants use coumarins as a chemical defense. Some plants that have coumarins include lavender, tonka beans, and yellow clovers.
Learn more about CoumarinGlycerin (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 GlycerinIsopropyl Myristate is an emollient, thickening agent, and texture enhancer. It is created from isopropyl alcohol and myristic acid.
It is used to help other ingredients be better absorbed. It is also an emollient and may help soften and hydrate the skin.
The comedogenic rating of this ingredient depends on the concentration. Lower amounts results in a lower rating.
Isopropyl Myristate may not be fungal acne safe. It can potentially worsen acne prone skin.
Learn more about Isopropyl MyristateParfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.
Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.
For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.
The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.
For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.
One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.
Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.
Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.
The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.
Learn more about ParfumPhenoxyethanol 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.
Stearic 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 AcidTheobroma Cacao Seed Butter comes from the Theobroma cacoa, or Cacao tree. Cacao trees are native to tropical landscapes.
Like other plant butters, Cacao seed butter is an emollient. Emollients help soothe and soften your skin. By creating a barrier to trap moisture in, emollients help keep your skin hydrated.
Cacao seed butter contains antioxidants known as polyphenols. Antioxidants help fight free-radical molecules by stabilizing them. Unstable free-radicals may cause damage to your skin cells. Antioxidants may help with anti-aging.
Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter can be bad for acne prone skin.
Learn more about Theobroma Cacao Seed ButterWater. 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
