What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Dimethicone
Emollient
Alcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate
Emollient
Saccharomyces/Xylinum/Black Tea Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Myreth-3 Myristate
Emollient
Isopropyl Palmitate
Emollient
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Octyldodecanol
Emollient
Synthetic Wax
Abrasive
Tin Oxide
Abrasive
PEG-100 Stearate
CI 17200
Cosmetic ColorantCI 15985
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantStearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Mica
Cosmetic ColorantPotassium Sorbate
Preservative
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingSorbitol
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningDimethicone Crosspolymer
Emulsion Stabilising
Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer
PEG-Crosspolymer
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingMyristyl Alcohol
Emollient
Sodium Citrate
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Adenosine
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Disodium EDTA
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Capryloyl Salicylic Acid
Exfoliating
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingCitric Acid
Buffering
Biotin
AntiseborrhoeicParfum
Masking
Water, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Alcohol Denat., Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, Saccharomyces/Xylinum/Black Tea Ferment, Myreth-3 Myristate, Isopropyl Palmitate, Pentylene Glycol, Cetyl Alcohol, Propylene Glycol, Octyldodecanol, Synthetic Wax, Tin Oxide, PEG-100 Stearate, CI 17200, CI 15985, CI 77891, Stearyl Alcohol, Mica, Potassium Sorbate, Carbomer, Sorbitol, Glyceryl Stearate, Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, PEG-Crosspolymer, Sodium Hydroxide, Myristyl Alcohol, Sodium Citrate, Phenoxyethanol, Adenosine, Tocopherol, Disodium EDTA, Caprylyl Glycol, Capryloyl Salicylic Acid, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Citric Acid, Biotin, Parfum
Water
Skin ConditioningIsononyl Isononanoate
EmollientGlycerin
Humectant
Propanediol
Solvent
Cetearyl Olivate
C10-18 Triglycerides
Emollient
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Polyacrylate
Absorbent
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Sodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Caprylhydroxamic Acid
Octyldodecanol
Emollient
CI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Isononyl Isononanoate, Glycerin, Propanediol, Cetearyl Olivate, C10-18 Triglycerides, Niacinamide, Sodium Hyaluronate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sodium Polyacrylate, Sorbitan Olivate, Glyceryl Stearate, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Dimethicone, Sodium Gluconate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Octyldodecanol, CI 77491
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Dimethicone 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 DimethiconeGlycerin (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 StearateOctyldodecanol is a fatty alcohol sourced from plant oils like coconut or palm (or made synthetically).
It is:
You'll likely see this in many BHA products because this is the go-to solvent for salicylic acid.
This ingredient is typically used at levels between 2-20%.
Regarding fungal acne:
In 2019, this ingredient was tested against multiple Malassezia species (the yeast that causes fungal acne) and showed no growth.
Water. 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
