What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Cetearyl Olivate
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Glycerin
Humectant
Fucus Vesiculosus Extract
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Rosa Canina Fruit Oil
Emollient
Chamomilla Recutita Extract
Skin Conditioning
Ledum Groenlandicum Oil
Masking
Thuja Occidentalis Leaf Oil
Masking
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Sorbic Acid
Preservative
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingWater, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Glycerin, Fucus Vesiculosus Extract, Cetearyl Alcohol, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Chamomilla Recutita Extract, Ledum Groenlandicum Oil, Thuja Occidentalis Leaf Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Sorbic Acid, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Sodium Hydroxide
Water
Skin ConditioningRosa Canina Fruit Oil
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Cetearyl Olivate
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Hamamelis Virginiana Water
Astringent
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Fusanus Spicatus Wood Oil
Masking
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Disodium EDTA
Sodium Citrate
BufferingPogostemon Cablin Leaf Oil
Masking
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Flower Oil
Astringent
Eugenia Caryophyllus Flower Oil
Masking
Zingiber Officinale Root Extract
Masking
Benzoic Acid
Masking
Farnesol
Perfuming
Eugenol
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Water, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Glycerin, Cetearyl Olivate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Hamamelis Virginiana Water, Sorbitan Olivate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Polysorbate 20, Phenoxyethanol, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Fusanus Spicatus Wood Oil, Bisabolol, Panthenol, Sodium Benzoate, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Citrate, Pogostemon Cablin Leaf Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Flower Oil, Eugenia Caryophyllus Flower Oil, Zingiber Officinale Root Extract, Benzoic Acid, Farnesol, Eugenol, Linalool, Limonene, Geraniol
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Cetearyl alcohol is a waxy mixture of two fatty alcohols: cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. It is an emollient and emulsifier.
Despite having "alcohol" in its name, it has nothing to do with drying solvent alcohols; the FDA also allows "alcohol-free" products to contain fatty alcohols like this ingredient.
It plays several roles in a formula:
Typical use levels for this ingredient sit around 1-10% and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has affirmed safety at concentrations up to 25% in leave-on products.
Multiple assessments have found it to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing to most people.
However, there have been some cases of allergic contact dermatitis in patients with chronically compromised skin barriers.
Cetearyl alcohol has a comedogenic rating of 2 and irritancy rating of 1. Both of these numbers come from the 1989 study that used rabbit ears; a "2" means mildly comedogenic and a "1" means low irritancy.
Here's the catch: rabbit skin is more sensitive than human skin and throws a lot of false positives. A 1996 reappraisal found that ingredients rated 1-2 in the rabbit ear tests are generally safe for humans.
Remember comedogenic ratings are unable to assess the entire formula of a product or how it will react on your skin. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure about certain ingredients.
This ingredient is not fungal acne safe. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol with chain lengths that fall within the range that Malassezia can metabolize.
A 2019 study has also observed Malassezia growth in the presence of this ingredient, confirming it to be not-fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Cetearyl AlcoholCetearyl Olivate is a plant-derived emulsifier and texture enhancer. It helps keep the oil and water phases from separating so your formulas stay stable.
You'll likely see it combined with Sorbitan Olivate (together sold as the trade name Olivem 1000). This combination generates a liquid crystal structure that closely resemble the lipid organization of the stratum corneum.
These "skin-like" liquid crystals improve skin barrier integrity and promote the delivery of actives into the skin.
This ingredient is well-tolerated and has no significant sensitization data.
Because it is derived from the fatty acids in olive oil, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Cetearyl OlivateGlycerin (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 GlycerinPhenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.
On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).
You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.
Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.
Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.
Learn more about PhenoxyethanolRosa Canina Fruit Oil is a non-fragrant plant oil that has earned its skincare reputation through chemistry.
It's dominated by fatty acids like linoleic acid (~35-55%), alpha-linolenic acid (~17-27%), and oleic acid (~14-22%). This is the exact profile that supports skin barrier, locks in hydration, and calms inflammation.
A 2024 review found evidence for the Rosa canina species supports its use for scarring, hyperpigmentation, wrinkles, and atopic dermatitis; this was mostly credited to its vitamin C content and fatty acid composition as the primary active mechanisms.
You might see this ingredient marketed as a "natural retinol". Some rosehip seed oils contains traces of all-trans-retinoic acid but these trace amounts are far below biologically active levels.
The Cosmetic Ingredient Review Panel has deemed this ingredient safe and it's well-tolerated.
Fungal acne: The fatty acids of this oil fall into the C11-24 range that Malassezia yeast can metabolize, so this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Rosa Canina Fruit OilSorbitan Olivate is created from the fatty acids in olive oil and sorbitol.
This ingredient is an oil in water emulsifier. It helps stabilize a product by preventing oils and waters from separating. Sorbitan Olivate also helps hydrate the skin.
This ingredient is also known as part of Olivem 1000, with Cetearyl Olivate being the other part.
According to a manufacturer, this ingredient helps preserve the natural microbiome of skin. Having a healthy microbiome helps keep our skin healthy and protects against harmful bacteria.
Please note, having a healthy microbiome is different from fungal acne; a healthy microbiome includes small amounts of yeast that normally live on your skin without causing problems.
Fungal acne happens when one type of yeast (Malassezia) grows out of control. This is usually because it's feeding on certain oils or fatty acids. Due to the olive oil base, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Sorbitan OlivateWater. 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
